Aa
Cut on finger
Hi,
I had a couple of risky encounters with sex workers in the past several months. In neither case did I have intercourse or oral sex, but in both cases my hand touched their vagina. The first I had the day before pricked my finger on a thorn, producing a single drop of blood. By the next day I had forgotten that it was even there, because it was nothing more than a red dot on my finger. That evening I briefly touched the sex worker's vagina, there was fluid, but it was brief. Is there a risk?
The second involved another woman I touched through her panties, but she was clearly on her period, though she denied it. I went to the bathroom and saw blood on my hand. I didn't have any cuts, though I did touch my penis when I urinated, and I had a bit of raw skin on a knuckle, but I'm pretty sure there was no blood on that knuckle and certainly no cuts or openings. Is there a risk?
Please let me know and forgive my ignorance.
Best,
I had a couple of risky encounters with sex workers in the past several months. In neither case did I have intercourse or oral sex, but in both cases my hand touched their vagina. The first I had the day before pricked my finger on a thorn, producing a single drop of blood. By the next day I had forgotten that it was even there, because it was nothing more than a red dot on my finger. That evening I briefly touched the sex worker's vagina, there was fluid, but it was brief. Is there a risk?
The second involved another woman I touched through her panties, but she was clearly on her period, though she denied it. I went to the bathroom and saw blood on my hand. I didn't have any cuts, though I did touch my penis when I urinated, and I had a bit of raw skin on a knuckle, but I'm pretty sure there was no blood on that knuckle and certainly no cuts or openings. Is there a risk?
Please let me know and forgive my ignorance.
Best,
Loved your answer Dr
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.
These events were entirely risk free with respect to HIV. The virus has never been known to be transmitted by fingering. And if you think about it, cuts and nicks on the fingers are extremely common -- so among the billions and billions of worldwide fingering events in the 3 decades of the overt HIV/AIDs epidemic, there obviously have been billions of such events that involved such cuts or nicks, or that occurred during women's menstrual periods. And yet no known HIV transmission events.
So no worries at all. You shouldn't be tested for HIV on account of these events and should not hesitate to continue unprotected sex with any regular partner(s) you may have.
I hope this has helped. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
These events were entirely risk free with respect to HIV. The virus has never been known to be transmitted by fingering. And if you think about it, cuts and nicks on the fingers are extremely common -- so among the billions and billions of worldwide fingering events in the 3 decades of the overt HIV/AIDs epidemic, there obviously have been billions of such events that involved such cuts or nicks, or that occurred during women's menstrual periods. And yet no known HIV transmission events.
So no worries at all. You shouldn't be tested for HIV on account of these events and should not hesitate to continue unprotected sex with any regular partner(s) you may have.
I hope this has helped. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
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