risk

[snoopyqtie]

Hi Doc. About 6 weeks ago i notice two pimple like sores on the base of my penis, i went to the clinic and the doctor think it was herpes and is a new infection. Took a sample(q tip) to get tested but I did not get the result back but  I will this week. The last time I had sex was four days before I noticed the two pimple like sore. Since then I had a couple more out breaks at the base of the penis but not on the same side. Each time there is only one sore but not painful an 1 on a scale from 1 to 10. Each time it it went away in about 3  days. I also notice there is slight red pimple like thing about 21/2 inches away from my penis and it disappeared in 3 days. I don't recall have these problems prior to this new relationship with this girl. I been with her for about 7 months. After I told her about this, she said she went get tested for 'Everything' and that she was OK. She swear on her mom.  My concern is really about HIV. I never had sex without condoms since after I got tested for HIV about 3 1/2 years ago and it was negative. I got tested for gonorrhea,chlamydia and  syphilis about 3 months ago and all negative. I had 4 partners since I last got tested for HIV and two I am not concern about because I am really good friends with them and they told me they are clean. The third girl I had sex with four times and each time was protected and this was about 2 years ago and I did not notice any ARS symptoms. My current girlfriend  and I had sex about 20 times over the past 6 months and each time it was protected. But there is one time (3 months ago) the condom kinda slip but I notice the majority of my penis still covered. I did not notice any symptoms of ARS in the past 6 months. These pimple like things or herpes is driving me insane.  If I got herpes recently then would I be in trouble for HIV if she is infected?  She told me she tested negative about 1 months ago but I am not sure she tell me the truth or maybe she has not develop detectable antibodies yet?

[snoopyqtie]

A related discussion, Thank you was started.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

No  a six week test will detect over 95% of infections acquired 6 weeks earlier.  In your situation, this should be sufficient to virtually prove that you do not have HIV form the expsoure you describe  EWH

[snoopyqtie]

Dear Dr Hook;

Thank you for your valuable comments. I will follow your advice and go get test for HIV this week and well as get my herpes result back. One more questions is it too early to get tested since my last sexual contact was little over 6 weeks ago?



Thanks

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  Your risk for HIV is low.  As you point out, since your last test you have had 4 partners but you have used condoms consistently with each of them.  It is unlikely that your partners had HIV.  Even if they did, condoms are very, very effective for HIV prevention.  Furthermore, your most recent partner tells you she was recently tested and does not have HIV.  Most people do tell the truth about such things so I suspect she told you the truth as well.  You cannot get HIV from a person who does not have HIV.

As for the lesions at the base of your penis, if a doctor has told you it appears to be herpes, it is likely that it is.  The culture he took should tell the story and either confirm or disprove his diagnosis.  While sometimes people with herpes have negative cultures, this is uncommon if the specimen has been taken from a lesion during a first episode of lesions. If the culture is negative, you should discuss other possible diagnoses with your doctor such as folliculitis.  The nature and location or the lesions are consistent with folliculitis as well as herpes.

Finally, it is time for you to have another HIV test.  You describe sex (protected) with 4 partners.  Thus you qualify for periodic STD  and HIV "screening” (testing in the absence of symptoms) because you have had multiple partners since your last test.  As a matter of personal protection, we recommend annual testing for anyone who has had two or more sex partners in the past year (we consider this to be health maintenance- we also recommend you get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly).  This is not a hidden message that I think your risk is high - it is not.  We recommend screening like this for all clients who have not been tested recently.

I hope my comments are helpful to you.  EWH