Body contact. Any HIV risk?

[nightfly667766]

Dear doctor, I'm an anxious man from Italy, already freaking out in the past for nonexistent HIV risks. I'm married and I know my main problem is the sense of guilt. Anyway, less than 1 month ago I went to a sex worker in her apartment. I know my anxiety, so we didnt have any sexual intercourse (no penetration, no mutual masturbation, no oral sex). We were both naked and I just masturbated myself standing in front of her, touching her body (didn't touch her vagina). She just hugged me a little. The only wetness involved was mine. During this "hugging", still standing, my penis touched her body. No penetration at all (she was a little shorter than me, so I think it would be impossibile even to touch her external vagina), but that quick contact scared me a lot. Is just my anxiety? Do I have to stop thinking of that? Little hitchy red spots inside my elbows, just 2 hours after that, aren't related to any infection (they completely disappeared in 1 week. Maybe sweat reaction? Here is very hot)? She had another client just 10-15 mins before our meeting, but I suppose HIV in any case doesn't live outside his host so long (sperm on her body, etc.). Thanks a lot.  

[nightfly667766]

Thank you so much, doctor. Time to move on.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

"a 27 days duo test will be considered conclusive?"  Four weeks (28 days) is the official interval and I suggest you wait until then.  But if for some reason you can be tested at 27 days and don't have access to a test for the next 1-2 weeks after that, the result can be considered conclusive.

That ends this thread.  Do your best to forget this incident and move on.

[nightfly667766]

Thank you, doctor. Just for my peace of mind, regardless of the no risk event, a 27 days duo test will be considered conclusive? I'm gonna have it next week. I could wait for some more days, but my anxiety is so high these days. Thanks for your patience.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Still no risk.

HIV is sexually transmitted only if a bare penis (no condom) enters another person's vagina or rectum (and maybe mouth, but very rarely).

Take a look at my follow-up comment on another thread just a minute ago -- which comments further on how difficult it is to transmit HIV, other than by direct exposure to blood (e.g. by transfusion):

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/2001802

[nightfly667766]

Dear doctor, just one more clarification. Maybe is just my anxiety, but I don't know if I said clearly that our abdomens touched for a few seconds while I was "hugging" her (we were both standing, one in front of each other naked). Still no risk if my penis touched her in the pelvis area or mount of venus? For sure I didn't penetrate her and I didn't feel any wetness from her, just from me. Thanks again. This will be my last post.

[nightfly667766]

Thanks for your kind reply, dear doctor. This really helped me a lot.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the forum.

Yours might be one of those questions in which the title alone has enough information for a reply.  If "body contact" means there was no insertive sex, there is no risk for HIV.  The virus is sexually transmitted only if a bare penis (no condom) penetrates another person's vagina or rectum (and maybe mouth, but very rarely).

Now having read the question itself:  I nailed it.  This was a zero risk exposure; I wouldn't even classify it as a sexual contact.  And you are correct that even if the sex worker's prior client had HIV, nobody has ever been infected by contact with infected secretions in the environment.  Finally, your symptoms do not suggest an HIV infection or any other STD.

So no worries, no testing needed, and if you have a regular partner, you can safely continue unprotected sex without fear of transmitting HIV or any other STD.

I hope this has helped. Best wishes--  HHH, MD