Need your experrt advice On HIV

[vj420]

Hi,
     I had lately two protected penetrative sex with a commercial sex worker at massage center. First, was on Aug 15th where i used condom, and second was on oct 16th with the same girl. for the first encounter i touched her vaginal fluid and after sex i touched the condom .  I have gone through the forum and i now believe that it will not carry any HIV infection. One week later i had STD and HIV tests which were negative. I'm not sure whether the results were perfect in nature, so i now decided to go for another round of test as it has been 8 weeks.
But unfortunately, i had another protected penetrative sex with the same girl 2 days back. In the second case, i was little drunk and i didn't realize i had a small knife cut on my finger. I tried to touch her private part, she dinn allow me to though..i did touch it once. Is there any possibility of HIV infection as the cut may come into contact with her vaginal fluid. After that, she had protective sex with me as she was on top and once done she waited for a minute instead of withdrawing, i didn't understand this. I believe in US massage center commercial sex workers mostly don't have HIV as they follow High hygeine and safe sex practices. How true is it?
What are the chances i may get infected? Do i need to wait for 8 weeks more to get tested in order to have perfect results?  Since 3 weeks i have a sore throat and mild fever, are these Initial Symptoms of HIV..Please, Guide me through this. I guess i should have restricted myself. This is my 2nd sexual encounter. I'm bit worried and emotionally it is difficult to deal with it. I hope u understand my concern..

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Huh?  We don't ask much of those who ask questions, but we do expect them to read our replies and not ask the same questions repeatedly.  I have no idea how to explain more clearly than in my replies of 10/17, 10/18, and the link provided on 10/18.

This thread is closed.  There is no need for you to post your negative results, whenever you decide to be tested.

[vj420]

Hi doctor,
               I had my HIV test done yesterday after 8 weeks of exposure. HIV testing was done by a blood draw.  It was Conventional HIV Blood Testing. My question is whether for this test the results after 8 weeks would be accurate? I have asked the same question at the center, but they said generally they would go with 12 weeks but 8 weeks should be definately good to decide..i know that many people have asked same questions in forum, but i was confused after reading many posts about Conventional HIV Blood Testing. I would really hope that you answer this question. It will probably solve my confusion. I will get my results this week. Thanks!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

There have been innumerable discussions about the window period, i.e. time to a reliable positive test and I'm not going to repeat what has been said literally hundreds of times.  Use the search link for such terms as "window period" and "time to positive test" in this forum's search window.  You'll find literally thousands of discussions.  Or just scan any 10-20 threads at random.  And here is a thread that discusses why some agencies recommend longer testing intervals than necessary:  http://www.medhelp.org/posts/HIV-Prevention/-A-Question-on-Testing/show/1347755

[vj420]

Thanks for the help!  This shall be my last question, as i did gain much knowledge about HIV. I want to ask you this question because, this question can be helpful to many people.
Is the HIV antibody test perfectly conclusive after 4 weeks of test or 6 weeks of test? I have read in many of your answers that a followup test is always advisable. So in this case if i get tested after 4 weeks if the results are negative does that mean that there is not even a remote chance of being infected??

Regarding the antibody/p24 antigen test, how different is that from HIV antibody test and does it give more conclusive results at early stage? If yes than how perfectly can we believe in this test?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Nobody has ever been known to catch HIV by fingering, with or without cuts on the fingers.  It makes no difference.  But if you insist on testing, you can have either an HIV antibody test 6 or more weeks after exposure; or a combination antibody/p24 antigen test at 4 weeks or later.  If you decide to get tested, visit a clinic and follow their advice about the details.

There is no test I can recommend for STDs other than HIV in this situation.

[vj420]

Yes, doc you are right about the ending lines. But, my worry and concern was that i had a cut on my finger and i did some fingering with it. So i was confused that whether that would increase the risk. Regarding testing I'm not clear how many weeks do i need to wait to get perfect results. Thanks for your advice

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome back to MedHelp.  But you are asking virtually the same questions you did on the STD forum 2 months ago, following condom protected sex plus hand-genital contact, apparently with the same partner.  Since the exposure is just like the first, of course the answers are the same. As we discussed last time, the chance your partner had HIV is low; condom-protected sex is safe; and neither HIV nor other STDs are passed by hand-genital contact.  For more detail, re-read the previous thread.

Your symptoms sound like you caught a cold, not HIV.  You do not need testing for HIV or other STDs.  However, you always can get tested if my opinion doesn't settle your fears and you need the additional reassurance of negative test result.  You could visit either your personal physician or your local health department STD clinic.

You cannot expect to go through life asking for professional advice about STD/HIV risks every time you have a new sexual experience.  Please educate yourself on sex and STD risks.  Also, it seems apparent you cannot comfortably handle the implications of having commercial sex, so I suggest you try to avoid the temptation.

Regards--  HHH, MD