Terribly Concerned about possible unprotected insertive oral hiv exposure, HELP ME!

[frankl]

Dear Doc:

I have spent the better part of the weekend panicking about a scare my partner and I have concerning an HIV exposure.  History to follow:  3 months ago I had unprotected insertive oral sex with a stripper at a bachelor party at a strip club.  I was obviously out of the moment, but neverless it happened.  The blowjob was mild and I didn't notice any cuts on my penis or mouth sores on hers, but who knows.  I climaxed out of her mouth in about 8 minutes or so and then continued , but i asked her to stop.  I have had really no symptoms to speak of, but my partner (female) has come down with a terrible diagnosed case of Shingles in her shoulder and back.  Her doctor is concerned that this may be a sign of HIV infection.  This has sent me into a panick.  Also, both my partner and myself have genital herpes.  I was diagnosed with that back in college many moons ago.  Since being married, this is the first and LAST experience of this nature.  My wife(partner) suffered a nasty cold and travel during the outbreak.  I am really concerned about the following:
1) my previous herpes has increased the chances of getting HIV in this way if she had any sores, etc..  Again I saw no blood to speak of.
2) I know the chances are very, but can this really be ruled a zero risk?  I have read alot about it and am more concerned.
Thx!

[bemyown234]

1. Most strippers dont have HIV.
2. Even if she had, she will most likely be on treatment with low viral loads.
3. Irrespective of above, saliva does not transmit HIV and has factors which inhibit HIV virus.
4. In the 25 year history of HIV, after millions of cases and trillions of blow jobs, nobody has reliably been shown to have contracted HIV by insertive fellatio. You are not going to be the first.
5. Even in the worst case scenario( purely theoretical), according to the extreme conservative view of CDC, the risk was 1 in 20, 000. You could have a daily blowjob from a known infected partner with high viral load for 20, 000 times viz,55 years and even then have only 1 of those episodes would have had a statistical chance of transmitting HIV.

In summary: YOU DID NOT ACQUIRE HIV FROM THIS EPISODE.
Ive been through this before, but now I know the facts and they are very convincing.

[frankl]

Thank you for your responses.  My wife spoke with her OB this morning and she was full tested for HIV and Hepitis 7 months ago after the birth of our baby.  I was fully tested for insurance purposes 3 years ago and have not had any contact with anyone except my wife for the 15 years, with the exception of this stupid move at a bachelor party.  I know the chances are low, but my real concern is everything I am reading about micro-cuts in the penis and lining of the mouth.  I also realize that it is very hard to transmit HIV through oral sex.  My wife was tested last week, but I am just dying to get reasurrances, etc.. I will test after her results come out.  WHat do you think the chances are?

[ScaredHetero]

22 days is the average seroconversion window period. Also, oral sex presents a low risk for transmission. Saliva deactivates the virus. You can be assured that you did not contract HIV from this exposure. Just get tested at the 6 week mark and move on.

[scareshitless]

Your risk was minimal at best. Oral sex carry some risk but very low, those who got infected from oral were those with mouth probelms such as bleeding gums. In your case your hiv risk is basically non-existent. Also you need to get a new doctor because shingles are not suggested of primary hiv infection. If your partner was to be infected with hiv, I really dont think that u have given it to her. The only sure way is to get tested at the 3month mark, but a few weeks shy of that should be definitive bc most people seroconvert between 6-12 weeks. you might also get ur partner tested also to see if there was prior infection. But again shingles is not an ARS symptoms.

[scareshitless]

the chances are that u will not have hiv. Man, only if the stripper knows that u have herpes, she will probly freak out!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The transmission risk was zero, for practical purposes (no proved cases of acquiring HIV by receiving a BJ).  Shingles occurs all the time in healthy people without HIV; I had it myself once and so did my 12 year old son.  Your wife's cold is irrelevant.  You don't have HIV from that event and neither does your wife.  If you remain nervous, have an HIV test. Assuming you have no other risks, the result will be negative.

People's moral decisions--whether you will or will not have similar exposures in the future--is irrelevant to my concerns or interests.  I deal only in the medical and epidemiologic issues.

Best wishes--  HHH, MD