Aa
HIV from Fingering Vagina
Dear Doctors,
I inadvertently posted this question on the Community Forum - apologies here it is again.
24 hours ago I visited a bar with CSWs in Singapore. I fingered a CSW for about a minute - two fingers. 10 minutes later I washed my hands with soap and water.
This morning on checking my hands I noticed that I have a small surface cut on one of the fingers and also a small cutical cut on the other (i.e. the two fingers used for the fingering). Each cut is approximately 1 mm long and whilst there is a small amount of blood visible below the surface of the skin the cuts look like surface cuts. I do not know if the cuts were fresh at the time of fingering.
I realise that you must receive many questions along these lines. Can you please advise what level of risk I have for getting HIV and other STDs from this stupid action. Can you please also provide me with any scientific / medical reasoning that you have.
I am very concerned as I am married and do not want to harm my wife.
Thank you
I inadvertently posted this question on the Community Forum - apologies here it is again.
24 hours ago I visited a bar with CSWs in Singapore. I fingered a CSW for about a minute - two fingers. 10 minutes later I washed my hands with soap and water.
This morning on checking my hands I noticed that I have a small surface cut on one of the fingers and also a small cutical cut on the other (i.e. the two fingers used for the fingering). Each cut is approximately 1 mm long and whilst there is a small amount of blood visible below the surface of the skin the cuts look like surface cuts. I do not know if the cuts were fresh at the time of fingering.
I realise that you must receive many questions along these lines. Can you please advise what level of risk I have for getting HIV and other STDs from this stupid action. Can you please also provide me with any scientific / medical reasoning that you have.
I am very concerned as I am married and do not want to harm my wife.
Thank you
Thank you for your quick response and explanation.
You mention "a healing cut almost certainly makes no difference". I do not know whether or not my surface cuts were healing at the time of the fingering. They could have been fresh surface cuts and bleeding.
Even if they were fresh, bleeding surface cuts would this still be a zero risk event?
Thank you for your patience.
You mention "a healing cut almost certainly makes no difference". I do not know whether or not my surface cuts were healing at the time of the fingering. They could have been fresh surface cuts and bleeding.
Even if they were fresh, bleeding surface cuts would this still be a zero risk event?
Thank you for your patience.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome back to the forum.
This was a zero risk exposure. There has never been a known case of HIV transmission by fingering. A fresh, deep, actively bleeding wound might create some risk, but a healing cut almost certainly makes no difference. The scientific reasons are simply that catching HIV requires exposure of certain cells to large amounts of the virus -- and the amount of virus that can enter through exposures like this simply is not enough for transmission to occur. I would also add that it is statistically unlikely your partner had HIV.
You do not need testing and can safely continue unprotected sex with your wife. Before you ask additional questions on this forum, please remember this: sexual transmission of HIV requires a bare penis (no condom) inside another person's vagina, rectum, or (maybe) mouth. If you do not have unprotected vaginal or anal sex with a high risk partner, you will never catch HIV. Never, no chance, nil, nichevo, zilch, nada. Got it?
Regards-- HHH, MD
This was a zero risk exposure. There has never been a known case of HIV transmission by fingering. A fresh, deep, actively bleeding wound might create some risk, but a healing cut almost certainly makes no difference. The scientific reasons are simply that catching HIV requires exposure of certain cells to large amounts of the virus -- and the amount of virus that can enter through exposures like this simply is not enough for transmission to occur. I would also add that it is statistically unlikely your partner had HIV.
You do not need testing and can safely continue unprotected sex with your wife. Before you ask additional questions on this forum, please remember this: sexual transmission of HIV requires a bare penis (no condom) inside another person's vagina, rectum, or (maybe) mouth. If you do not have unprotected vaginal or anal sex with a high risk partner, you will never catch HIV. Never, no chance, nil, nichevo, zilch, nada. Got it?
Regards-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the HIV - Prevention Forum
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.
