Aa
HIV question
hey doc, i was just wondering something. about 3 weeks ago i was involved in a three some with my friend and some girl he brought back from the bar. we were in mammoth, California at the time and we ended up having a three some with this girl. i have no idea what her sexual history is. anyways, one thing led to another and we ended up having sex with this girl without protection. most of the time it was oral and vaginal but for a quick couple minuets we did anal. i'm terribly ashamed of this situation because this is not who i am. i let alcohol take over and i maybe made the worst decision of my life. i was just wondering, what are my chances of contracting hiv in a situation like this? i haven't had any symptoms so far but for the past three nights i've had mild night sweats but no fever. (very mild, didn't need to change my sheets or clothing) for some reason i can't help but think I've contracted hiv from this one encounter. i have no fever or flu like illness that comes along with HIV symptoms. I'm pretty sure I'm letting my anxiety and stress get the best of me. i'd be very thankful if you could respond. Thanks Doc.
Hey dr HHH. I just had one quick question. I've been having some body aches that started on Saturday. They come and go and are never that bad but at night my shoulders feel on fire. I still have no fever so I know I shouldn't be worrying too bad about it but I would greatly appricate a professional opinion on it.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.
Can you say more about the other two persons, especially the woman? How old are you all? Is this the sort of thing she does frequently? If I understand the exposure, you had no direct sexual contact with the other guy, only the woman -- right?
You're probably at little or no risk of HIV, assuming she's not an injection drug user, sex worker, or otherwise at especially high risk, and absence of ARS symptoms (sore throat, fever, rash, etc) is pretty good evidence you didn't catch it; if ARS symptoms occur at all, they start within 2 weeks. The risk for other STDs is higher, but depends a lot on your partners' past sexual history, age, etc.
My advice is to visit a doctor or clinic for HIV and routine STD testing -- specifically blood tests for syphilis and HIV and a urine test for gonorrhea and chlamydia. (Your local health department STD clinic, or a Planned Parenthood clinic, would be an excellent choice -- or their equivalents if you're not in the US.) The gonorrhea/chlamydia testing can be done at any time. HIV testing is conclusive at 4 weeks if your doctor or clinic offers the "duo" or "combo" test for both antibody and p24 antigen; or at 6 weeks for a standard HIV antibody test. Syphilis testing ideally should be at 6 weeks, but the risk of syphilis here is extremely low; although 4 weeks is a bit early, in this situation it would be plenty good enough.
In the meantime, try not to worry. Even in the highest risk situations, STDs usually are not transmitted, and your lack of symptoms is strong evidence you didn't catch anything. You can expect negative results from any testing you do.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Can you say more about the other two persons, especially the woman? How old are you all? Is this the sort of thing she does frequently? If I understand the exposure, you had no direct sexual contact with the other guy, only the woman -- right?
You're probably at little or no risk of HIV, assuming she's not an injection drug user, sex worker, or otherwise at especially high risk, and absence of ARS symptoms (sore throat, fever, rash, etc) is pretty good evidence you didn't catch it; if ARS symptoms occur at all, they start within 2 weeks. The risk for other STDs is higher, but depends a lot on your partners' past sexual history, age, etc.
My advice is to visit a doctor or clinic for HIV and routine STD testing -- specifically blood tests for syphilis and HIV and a urine test for gonorrhea and chlamydia. (Your local health department STD clinic, or a Planned Parenthood clinic, would be an excellent choice -- or their equivalents if you're not in the US.) The gonorrhea/chlamydia testing can be done at any time. HIV testing is conclusive at 4 weeks if your doctor or clinic offers the "duo" or "combo" test for both antibody and p24 antigen; or at 6 weeks for a standard HIV antibody test. Syphilis testing ideally should be at 6 weeks, but the risk of syphilis here is extremely low; although 4 weeks is a bit early, in this situation it would be plenty good enough.
In the meantime, try not to worry. Even in the highest risk situations, STDs usually are not transmitted, and your lack of symptoms is strong evidence you didn't catch anything. You can expect negative results from any testing you do.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
If it was a rapid blood test, it is conclusive. If an oral fluids test, it's probably 99% conclusive.
That will end this thread. No worries -- do your best to move on!
That will end this thread. No worries -- do your best to move on!
hey dr. hhh i just took a rapid test this morning and its been 6 weeks and 3 days since the incident.. how accurate do you think this negative was?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Neither HIV nor any other STD would cause these symptoms. If they continue or you otherwise remain concerned, see a doctor. But I am confident they are not due to any infection from the sexual exposure described above.
Yeah sorry about not mentioning that. Kinda skipped my mind because I already got it taken care of. But I tested postive for chlamydia about 12 days after the encounter. Before this I went 3 years without having any sexual relations so I for sure got it from this incident. Thank you for responding though, really helped calm my nerves.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
When did you have a positive chlamydia test? Have you been tested since the threesome event? (Why didn't you say so in your original question?) Chlamydia is rare in women in their 30s, and it's unlikely you caught it from your male friend. If you have had sex with other partners in the past few months, those are more likely sources. You should inform any female partners you've had recently, i.e. in the last 6 months or so, and make sure they get tested and treated.
If your partner(s) were commercial sex workers or injection drug users, the chance one of them has HIV is of course higher. But still, the chance of HIV from this event is very low. OTOH, having chlamydia makes you more susceptible if you were exposed to HIV. So it's important you follow-up with testing as I suggested above. It's still very unlikely you have it, but better safe than sorry.
If your partner(s) were commercial sex workers or injection drug users, the chance one of them has HIV is of course higher. But still, the chance of HIV from this event is very low. OTOH, having chlamydia makes you more susceptible if you were exposed to HIV. So it's important you follow-up with testing as I suggested above. It's still very unlikely you have it, but better safe than sorry.
But lets just assume she was either a sex worker or a iv drug user. Would my chances increase? If so, by how much?
Yeah me and my friend had no contact with each other. It was all a heterosexual act. I did test for chlamydia and I did catch it but took care of it. But my friend has been around so I'm not ruling out that I caught if from him. I'm 22, she was 38 and my friend is 24.
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