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Manicure and pedicure risk
Hi I recently received a Manicure and pedicure at a nail salon where the Technician nicked me with cuticle nippers I'm not sure it they were sterilized I'm also 30 weeks pregnant and scared that I could've contracted HIV and now pass it to my unborn child And also Worried about breast-feeding with the possibility of contracting a Hiv from the manicure Is this a possibility do I need to get tested or am I completely overreacting please help I'd really like to put this at rest I want to know if there is any risk whatsoever or if tested is needed thank you so much Also after she cut me she wiped it off with a towel and stop the bleeding was superglue I was wondering if that has any other effect with transmission or any other risk as well thank you I need to make sure there is zero risk
You're the best!!!!! Thank you, you just made my day!!!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
OK, thanks for the clarification. That's a sensible and appropriate HIV testing policy. I agree it is entirely safe for you to continue your pregnancy without further testing and without worry about HIV.
Thank you for the reply! I was tested in the beginning my first trimester everything was negative so they do test they just don't do it again unless I'm high risk! But it doesn't matter now you answered my question perfectly so even if tey did a routine test id have nothing to worry about! so best wishes to you
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
"In California they only do it if I'm high risk".
That is not true. My guess is you misunderstood. I suppose it is possible your doctor has decided to only test "high risk" pregnant women, but I doubt it. All health departments, including California's, recommend automatic testing of all pregnant women, and almost all hospitals and almost all obstetricians do it. But if in doubt, you should go ahead and ask for it.
However, you still have zero risk from the manicure. The reason for automatic routine testing is that some women have had HIV exposures they don't know about -- usually because a current or past sex partner was high risk but didn't disclose that to his partner or wife. (You can imagine that some women are married to men who sometimes have sex with men but don't admit it.)
If it in fact is true that your doctor or pre-natal clinic does not routinely test their patients for HIV, I suggest you print out this thread (or at least these follow-up comments) and use it as a framework for discussion with your doctor or the office nurse. I'll bet you find they in fact test all their pregnant patients routinely.
That will end this thread. Best wishes for you, your baby, and your growing family.
That is not true. My guess is you misunderstood. I suppose it is possible your doctor has decided to only test "high risk" pregnant women, but I doubt it. All health departments, including California's, recommend automatic testing of all pregnant women, and almost all hospitals and almost all obstetricians do it. But if in doubt, you should go ahead and ask for it.
However, you still have zero risk from the manicure. The reason for automatic routine testing is that some women have had HIV exposures they don't know about -- usually because a current or past sex partner was high risk but didn't disclose that to his partner or wife. (You can imagine that some women are married to men who sometimes have sex with men but don't admit it.)
If it in fact is true that your doctor or pre-natal clinic does not routinely test their patients for HIV, I suggest you print out this thread (or at least these follow-up comments) and use it as a framework for discussion with your doctor or the office nurse. I'll bet you find they in fact test all their pregnant patients routinely.
That will end this thread. Best wishes for you, your baby, and your growing family.
In California they only do it if I'm high risk seeing as I'm married my doctor will not require me to have That test I would have to ask for it! Now is it safe to say that I don't have to get tested because of this manicure Because if there's any risk then I have to ask for the test! Do I have 0 risk from this manicure I would turn down a routine test I just don't want to have to request one if there is no need for one I just don't want to have to worry about a window period if one doesn't exist
In California they only do it if I'm high risk seeing as I'm married my doctor will not require me to have That test I would have to ask for it! Now is it safe to say that I don't have to get tested because of this manicure Because if there's any risk then I have to ask for the test! Do I have 0 risk from this manicure
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for the thanks. Of course you still have routine HIV testing if your doctor redommends it, as for all pregnant women. It would be silly and wrong to refuse because "the test alone brings a lot of anxiety".
Thank you so much Dr I knew I was overreacting however fear was over powering my Rational thoughts! I never ever worried about something like this before, but now being pregnant I just don't want anything to hurt my baby. It's good to know for my knowledge that a manicure or pedicure poses no risk for the transmission of HIV. There's a lot of false information on the Internet that tends to scare people. Thank you for putting my mind At ease now I can enjoy the rest of my pregnancy Because now I know I don't have to get tested the test alone brings a lot of anxiety Thank you so much
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.
Using your terminology, you are indeed overreacting. HIV is not as easily transmitted as you seem to think. People hear "transmitted by contact with blood" and assume that even trivial contact with blood is sufficient. It is not. Nobody in the world -- not a single person -- is known to have caught HIV by getting nicked or cut in the way you were. Even if a previous customer had been cut with the same scissors, the virus does not survive drying of blood and exposure to air. Without a deep cut with an instrument visibly contaminated with HIV infected blood, the risk is zero.
So no worries. You are not at risk and neither is your baby, and there is no need for testing on account of this event. However, as you may know, all pregnant women are automatically tested for HIV, often twice during pregnancy -- at the initial prenatal visit and again as the delivery date approaches. Assuming that is going to be done, you definitely can expect a negative result.
I hope this has been helpful. Best wishes- HHH, MD
Using your terminology, you are indeed overreacting. HIV is not as easily transmitted as you seem to think. People hear "transmitted by contact with blood" and assume that even trivial contact with blood is sufficient. It is not. Nobody in the world -- not a single person -- is known to have caught HIV by getting nicked or cut in the way you were. Even if a previous customer had been cut with the same scissors, the virus does not survive drying of blood and exposure to air. Without a deep cut with an instrument visibly contaminated with HIV infected blood, the risk is zero.
So no worries. You are not at risk and neither is your baby, and there is no need for testing on account of this event. However, as you may know, all pregnant women are automatically tested for HIV, often twice during pregnancy -- at the initial prenatal visit and again as the delivery date approaches. Assuming that is going to be done, you definitely can expect a negative result.
I hope this has been helpful. Best wishes- HHH, MD
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