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Rectal Gonnorhea and HIV
Hello, I'm a gay male in San Francisco, who is always extremely careful and safe when it comes to sex. I have NEVER had unprotected anal sex, but things still happened. I was diagnosed with ghonnorhea in my rectum and eurethra. I am Extremelly confuse and worried. The times I've topped or bottomed I've always used condoms. However, about last week I was about to buttom with this guy, and the condom broke while he was trying to penetate me, and he pulled out when I heard the condom pop. I don't believe he was in me, he was trying to penetrate me which caused the condom to break. However, the last times I had anal sex it was All protected, so I really don't understand. The guys at the clinic said that I could have caught it from someone rimming me or from rubbing their penis on my anus. I am extremely confused. if I cought it from the condom breaking, what are the chances of me getting HIV from that, even though he did not fully penetrate me, and pulled out as soon as I heard the condom break. I'm getting an RNA test next Friday, which would be 2 weeks after that exposure. The HIV antibody test I got at the clinic was also negative. I also checked the condoms of the guys I had sex with, and they were always good, none of them broke, except for the one last week. What are your thoughts?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
"Is an RNA a good indicator?" Read my last reply. Did you think I might have changed my mind?
Glad to hear you ask your partners about HIV status. That provides further reassurance that you weren't infected, as suggested by your test results.
Glad to hear you ask your partners about HIV status. That provides further reassurance that you weren't infected, as suggested by your test results.
To add, I always ask people about their HIV status, and their sexual practices, to which they claimed to be negative.
I got the first RNA this week, which would be almost 2 weeks from when i think i caught the infection. I'll be getting a second RNA this week, which would be closer to two weeks since the last time I had sex, when the condom broke. Is an RNA a good indicator, since I know it's not a standar HIV test.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
As we use the terms on this forum, the RNA and DNA tests are interchangeable. Your negative result is very good news. Although not proof, it is very unlikely you acquired HIV along with gonorrhea.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. I'll try to help.
If you indeed had professionally diagnosed rectal and/or urethral gonorrhea, then there had to be at least one episode of unprotected exposure for each anatomic site. I have no way of knowing whether a condom failed, or a partner didn't use one when you thought he did, or some other explanation, but for sure you have had at least one unprotected exposure. Neither rimming nor penile contact without penetration is likely to transmit gonorrhea.
Most STDs are correlated with HIV risk, but some more than others, and the two most strongly associated are syphilis and gonorrhea. Therefore, you have to assume there is a possibility of HIV exposure at the time(s) you caught gonorrhea.
In addition to condoms for anal sex, I hope you follow other aspects of safe sex. In particular, you should be selecting your partners with care -- specifically, avoiding anonymous partners (e.g. in bath houses etc); and you should be routinely having a discussion about HIV with each and every partner before having any contact. And of course don't go forward, or be especially careful about condom use, with partners who are positive (and not on effective treatment), don't know, or seem evasive about it. Most people don't lie about HIV status when asked directly. In other words, you should have known whether there was a potential for HIV exposure before any contact ever started.
I'm glad you are under professional care, and you should follow that advice about specific tests and their timing. If "the clinic" refers to the San Francisco city STD clinic, you are at one of the most expert sites there is; and in general, most San Francisco HIV clinical services are highly reliable.
Despite the obvious high risk situation, the odds remain strongly in your favor. The large majority of unsafe exposures, even among gay men with anonymous partners, and despite gonorrhea or other STDs, do not result in HIV transmission. So follow the clinic's advice, and stay mellow as you await hte test results. Most likely they will be negative.
Best regards-- HHH, MD
If you indeed had professionally diagnosed rectal and/or urethral gonorrhea, then there had to be at least one episode of unprotected exposure for each anatomic site. I have no way of knowing whether a condom failed, or a partner didn't use one when you thought he did, or some other explanation, but for sure you have had at least one unprotected exposure. Neither rimming nor penile contact without penetration is likely to transmit gonorrhea.
Most STDs are correlated with HIV risk, but some more than others, and the two most strongly associated are syphilis and gonorrhea. Therefore, you have to assume there is a possibility of HIV exposure at the time(s) you caught gonorrhea.
In addition to condoms for anal sex, I hope you follow other aspects of safe sex. In particular, you should be selecting your partners with care -- specifically, avoiding anonymous partners (e.g. in bath houses etc); and you should be routinely having a discussion about HIV with each and every partner before having any contact. And of course don't go forward, or be especially careful about condom use, with partners who are positive (and not on effective treatment), don't know, or seem evasive about it. Most people don't lie about HIV status when asked directly. In other words, you should have known whether there was a potential for HIV exposure before any contact ever started.
I'm glad you are under professional care, and you should follow that advice about specific tests and their timing. If "the clinic" refers to the San Francisco city STD clinic, you are at one of the most expert sites there is; and in general, most San Francisco HIV clinical services are highly reliable.
Despite the obvious high risk situation, the odds remain strongly in your favor. The large majority of unsafe exposures, even among gay men with anonymous partners, and despite gonorrhea or other STDs, do not result in HIV transmission. So follow the clinic's advice, and stay mellow as you await hte test results. Most likely they will be negative.
Best regards-- HHH, MD
I also got an RNA test along with the standard HIV and STD test. The RNA an HIV were negAtive.
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