Final answer
Yes, it is clear that you do not have HIV form the encounter you describe. . EWH
Does this mean I can have unprotected sex with my girlfriend again?
I agree with your doctor. Glad I was able to help. EWH
Dear Doctor,
Just wanted to say thank you for the support during this hard time for me. After 29 days I tool a Hiv Combo Test and it came back negative. My doctor says it is conclusive and I did not get Hiv. Can you reassure me with this result?
The presence of a possible STI would slightly elevate your risk. If you are worried about the burning, I suggest that you go get that checked, seeking evaluation for gonorrhea, chalmydia and NGU. I would NOT recommend taking antibiotics before you have been tested- it is more likely to just confuse things. EWH
I understand that the transmission risk from a one-time vaginal intercourse is rather low on average. What worries me after the I admit extended discussion about the condom is the fact that I have this burning sensation now since 3 days, which I usually do not experience.
If we suppose, this is a STD, wouldn't this mean that sex has been unprotected and that I had a elevated risk?
I met the csw yesterday to ask her and she said that she is clean and that she knows it but I can not really rely on this.
Thank you for your help.
You inidcated that following your misstep you were treated for STIs. If you remain concerned, you need testing, not treatment without testing. Isolated diarrhea is not a sign of the ARS.
Even if your partner had HIV, which is statistically unlikely, AND if you did not use a condom (I suspect also unlikely) your risk for acquiring HIV from a single unprotected exposure is less than 1 in 1000. EWH
Thank you very much for your quick answer, Doctor Hook.
I am fully aware that my anxiety is not very contributing but since I am now having these symptoms of burning sensation in my penis (sign for STD) and diarrhea (ARS), I am worrying again. Could you please comment this and give me a risk assessment?
Welcome to our Forum. I'll try to help. In reviewing your numerous recent interactions on our HIV Community site. My sense is that your anxiety is beginning to get the best of you and leading you to second guess yourself. I note that you initially provided a detailed discussion of the condom and now wonder if you had a condom at all. More than anything this suggests you are letting yourself be confused. Further, at this point, I need to point out that there is NOTHING you can do to re-create or clarify the situation. Thus and related to this, I have several comments:
1. If you used a condom, it was safe sex and there was no risk. Blood on the outside of a condom is not an exposure.
2. If you had used a condom and it had failed, you would have known it. when condoms fail, they break wide open leaving no doubt that they failed. They cannot be rolled off.
3. Exposure to menstrual blood during sex does not elevate risk for HIV. In fact, sometimes there is actually more HIV present in genital secretions than in blood.
4. If you wish to test, I recommend against a PCR test. While the PCR is likely to become positive slightly more quickly than other antibody detection tests (i.e. usual blood tests), at the present time the blood tests are becoming more and more sensitive and detecting infection earlier and earlier so that the time difference in detection between PCR test and antibody detection tests is becoming smaller and smaller and at present is, in general only a week or two. In addition the time course over which the PCR tests become positive is less well described than for the blood tests and, as a result, it is difficult to make a definitive statement on what a negative PCR test means at any time within a few weeks of exposure to a HIV infected or possibly infected partner. PCR tests are also more expensive than regular antibody tests. Finally and most importantly, the false positive rate for PCR tests (i.e. a positive result in persons who do not have HIV) is higher than for blood tests. Each of this on this Forum have seen a number of people who were worried needlessly because of false positive tests. For all of these reasons, we rarely recommend testing for HIV diagnosis using PCR. In most places persons can get the same information with a recommended DUO or combination HIV p24 antigen/HIV antibody test more cheaply and with a lower risk of false positive results.
I hope these comments are helpful. EWH