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Ruptured condom (touch, no penetration) & testing in CA
Dear Doctor,
I have two questions about ruptured condom and HIV testing in California. Short background:
I recently had a short encounter with a dancer in Mexico (paid sex worker - for all practical purposes). I was nervous and not very turned on, so for the first 10 min or so, she gave me oral sex and hand massage with condom on. Eventually, when I unsuccessfully tried to get into her using that same condom, I noticed the condom had just ruptured (my condom was dry, and she was expectedly dry, and not applying any lubricant - I should have known better). The potential exposure could have been just a touch, but no penetration for sure. Then I immediately put a new condom, and was able to enter her this time and finish in a few minutes. My questions are:
1) I am worried that an unprotected touch could mean a lot, especially with a sex worker. What is your opinion on the incident? Could it be a potential for any STD/HIV transfer? I am needless to say quite worried.
2) What is the earliest time I could test with the 20-min HIV quick test in California - in general, and given my situation? I do regular tests every year, and am quite familiar with the 6-week period (e.g., Massachusetts, where I used to live). However, in California they still claim the 3 month period (?) for reliable results. What is your advice on the issue?
PS:
The worker claimed she was clean (default answer, I think).
I very rarely engage in paid sex, but here you go (irrelevant, I know).
Many thanks for any advice.
I have two questions about ruptured condom and HIV testing in California. Short background:
I recently had a short encounter with a dancer in Mexico (paid sex worker - for all practical purposes). I was nervous and not very turned on, so for the first 10 min or so, she gave me oral sex and hand massage with condom on. Eventually, when I unsuccessfully tried to get into her using that same condom, I noticed the condom had just ruptured (my condom was dry, and she was expectedly dry, and not applying any lubricant - I should have known better). The potential exposure could have been just a touch, but no penetration for sure. Then I immediately put a new condom, and was able to enter her this time and finish in a few minutes. My questions are:
1) I am worried that an unprotected touch could mean a lot, especially with a sex worker. What is your opinion on the incident? Could it be a potential for any STD/HIV transfer? I am needless to say quite worried.
2) What is the earliest time I could test with the 20-min HIV quick test in California - in general, and given my situation? I do regular tests every year, and am quite familiar with the 6-week period (e.g., Massachusetts, where I used to live). However, in California they still claim the 3 month period (?) for reliable results. What is your advice on the issue?
PS:
The worker claimed she was clean (default answer, I think).
I very rarely engage in paid sex, but here you go (irrelevant, I know).
Many thanks for any advice.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Glad to hear of yourr test results, confirming that you did not get HIV. I see no benefit to further testing at this time.
As for your recent symptoms, they ahve occurred far too late to reflect the ARS and are almost certainly coincidental and unrelated to the exposure you described.
Take care. EWH
As for your recent symptoms, they ahve occurred far too late to reflect the ARS and are almost certainly coincidental and unrelated to the exposure you described.
Take care. EWH
Dear Doctor,
Just to follow up at the answer you gave me, and to close this thread. I tested at 41 days (one day short of 6 weeks) for HIV/STDs and all results are negative. Given the almost non-existent exposure in my case, I believe I should be all set, but your advice would be much appreciated.
Completely separately, could a 2-day light sickness (some coughing, mild fever for a day, irritated throat) almost 8 weeks after be a sign of anything? My guess is no, but again - just taking advantage of your advice here.
Regards.
Just to follow up at the answer you gave me, and to close this thread. I tested at 41 days (one day short of 6 weeks) for HIV/STDs and all results are negative. Given the almost non-existent exposure in my case, I believe I should be all set, but your advice would be much appreciated.
Completely separately, could a 2-day light sickness (some coughing, mild fever for a day, irritated throat) almost 8 weeks after be a sign of anything? My guess is no, but again - just taking advantage of your advice here.
Regards.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome back to our Forum. Before I address your questions, let me congratulate you on your commitment to condom protected sex. Even though condoms do break about 1% of the time that they are used (on average), they remain the best protection for prevention of HIV and other STDs. I urge you to continue to use them.
The chances that your partner was infected are low. Most commercial sex workers are not. That is not a reason to not test but it is a reason to not worry too much.
As for your specific questions:
1. I would not worry about the possibility of infections from non-penetrative contact. This is equivalent to frottage and other non-penetrative contact- no risk.
2. While testing is not needed, if you wish to be tested, a standard HIV antibody test, including the rapid tests will give reliable results at 8 weeks following exposure. The recommendations for testing at 3 and even 6 months are the result of two factors- data from older tests no longer used (you really do not need to worry about which generation of tests you were tested with, at this time virtually all tests are far more sensitive that they were even 2-3 years ago when the 3 month recommendation was made) and secondly, the fact that some, mostly governmental agencies which have to provide recommendations for virtually everyone without the sort of interactions such as those you get with your doctor or on personalized sites such as this one, feel the cannot "afford" to be wrong and therefore make recommendations and guidelines which leave most people unnecessarily nervous for 4-6 weeks longer than the 6-8 weeks it takes virtually everyone to develop HIV antibodies.
If you wish for results sooner, my suggestion would be to find a site which offers the recently approved combination HIV p24 antigen/HIV antibody test (called the DUO test) which provides reliable results at 4 weeks following exposure.
I hope these comments are helpful. EWH
The chances that your partner was infected are low. Most commercial sex workers are not. That is not a reason to not test but it is a reason to not worry too much.
As for your specific questions:
1. I would not worry about the possibility of infections from non-penetrative contact. This is equivalent to frottage and other non-penetrative contact- no risk.
2. While testing is not needed, if you wish to be tested, a standard HIV antibody test, including the rapid tests will give reliable results at 8 weeks following exposure. The recommendations for testing at 3 and even 6 months are the result of two factors- data from older tests no longer used (you really do not need to worry about which generation of tests you were tested with, at this time virtually all tests are far more sensitive that they were even 2-3 years ago when the 3 month recommendation was made) and secondly, the fact that some, mostly governmental agencies which have to provide recommendations for virtually everyone without the sort of interactions such as those you get with your doctor or on personalized sites such as this one, feel the cannot "afford" to be wrong and therefore make recommendations and guidelines which leave most people unnecessarily nervous for 4-6 weeks longer than the 6-8 weeks it takes virtually everyone to develop HIV antibodies.
If you wish for results sooner, my suggestion would be to find a site which offers the recently approved combination HIV p24 antigen/HIV antibody test (called the DUO test) which provides reliable results at 4 weeks following exposure.
I hope these comments are helpful. EWH
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