Failed intercourse in swimming pool

[worried_sh]

Dear Doctors,

I cannot believe that I put myself at risk again, but here's what happened now:

I am currently in England. 2 days ago I went to a club where I met this girl. She was in her late 20s, seemed pretty normal. Well, a few drinks later we left and ended in the outdoor swimming pool of a friend of hers. We kissed, I fingered her and later tried to have intercourse. Due to too much alcohol and the cold water I couldn't get really hard, so that I didn't manage to penetrate her. But as I tried for a minute or so, of course there was some contact with her vagina, kinda between her labia (?). Not sure if this is considered as frottage or dipping, but I am afraid that the head of my penis might have come in contact with her vaginal fluid. Obviously we didn't use a condom for this underwater play... That's all what happened, after this I realized that we better don't continue without having a condom.

I would be so thankful if you could tell me about my risks. Do I need testing? Do you know about the odds of an ordinary girl in the UK...? What about the swimming pool? I mean would the water "wash" away all possibly dangerous body fluids before they can cause infection? Or is this kind of contact without real penetration anyway not considered a risk?

In 2 weeks I will return back home and I definitely don't want to put my gf - yes, stupid me cheated on her - at risk. But if not necessary I don't wanna come up with a story why we can't have sex for 3 months either. And I hope that I don't have to face another 3 months nightmare...

Thanks so much for your help!

[worried_sh]

Ok, I got it. No more questions :)

Thanks again!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

This information does not change my opinion or advice.  Did you read the other link?  It explains why people simply do not get HIV without insertive sex.  In addition to the factors above, water inactivates HIV quite rapidly -- especially swimming pool water, with its usual reliance on chlorine or other disinfectants for sanitation.  There simply is no cause for concern here.

[worried_sh]

Dear Dr HHH,

Thank you so much for your quick response and your very detailed help!!

I read your link and would like to ask about the following: So it basically doesn't make a difference that my penis pushed against her vagina for quite some time? I mean though I wasn't able to enter, I still got in touch with the entry (like pushing against a door without being able to open it).

Sorry, I am not a native speaker and don't want to add question over question. I am just a bit afraid that I maybe didn't make myself clear enough.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome back to the forum.

The chance any particular woman residing in the UK has HIV is near zero, assuming she is not an immigrant from an HIV-endemic area like southern Africa.  Last I heard, your Health Protection Agency (HPA, UK's equivalent to CDC in the US) estimated that fewer than 1 in 1,000 sexually active women have HIV.  This is true even for women who are commercial sex workers.

Second, sexual transmission of HIV generally requires unprotected insertion of a penis into a vagina, rectum, or mouth.  Failure of attempted penetration means there was no measurable risk of HIV transmission, even in the unlikely event your partner was infected.  That your penis "might have come in contact with her vaginal fluid" makes no difference.

Here is a thread that discusses tSTD/HIV transmission in detail, explaining scientifically why exposures like this carry little or no risk.  You should find it reassuring.  Start reading with the folllow-up comments that start December 14:  http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/1119533

For those reasons, you do not need HIV testing and should simply forget this episode in relation to HIV risk.

Regards--  HHH, MD