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Unprotected Sex (Receptive) - Sick 3 weeks later/Sinus problems

Intercourse: unprotected vaginal (receptive) sex with hetero male
Symptoms: irritated throat, ear ache, dry nose, white mucus/drainage, slight white coating on back of tongue, sinus pressure & headache

Hi all,
So I had a risk, sex which began protected and ended unprotected (condom came off ugh).
No ejaculation but a risk none the less.
18 days after this I’ve been experiencing irritation in my throat, a bit of sinus drainage, and now as of 21 days ear pressure & pain.

When I went to the doctors she told me she thinks I have a mild viral sinus cold which should pass. It’s been 4 days of being sick and I have some reservations and worries about this exposure.

Though my partner says he has tested negative (in June) you never know what’s happened in that time & really just have to test for yourself. He’s a family man and I want to believe he’s well since he just had a 5 month old baby, but again, a lot can happen in that time.

I’m mainly confused to testing guidelines:

I know 3 months is definitive but I’m wondering what a 4 and 6 week indicator would be (percentage wise)?
Next week Monday marks 4 weeks and I want to test Oct 1st 21 days past exposure.
Should I wait to test closer to 6 weeks for a more accurate result ?

Feeling nervous I hope this is just a short case of sinusitis, my sexual health has had the worst luck this year :(

Any advice / kind words while I wait to test are appreciated :)
4 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hey did you go for your test??
Helpful - 0
188761 tn?1584567620
COMMUNITY LEADER
When a condom slips the tip of the penis is usually not exposed as it remains inside of condom or the penis becomes flaccid to penetrate, in either case it's not a risk.

Very rarely, the condom gets completely off the penis and the penetration happens resulting the condom to be pushed inside of the vagina or it happens while it's hanging out through it's side, in these cases a risk can be associated.

Which of the above 2 do you think was was your incident?
Helpful - 0
5 Comments
Hey Mike, the condom slipped off completely. I think when he pulled out I had somewhat of a grip on it (hanging off) but he penetrated me a few times unprotected and when we both realized it we stopped.

There was a definite exposure which is why I’m worried that I gave this sinus cold 3 weeks after wards.

I don’t know if it’s seasonal changes or possible seroconversion (I hope not) so I know I have to test.

Was just wondering if my symptoms are in line with ARS & when’s best to test?
@mike_no
It's seems to be common cold, my interaction with experts and people living with this virus has been that HIV ARS almost always occurs with very high fever and rash that is maculopapular, usually occuring on the torso. ARS fever is intense and it can certainly get you to an ER.

Your risk was low. Also, with the information that you provided us, it seems your partner is from a low risk population. Furthermore, no ejaculation minimises the risk to a good extent.

You don't need to test out to 3 months, that is outdated with the advancement of testing technology in the recent years. If I were to be you, I would have taken a IV Generation test at 28 days and moved on.

I only forsee a negative result.

Stay away from surfing symptoms on the internet, it never does any good, it's not good for the mind. We wish you the best.
*foresee
@mike_no thank you for your insights. I hope this is the case! I will return in a weeks time with an update.

Wish me luck & negative results :)
3191940 tn?1447268717
COMMUNITY LEADER
Symptoms or lack thereof are not an indicator of the presence or absence of HIV.

Your test on October 1 will be more than 98% conclusive.  A test at 6 weeks will be entirely conclusive.  The 98% at 4 weeks is a conservative estimate, so most people take that as conclusive and move on.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thanks Curfew! I will test next Tuesday and await my results :)
Avatar universal
Pardon me October 1st will be 29 days post exposure ***
Helpful - 0
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