[Question #10130] STD/HIV Chances
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25 months ago
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Hello, dear doctor i am of 20 years of age, about exactly 7 days ago I had unprotected vaginal sex with a chick i met on a dating site, it was my first time prior to this interaction, so basically I was virgin, she originally intended on using condoms I also agreed with that , but me being stupid and foolish i decided to ask her if i can go raw since I couldn’t keep an erection. She was hesitant at first but then I confirmed her i was clean and so did she confirm that she was clean. But still it is not guaranteed that she was clean I'm not assuming she was dirty but there can be chances thats why I'm asking this question. She is of 40 years of age and has 4 kids and we reside in Southern California , we had oral and only vaginal sex the sex was about an hour and 30 minutes, I have been fine so far no symptoms or nothing since 7 days and I'm also uncircumcised , please what are the chances that this lady being infected or of me being infected with HIV. The Anxiety is eating me alive, also doc i have a median raphe cyst in my penis that i had since i was a child could that maybe affect the probabilitites??? Please doctor should i be worried? It was my first time having a sexual interaction like this.
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25 months ago
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Bump please
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
25 months ago
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Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services. I'm happy to help. (Sorry for the longer than usual delay in responding -- holiday travels and clinical responsibilities -- but our standard is to reply within 24 hours.)
I'm sorry you're so worried about your very first serious sexual experience. You really shouldn't be so concerned. You describe a very low risk partner who is unlikely to have any active STD -- with the possible exception of HPV, more about which later. And essentially zero risk of HIV, which is virtually absent in women like your partner. But since you're worried, and she's a mature and probably understanding person, why not speak with her about it? Probably she would reassure you -- or if not recently tested, might agree to be tested for HIV and other common STDs. That would be the surest way to be sure of no risk or concern. FYI, neither your circumcision status nor your median raphe cyst significantly raises the likelihood you were infected with anything.
If this can't work out, urine gonorrhea/chlamydia testing (i.e. a urine test) is valid after 4-5 days, so you could be tested any time. For conclusive syphilis and HIV testing, you'd have to wait 6 weeks. But the chance of either of these is under one in many million in this situation. (If somehow it were me, I wouldn't feel a need for testing at all, assuming no symptoms like penile discharge or sores within 2-3 weeks of exposure.)
All sexually active persons acquire HPV, usually more than once -- and you'll be infected someday. Up to half of all sexually active persons have transmissible HPV at any time, so conceivably it could have happened. But the large majority of HPV infections are harmless and never cause symptoms. That said, this is a good time for you to consider vaccination, which is 100% protective against the 9 HPV types that cause almost all genital warts and cancers. There's no special urgency -- even these problems take months or years to develop. But you might contact your personal physician or the local health department to discuss it.
In the meantime, stay mellow. You are at extremely low risk for HIV or anything else that matters. I hope these comments are helpful, but let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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25 months ago
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Hello Dr.Handsfield thanks for your informative and well explained reply it has currently helped my severe anxiety that I have been suffering with the last few days , so my chances are really quite low? I never knew HIV was that difficult to contract
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
25 months ago
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Unprotected vaginal sex with a woman with untreated HIV has an average transmission risk of one in 2,500. If there's a 1% chance she has HIV, her partner's risk becomes 1 in 250,000. I'd put the chance your partner has HIV as no higher than 0.1%, i.e. 1 in a thousand. That would make your HIV risk at the point somewhere around one chance in 2.5 million. I hope you'll agree that's zero for all practical purposes, which is why I believe you do not need to be tested. Of course that's still an option if you remain worried even after understanding the actual risk. However, my main advice remains that you ring up your partner and tell her your concerns and ask either for confirmation she doesn't have HIV or perhaps to be tested.
In the meantime, I'm glad to hear my advice is helping you get beyond your anxieties.
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25 months ago
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Hello doc, sorry to bother you again but this anxiety is eating me alive im currently approaching 2 weeks since exposure and have no current symptoms only a sore throat, but I believe that was caused by drinking an ice cold drink, do you recommend i get tested? I mean i feel great only time i start feeling down and low is when I start thinking of the possibility of contracting HIV even though the chances are extremely low, Im an individual who overthinks situations and your advice and information would be greatly appreciated and would greatly aid my anxiety
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
25 months ago
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I'm sure your anxiety is elevated on account of this being your first sexual experience. But know this: even in the highest risk situations, e.g. a commercial sex worker with hundreds of partners, at any point in time most are not infected; and when they are, STDs are not efficiently transmitted: sex with an infected partner usually does NOT result in transmission of infection.
But of course I cannot modify your personality, including your overthinking tendency. If you remain nervous about it, just get tested. Or discuss with your partner, as I suggested above.
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That completes the two follow-up exchanges normally included with each question, but I'll leave the thread open another day in case you have any final comments or concerns.
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