[Question #13026] Hiv
3 months ago
|
I had sex with transgender sex worker I topped no condom I found out they take dovato hiv medicine.
I had fourth gen lab test done at 21-35-45days all none reactive reactive.
Would it take longer then that to detect hiv passed on to me from someone taking art (hiv medicine)?
![]() |
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
3 months ago
|
Welcome to the forum. I'm happy to help.
You were at zero risk for HIV; you didn't even need testing, but having been tested anyway, you can rely on the negative results. They prove you don't have it.
Your sex worker partner is taking Dovato either because she has HIV and is on treatment, or she is using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV. Either way, she could not have given you HIV. In other words, the only effect of her treatment was that it protected you from infection. It did not change the reliability of your negative HIV tests.
So all is well. No more testing is needed. However, here comes the lecture you apparently need: You topped a TG sex worker with no condom??? What were you thinking??? Please either get into the condom habit; or if you expect similar exposures in the future, your should be on PrEP treatment yourself. Find an HIV experienced doctor or clinic for a prescription. But for now, you're fine -- no worries about this particular exposure.
I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
---
3 months ago
|
If her viral load was not suppressed I could have caught hiv?
She was not using dovato as prep as she told me she has hiv.
45 days I gave blood at 50 days I got terrible sore throat two bouts of diarrhea and upset stomach that’s been with me for over a week and lost 10-15 pounds of weight.
![]() |
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
3 months ago
|
Yes, you could have caught HIV if her treatment was not effective and her viral load not suppressed. But your test results prove that did not happen. Since you were not infected, the risk of HIV at the time of exposure doesn't matter anymore. Your negative test results also prove that HIV is not the cause of your symptoms. There are many other possible causes that all are far more common than HIV. See a doctor if your symptoms continue or you remain concerned. But please believe the science and accept that you do not have HIV.---
---
---
3 months ago
|
I just don’t understand as it says it can take up to 6 months to develop detectable levels of antibodies.
And if only 1 hiv cell entered my body it may take a lot longer to develop infection and detectable p24 and antibodies. ?
![]() |
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
3 months ago
|
"it says it can take up to 6 months to develop detectable levels of antibodies". I don't know who "it" is but that is badly outdated information. It was true only for the earliest HIV tests which are no longer in. use. The time to a positive result is never longer than 45 days for the AgAb (4th generation) blood tests. For the HIV RNA PCR) it's only 11 days.
"...if only one HIV cell entered my body it may take a lot longer..." Two more misunderstandings. First, just one HIV cannot start an infection. It takes much more virus particle (usually millions of them) for infection to take hold. This is one of the reasons HIV is actually hard to catch and only intimate contact transmits the virus. When HIV infected semen with billions of HIV is deposited in a woman's vagina, there is only one chance in a thousand she will be infected. Second, the amount of virus exposure makes no difference in the time to positive test results. Whether a few viruses or millions, the time is the same.
You won't be misled so much if you stick with professional or professionally moderated website and avoid those by and for people with HIV or at risk (like Reddit, for example).
That completes the two follow-up comments and replies included with each question and so ends this thread. Believe and accept the reasoned, science based information you have had here, and . Ignore any further "yes but" or "what if" questions that may come to mind. There is nothing you will think of that will change the fact that you do not have HIV or our advice on this forum so don't be tempted to ask. Please stop worrying: you're fine!
---