[Question #13967] Massage Parlors STD

3 hours ago

Hi Doctor,

I’m a male. Over the past few months I’ve visited at least 50 different passage parlors where sexual acts were performed. I’m ashamed of my decisions.

I’m cautious about HIV so before I went to the first massage parlor I took Truvada as PrEP for 7 days. I continued to take it until 28 days after the last massage parlor I went to. At each massage parlor (~50 exposures) I received a happy ending (hand job) and I was fingered in my anus. I have hemorrhoids so sometimes my anus bleeds. It was dark in these massage parlors so my concern is that if the sex workers had blood on their hands it may have come into contact with a tear in my anus or my urethra when they rubbed over it during a hand job.

I took an HIV Oraquick saliva test 3 weeks after stopping PrEP (7 weeks after exposure) and it was negative. I took another one 5 weeks after stopping PrEP (9 weeks after exposure) and it was negative. Am I completely in the clear for HIV?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

2 hours ago

Welcome to our Forum and thanks for your questions. I'll be glad to comment. It is quite unlikely that any of the masseuses that you interacted with had HIV or any other STIs - most do not (it is bad for business). Further, you were at no risk for any STI from receipt from the penile or anal masturbation that you received. These are considered safe sexual activities by virtually all experts as well as the WHO and US CDC. Your hemorrhoids do not change this. This is the case even if a partner's blood or genital secretions got on you. While there was no need for PrEP during these activities, the Truvada you took provides a further, albeit unnecessary level of protection from infection. There was no risk.

The Oraquick test for HIV antibodies is our least favorite test for HIV as it does not provide conclusive results until at least 8 weeks following your last encounter. Thus technically your negative test results were taken too early to be conclusive. Again, from a scientific perspective however, there was no need for testing. Whether you test further is a personal decision but is scientifically unneeded.

I hope that this information is helpful. EWH

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34 minutes ago

Hi Dr. Hook,

Thank you for the quick response! I'm glad to hear all of this. I am testing more so to relieve my anxiety. I understand I need to wait at least 8 weeks for the Oraquick test to be conclusive. Is that 8 weeks from exposure or from stopping PrEP? If it's from exposure then my negative test was at 9 weeks from exposure. So I'm guessing then I would be completely in the clear? I've been reading responses on this forum so I'll go ahead and schedule a 4th generation test. I'm just very nervous of the slightest possibility that the test will be positive because of the mistakes I've made.