[Question #9221] HIV risk

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35 months ago
Hello Doc. Thank you for your services. Eventhough it was not necessary for return I wanted a reassurance. Yesterday I went for a massage- white female, and there was an instance of genital rubbing, the head of my penis was touching her vaginal opening for a few seconds, may be for a minute, No penetration.  I had some precum. May be some secretion have been in contact, I am not sure. She gave me a hand job. Is this genital frottage or apposition. I saw in some site that they mention touching penis head and vagina carries some risk for hiv. Is there any risk of hiv from this ? Thank you
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
35 months ago
Welcome to the forum. Straight to your questions. The exposure you described was a no risk event for acquisition of HIV or other STI’s. No penetration, no risk of HIV. Contact with a partners genital secretions in the process of frottage does not carry with it a risk of HIV even if your partner happen to have untreated HIV infection which is statistically unlikely. No need for concern, no need for testing. EWH---
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35 months ago
Thank you Dr. Hook for your reply. Just to clarify a few points.
1) So even if the tip of the penis comes into contact with vaginal opening, there is no risk. In frottage, there is a possibility
of vaginal secretions coming into contact with tip of penis. Since there are receptors in the tip (mucuos membranes) why this is still no risk.
2) So HIV spreads only by penile-vaginal or penile -anal penetration ( i mean deep penetration) sexually. Apart from this no other ways sexually.
3) Does penile circumcision  make any difference.

Thank You.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
35 months ago
Straight to your follow-up questions:

1.  We receive many questions of this sort from clients who are concerned that during frottage the tip of the penis contacted vaginal secretions. In our experience this remains a no risk event.  I am not aware of infections would’ve had occurred in the situation without true in-depth penetration.

2.  Correct 

3.  Yes, all things being equal, circumcision reduces the risk of acquisition of HIV by 40 to 50%. Current estimates suggest that for an infected male having it sex with an untreated HIV infected woman, only one in 2500 encounters resulting infection.

Hope this helps. Please don’t worry. EWH
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