[Question #926] HIV risk assessment

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99 months ago

Hello, I’m a male and few days ago I had oral and vaginal sex with a CSW in a massage place, the same girls are sent to hotels too, but they don’t offer unprotected or anal sex.

The vaginal penetration was brief and calmed and it lasted for less than a minute, the same condom was used for oral a vaginal, it didn't slip and as far as saw, it didn't break or leak but that condom was provided by her and it looked very cheap. Before the vaginal sex she rubbed the condom over my penis with the same oil she used to massage my body, I guess it was oil based.

Later I got some of those condoms from a discount store, they ‘re 5 times cheaper than the cheapest ones you can find in a drug store. They’re common between prostitutes, motels and cheap bars.

I filled some of them with water and they hold it without breaking or leaking, they don’t have any strange smell and they don’t tear easily. The foil has some printed info about the importer and a code assigned by INVIMA, which is the Colombian equivalent to the FDA. According to INVIMA’s web site code is valid and matches the condom brand and manufacturer but not the foil size.

Those condoms are made in china by Dong Yang Songpu, I’ve heard terrible news about Chinese fake condoms made of rubber bands and such.

To sum up I’m concerned about the condom’s quality and the oil based lubricant used. Was I exposed to any HIV risk? Do I need to go for testing?


Thanks in advance for your help.

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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
99 months ago
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services.

I think you misunderstand some basic facts about condoms. Less well designed and constructed ones (i.e. inexpensive) may be more prone to break, or to fail for other reasons (e.g. poorly fitting). I imagine they might be more susceptibile to weaking by oil or oil-based lubricants. The same is true for outdated or mishandled condoms, e.g. stored in a car in hot climates.

However, if a condom remains intact, i.e. does not break wide open, protection is complete. There is no such thing as microscopic leaks that allow disease transmission or that can be detected by "water testing":  these are urban myths. If comdoms are used correctly (no penetration before putting the condom on), fit properly, and there isn't obvious breakage so the head of your penis is covered throughout the period of penetration, there is no risk of HIV transmission.

I would strongly encourage you to invest in high quality, name brand condoms. The others may be "5 times cheaper", but for the most part the cost of the best condoms probably is usually not more than $1 each. Is it really worth the worry to spend 10-20 cents instead of a dollar? However, if the only condom available is a cheap one, if it doeesn't break, all is well, no risk for HIV.

I hope this has been helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD
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99 months ago
Hello, everything is clear, thanks a lot!