[Question #9990] HIV scare from shared semen towel
 |
26 months ago
|
Hi, I recently had protected anal sex where I was the top. However my partner used a towel to wipe his ejaculate off his stomach then handed me the same towel which I then used to wipe my penis off after removing my condom once we were done. I'm worried that his fresh cum on the towel potentially touched my urethra. I'm also not sure if there were any tiny cuts or openings on my penis. I wasn't thinking about the risk of sharing a towel with bodily fluids in the moment and I don't know this person's status. What is the risk for HIV transmission through sharing towels with fresh semen on them on your genitals? Would any potential virus have died on the towel right before I used it seconds after him?
 |
Edward W. Hook M.D.
26 months ago
|
Welcome to our forum. Thanks for your questions. Thanks as well for your commitment to safe, condom protected sex. It will do much to protect you from HIV and other STI‘s.
In answer to your question, cleansing yourself with a towel which has your partner’s genital secretions on it is a no risk event. It is even less risky than mutual masturbation, and which partners get each other’s general secretions on one another (also a no risk event) , because viruses will tend to stick to the fibers of the material the towel is made of. In addition, the virus becomes that infectious virtually immediately upon exposure to the environment outside of the body.
I see no reason for concern and no reason for testing.
I hope this information is helpful. If there are further questions or any part of this response is unclear, please don’t hesitate to use your app to to follow ups for clarification. EWH.
--- |
26 months ago
|
Thanks for your answer doctor. When you said "the virus becomes that infectious virtually immediately" did you mean that HIV becomes non-infectious once leaving the body? Also are other STD's a risk from the semen touching my urethra? Last question is, how many amounts of infected fluid would have to go down the urethra to pose an absolute risk, lets say if mutual masturbation ever did occur?
|
Edward W. Hook M.D.
26 months ago
|
I apologize. I dictated my answer and my dictation resulted in a typographical error. It should have stated that HIV immediately becomes non-infectious on leaving the body.
The sort of exposure that you describe is considered entirely no risk by the CDC, the WHO, and all experts. The amount of fluid involved is irrelevant. Unless the secretions were directly introduced into the urethra there is no risk. This fact is born out by the millions upon millions of occasions of mutual masturbation in which secretions gave gotten on a non-infected partner and has not led to a single infection. Please don’t worry. EWH
--- |
26 months ago
|
Thanks doctor, that's really relieving to hear. I completely trust your expertise but out of curiosity, why do so many trusted sources advise that it takes longer outside of the body to die? Is that outdated info? I also saw in one of your past answers where you refuted that it dies immediately in blood. Was that just an answer specific to blood?
|
Edward W. Hook M.D.
26 months ago
|
I'm not sure what you mean by "trusted". Further, as I mentioned above, there is a difference between the ability to culture the virus and infectivity. Because of the biological stresses which occur with exposure to the environment the virus is non-infectious before it is technically non-viable. Remember that systems which culture the virus provide an optimal environment for virus growth and viability, something that is not the case in the real world when the virus is exposed to the rigors posed by the environment.
As you know, we provide up to three responses to each client's questions. This is my 3rd response and thus this reply will complete this thread which will be closed shortly without further replies Take care. EWH
---