Cum to chaos
Question
I recently had a one-night stand. He didn't ejaculate and we didn't have penetrative sex, but I masturbated him and he fingered me. Now I'm worrying that I could get HIV if he had precum on his hands when he did this.
I have been to my doctor and he tested me for sexually transmitted infections, which came back negative, but he said that I didn't need to be tested for HIV. Now I'm really confused about what the tests were for. What should I do?
Answer
It's understandable that you are feeling confused about the tests you had, but it's unlikely that your doctor (GP) would tell you that you don't need a test for HIV if he thought you had been at risk.
HIV is transmitted through the exchange of the following bodily fluids: blood, semen, vaginal fluids including menstrual blood, and breast milk. To be infected with HIV the virus has to get inside a person's body through their blood stream. HIV cannot pass through intact external skin, or through the air like a cold or flu virus.
Some other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can be spread through skin-to-skin contact alone, though, which may be why your doctor chose to test you for some STIs but not HIV. If you would like to know more about the tests you had, you could call or visit your doctor again for an explanation.
Whilst HIV is contained in precum, this is generally only a very small amount of fluid and it usually dries up very quickly in air and on the skin. HIV dies quickly once outside the body, and can't be transmitted once the fluid it is in dries up, so be reassured that the chances of you catching HIV in this way are extremely minimal.
HIV is mainly passed on through unprotected vaginal and anal sex, so the best way to make sure you are protected is to always use a condom when you are having sex.
If you still think you should be tested for HIV you can have a test done independently at your local genitourinary medicine GUM clinic. You will be treated in confidence and the records do not need to be sent to your GP.
You can get more information on how STIs are transmitted from the Sexual Health Line by calling 0800 567123, or from the Terrence Higgins Trust Direct Helpline on 0845 1221 200.
If you are still feeling confused and don't feel able to go back to your doctor, you could discuss your situation in confidence with Brook. Either call the Brook Freephone Helpline on 0800 0185 023 or drop into your local Brook Centre.
Question answered by YouthNet in association with Brook
