Condom broke...pretty scared

[Ishmael]

Hey y'all,

Had a date yesterday with a guy I met on that one lovely iphone app that we all know so well. He was a really cool guy, and definitely not a huge slut. He's slept with only a few guys before, all of them safe. I've only had sex with two people, one of whom I was in a serious committed relationship with, the other was a hookup, but safe.

But yeah. We ended up having sex last night. When we finished, we found out that the condom had broke. I was bottoming. I'm kind of freaked out right now. I know I'm clean, and he thinks he's clean, but like, you never know, and since I was bottoming, my chances of contracting something are significantly higher.

I'm just a bit confused as to my steps. Obviously, I'm going to get checked in three months, when the antibody dealio is figured out. But is there anything I can do in the interim? One of my friends mentioned getting a viral load test in two weeks? Is that as accurate/should I have it done? And I'm definitely not going to be having sex with anybody else for a while. I've been sticking to oral, and trying to save anal for serious relationships, last night was just a fluke. I'm praying a safe one.

So yeah. IS there anything I can do, other than wait for three months? IS there any test I can do now? I'm 21, I don't want HIV. Ever.

[Chip]

The most sensitive tests are now about 95% accurate at about 12 days. But those are different -- and more expensive -- than the standard test.

I just found out that yet another friend, one who I'd *thought* was sensible and played safe almost all of the time, became HIV+ recently. So this is something that one has to think about all the time. So I do think you're right to be cautious and perhaps a little more conservative in the sorts of experiences you have.

Statistically, your risk from this single encounter isn't tremendously high. It's not zero, but it's fairly low. I'd say, if you can afford it, get the PCR test at 12 days or whenever they say it will be 95% accurate. That will give you near complete assurance you're OK, and then, just to be extra sure, get a regular test at 3 months.

[KaraBulut]

Originally Posted by Ishmael

So yeah. IS there anything I can do, other than wait for three months? IS there any test I can do now? I'm 21, I don't want HIV. Ever.

This is a tough call. You would be a candidate for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). On one hand, it sounds like this was a hookup and if you noticed the broken condom afterward, it sounds like the guy came in your ass which makes this a higher risk exposure. On the other hand, it sounds like you have reason to believe that this guy was being honest with you about his history and that you believe that this was a real case of a condom breaking (which is not a common occurrence).

Unfortunately, there's not a test that will determine whether you were exposed to HIV (other than testing your partner). As Chip suggested, a PCR is an option- the retail cost is about $200-400, though. There is an enhanced antigen-antibody test that can produce a fairly accurate result within 2-4 weeks of an exposure and it's not as expensive as PCR.

If there's a Planned Parenthood (1-800-230-PLAN) near you, you might give them a call, let them know that you had a condom break and see if they can get you in for an appointment to discuss your options. PP does have a sliding scale fee structure, so they also provide affordable STD testing. If you haven't been immunized for Hep B, you might also want to ask them about that, too.