“Broken Condom and Menstruation Blood?”
Hi Doc,
I had 2 sexual encounters lately , and suspect an infection to HIV.
The first incidence was of Condom breakage it was identified then and there after which I did some cleaning.
The second encounter was when i noticed the menstruation blood on condom during sex and withdrew the condom and in the process spilled the blood on my hands which had some rash through which i thought I might be infected. ,
in second the sex worker showed her AIDs non reactive certificate from AIDs foundation .
Please guide me with the test that i should undergo and the duration after which i can take the same at the earliest .
Hello,
Thank you for trusting me with your question.
Although correct condom use can drastically reduce the risk of HIV transmission, a broken condom indicates a high risk for exposure to HIV.
The second situation is relatively low risk for HIV transmission–merely getting some menstruation blood on your hands is not a very risky situation, although if the rash you mentioned involved an open wound there would be some very small risk of transmission.
Since sex work is a very high-risk activity, if you participate in sex work, either through employment or if you hire sex workers for sex, it is always advisable to be regularly tested for HIV. An HIV test is only indicative of HIV exposure in certain time period prior to the test–if someone has been exposed to HIV after being tested for the virus, they may still be infected. Since one of the situations you described to me involved a risk of HIV transmission, I advise you to be tested for HIV. There are a number of different testing centres in Pune, and most are free and confidential. A list of testing centres may be found here: https://www.wakeuppune.org/hiv-testing-centres-in-pune At the testing centres, the clinicians can advise you as to which test best suits your situation.
All the best,
Dr. Punewali
