Hi,

Some weeks ago and few hours before having protected sex with a sex worker, I did shave my scrotum and had a one small bleeding cut.

Is it possible to get infected from her vagina fluids if they did reach my cut, which I am sure it did happen? What worries me the most is the morning after, I had blood stains in my underwear and then I rechecked / stretch my scrotum and I still had visible minor bleeding (which means that the cut did never heal/closed). Lets suppose HIV infected vaginal fluid covered the area- what are my risks?

I was told in another forum that I am worrying unnecessarily as HIV is not transmitted in the manner I am concerned about. That HIV is a fragile virus and once exposed to the air they very quickly become non-viable and that the the vaginal fluids which can contain HIV if the woman is positive are far up in the cervical area, not around the area of the vagina from where she would have been secreting fluids during the sexual episode.

In the meantime during the last week I did experience some symptoms:

Heavy tiredness ( for 3 days), Headaches, White tongue, Loose stools with constipation Abdominal pain in lower right side Light dry coughing.

Should I be worried about a possible acute HIV infection symptoms? Or should I take the symptoms as something else symptoms?

Thank you for your time!

All the best.

Hi Vaginal fluids containing HIV are found throughout all vaginal fluid not just from the upper region. Having an open sore does increase your chances of HIV transmission as well as other sexually transmitted infections. HIV is a very fragile virus and does die soon after it leaves the body. I would recommend that you be tested for all sexually transmitted infections which should include HIV. This just because of the open sore and that you noticed that it had not healed and was still bleeding.

Be well and get tested! Shannon