Just ignore it and hope for the best? Or would you rather take an HIV test? That would be the most responsible solution. But there are other ways to protect yourself and get tested:
Immediate action
If you are seriously concerned about contracting HIV, you need to take immediate action. The recommended immediate measures include
Wash the penis with soap under running water in the event of unprotected sexual intercourse.
Squeeze the semen out of the vagina or intestines. Rinsing, on the other hand, increases the risk of infection.
In the case of oral sex, spit the semen out immediately and rinse the oral cavity. Brushing your teeth increases the risk of infection.
Rinse your eyes if semen gets into them.
HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
There is also a precautionary medical emergency treatment (PEP). Within 72 hours of a possible infection, infection can be prevented with medication, similar to the morning-after pill. Here too, the earlier the medication is taken, the better the effect is guaranteed. And this is best within the first two hours. So it's also a matter of urgency.
The medication must be taken strictly over a period of four weeks. The side effects do not exactly make taking them a walk in the park. The BZgA's telephone and online advice service and local AIDS service organizations can provide information on where to go for emergency treatment.
PCR test
Anyone who cannot bear the uncertainty and has justified fears due to a risk contact, e.g. with an infected person, can have a PCR test (polymerase chain reaction) carried out. This is the earliest possible way of detecting an infection (although it cannot be ruled out), although this is only fifteen days after the possible infection. In contrast to the usual antibody test, the PCR test detects the virus directly. One disadvantage is the significantly higher cost of between 100 and 150 euros, which must be paid out of your own pocket. And secondly, only the positive result, i.e. infection with the HI virus, is binding. A negative test result, on the other hand, is unfortunately no guarantee that you have not been infected. This is because it still takes three months to obtain reliable proof. A subsequent conventional HIV test can therefore not be avoided.
HIV test
In contrast to the PCR test, an HIV test does not look for the virus itself, but for the antibodies that our immune system produces against the virus. These can be detected as early as three to six weeks after infection. The emphasis is on "can". This is because the last detectable antibodies against the HI virus have only formed three months after the infection. An infection can therefore be detected more quickly than it can be ruled out.
The costs of 20 to 25 euros are waived in some health authorities and must otherwise be borne by the patient. The disadvantage is the unpleasant waiting time of several days between taking the blood sample and receiving the result.
HIV rapid test
If you want to avoid the waiting time, you can now have a rapid test done. However, the term rapid test is misleading because it does not mean that you will get a reliable result before the three months have elapsed. Let me tell you a little story about this:
A young woman had a rapid HIV test done in a laboratory the day after the safe sex accident. Her blood was taken and she received the result the same day: everything was fine. She vehemently and convincingly argued that this test was bomb-proof and that she had understood everything correctly. Well, I thought irritably, had they actually developed something new and I hadn't heard about it? It would be wonderful if you could find out whether you were infected or not immediately after sexual contact. No more weeks of trembling. Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding. There is no test that provides any results before 15 days have passed!
Because this test also tests for antibodies. It simply means that the blood is not first sent to a laboratory for a rapid test, but is examined directly on site. A few drops taken from the fingertip and placed on a test strip are sufficient. After 30 minutes, you can see whether the result is positive or negative, similar to a pregnancy test. A rapid test can be carried out by a doctor, a health authority, an AIDS counseling center or a laboratory equipped for this purpose.
HIV home tests
This type of test is also available on the Internet in Germany. However, we strongly advise against actually carrying out a test on your own. This is because these tests were also developed for professional use. It is far too easy for errors to creep in. And who wants to sit at home alone with a positive test result? Well, not me.
Good things take time, in this case three months
If you want to be on the safe side, there is no chance of avoiding the usual three-month waiting period. However, closing your eyes out of fear of a possible HIV infection and hoping that everything will go well is not a good alternative. Because unprotected, you can infect other people. And the chances of being able to lead a good life even with an HIV infection increase the sooner you start treatment. This, in turn, should not lead to a reckless approach to the possible risk of infection. After all, the wonderful drugs that make it possible to live with HIV for a long time also have many side effects. Unfortunately, the fact that HIV no longer has to be fatal leads to a sometimes careless approach to safer sex.
Anja Drews - qualified sex educator for ORION
Date: 03.11.2020