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BKSir -> RE: Protection - Effective After Being Dumb? (7/20/2008 12:47:22 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: windchymes
My first impression was that you meant protection against unwanted pregnancy, but then I noticed your ID name and thought I'd better check the profile.....[;)]
Most likely, nothing happened from one encounter and using protection from now on is the smart, responsible and common-sense thing to do. HOWEVER........
HIV: if either of you is positive, it's possible it could have been passed along to the other with one sexual encounter. Anal sex is one of the easiest forms of transmission because of the likelihood of tearing of the mucous membrane (and I'm assuming from what you said that the two of you had full-blown anal sex). Obviously, this is a worst-case scenario, but theoretically, no, if this happened, it wouldn't do any good to use protection again. Unfortunately, if the virus was passed from one of you to the other, tests won't detect it for at least 2 or 3 months, and might not detect it for 6 months to a year afterwards. The best thing to do here, to protect yourselves, and to keep from potentially infecting any one else (if you're not going to stay monogamous to each other) is to get tested now, get tested at 3 months, 6 months and one year after this encounter. Use protection EVERY TIME. If you both test negative at 6 months, you're probably in the clear, and at one year, almost definitely in the clear....if you've not had unprotected sex with anyone else during that time. On the other hand, it's possible to have HIV and have many sexual encounters and not pass it along. SO....my advice is to start using protection, use it every time from now on and get tested, both of you.
Genital Herpes: It's most often passed along when the infected partner has open sores and then come into contact with their partners' skin. However, an infected person can "shed" the virus through bodily fluids and/or mucous membranes while not having any symptoms. If you have contacted the virus for the first time, you'll know it in about a week to 10 days. You'll start having a tingly itchy feeling under the skin at the point where the virus entered your body (probably on your genitals somewhere, around the anus and rectum, possibly even on the inner thighs). You might also feel crappy, have some localized pain in the lymph nodes that are near the site, maybe a fever. After a day or two of this, the itchy blisters appear, then crust or scab over, and heal in about a week or so. There's no cure for this one, you're stuck with it for life, and you can infect other people if you're unprotected. Some people have no symptoms at all, however. Blood tests can see if you are a carrier. If you do have it, then no, it won't do any good to use protection. But, once again, it's possible to have it and have many sexual encounters, but be lucky enough not to have passed it along. So, start using protection until you know for sure.
Gonorrhea, Syphilis: Usually, if you have it, you know. But, it's possible to have it (especially gonorrhea) and not have symptoms, and pass it along. Start using protection till you know for sure. Seeing a pattern here?
In a nutshell, yes, there absolutely are reasons to use protection, even though you didn't the first time. Hope this was complicated enough! [:)]
Windchymes. Thank you. You saved me from having to type all that out myself, and said what I was about to, nearly word for word. ;)
ftmboyfag: Yes, wholeheartedly, what Windchymes said.
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