HIV Exposure Risk
My girlfriend and I are medical students. She was exposed to HIV at hospital on Thursday this past week when there was blood splatter on a 2 day old cut (she says cut was closed) which she washed off immediately. She has been on PEP since and yesterday we made the stupid decision to have unprotected sex. Should I get on PEP too or are we both panicking for no reason?
thanks for reaching out. Is your girlfriend working with a doctor who prescribed PEP? If so, I would consult with them, since we can provide information but can't advise you about what you should do (we are not medical professionals).
It sounds like your girlfriend is in the window period from possible exposure, so is doing the right thing starting PEP right away which greatly (but not 100%) reduces the chance of transmission. Since your question is about unprotected sex that happened yesterday, I would speak to your doctor today so that if they do recommend PEP, you can start it within the 72 hour window period.
Here is some more information:
PrEP and PEP : https://h-i-v.net/?p=258
More details on PEP: https://h-i-v.net/?p=260
I hope this gives you a good start and we wish you both the best. Let us know if you are looking for any more information.
Liz (Team Member)
Alafia (Peace) I am reaching out to see if you are willing to share how you both are doing now. Please let us know. Khafre (H-I-V.net Team Member)
