Doctor's Advice - Immune to HIV?

Q. Could a person be immune to the HIV virus, Doc? I have a very strange situation unfolding here. In 1993, I had unprotected sex with a young girl in the United States of America. Two years later, she died of complications from AIDS. I heard of this, and did an HIV test forthwith. And it came out negative. I met this other girl in 2010 and had unprotected sex with her around 100 times over a one-year period. After that, I met her sister, and had sex with her even more frequently. Two months ago, I learned that both sisters were HIV-positive. So I immediately did another test, as a matter of fact three tests over the last two months. And they all came in negative. What is going on here? Why do I not have HIV?

A. Well, I must say that you have been very lucky. There is an explanation for what has happened. Let me look at your story piece by piece. First, you say way back in 1993 you had sex with a young girl in the USA. Two years later, you heard that she had died of AIDS.

There are two possibilities that we should consider here, namely:

• She might have caught HIV between 1993 and 1995;
• The story you heard may have been untrue, and she may not have died of AIDS at all.

Turning to the second part of your story, you met a young woman in 2010 and had unprotected sex with her many times. And you did the same with her sister. Then two months ago, you heard that both sisters were HIV-positive. Once again, it does occur to me that you may have heard wrong, and that the sisters might not be HIV-positive.

But let us assume that the accounts you have been given were all true, and that all three of these unfortunate ladies had the HIV virus. What is the medical explanation for the fact that you apparently remained HIV-negative?

Well, it is the case that a small number of people do have sex with HIV-positive persons, yet do not catch the infection. The same thing is true of many sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Most men and women who have sex with an infected person catch the germ, but a few do not. There have even been instances in Africa where a woman has been married to an HIV-positive spouse for years, and had regular sex with him, but hasn't caught the virus. I must stress that such cases are rare. But they do occur sometimes.

So maybe that is what has happened with you. Perhaps you have some form of immunity to HIV. However, I still have a lingering doubt about your HIV tests. Were they carried out by a reliable organisation? Or did you have them done by some doubtful company, which advertises on the Internet?

In any case, bearing in mind that it is only two months since you had sex with one of these poor girls, I think you should have one more test, performed by a reputable lab here in Jamaica. Please do not have sex with anybody until you receive the result. And please ... try to practise protected sex in future.

• Sex during my period

Q. Dear Doc, I am extremely in love with this young man. In fact, I am so in love that I want to shout it from the mountain top! He was the first guy to ever give me an orgasm. But my question is about the fact that one day, we tried having sex during my period. He really liked it. Now, every time I have my menses, he wants to do it with me, and to give me oral sex as well. Tell me, Doctor, is this safe? And are there any bad consequences?

A. It is great that you are so in love with this young guy. I hope your union will prosper, and that you will be very happy together. As it relates to oral sex during the menses, this is definitely not everybody's cup of tea. For starters, there are religious prohibitions against it, based on the Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. Therefore, many religious people would not be happy about it.

Also, to be frank, it is very messy. This is not the sort of activity you should get up to in a hotel or in someone else's house because it can really ruin the sheets. Having said that, I must admit that there are many young couples who go in for it, mainly because they feel that they do not wish to 'waste' a single day of the month.

But is it harmful to ones health? The answer is no. If you search the views of experts on the Internet, you will see that during the menses, neither ordinary sex nor oral love play is dangerous. However, I would like to give one word of caution! During a period, the inside of the womb is a 'raw' place, so it is more vulnerable to germs. Therefore, you should not let your boyfriend give you oral sex if he has any hint of an infection such as a cold or a sore throat.

One final point: it is still said by some people in rural areas that if you conceive during a period, then the child will be a 'red child.' This is simply not true.

Email questions to Doc at saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com and read more in the Outlook Magazine tomorrow.