Habits

Once or twice a month a month I have sex with various female incall sex workers (have not had sex with any "street walkers") in the United States. About one third the time I have protected vaginal sex (always) and maybe insetive oral sex, both protected and unprotected. The other times just oral sex, both protected and unprotected. After posting a question on this site 2 years ago, I have been tested twice in the last two years (both negative). I am an uncircumcised male, do not use IV drugs, and never noticed any condom failures, and do not have nay symptoms. Even though I get tested every 12 - 18 months, what kind of risk is it that some day the test will come back positive. Have you in your practice seen any (or many) positive results from habits such as this. Also, have you ever heard of anybody getting HIV from unclean sex toys (relevant to a single experience I had).  

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

You could continue these activities for your entire life and expect never to get infected.   In response to the closing questions, it is theoretically possible that a sex toy could transmit HIV, but to my knowledge it has never been known to occur.  Every patient with HIV I have ever known had experienced multiple unprotected anal or vaginal sex episodes with large numbers of partners who were either known to be infected or to be at obvious high risk.

Nobody can guarantee that a particular person will never get infected, and you are right to have periodic HIV testing as long as you continue this lifestyle; every 12-18 months probably is about right.  You can expect to remain HIV negative.

I hope this helps.  Best wishes--  HHH, MD