clarifications on what is safe sex

Hi.  I have a habit of frequenting massage parlors and escorts.  I would like to clarify what activities are safe if I want to ensure that my risk of contracting an STD is essentially non-existant.

I am fairly certain that these activities are all ok

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Safe sex means choosing low-risk partners and using condoms for vaginal or anal sex.  That's pretty much it.  By definition, you are foregoing the first.  But if you use condoms for vaginal or anal intercourse, you are pretty much home free; the safety issues you cite go beyond the standard recommendations, because oral sex is extremely low risk even without condoms; and contact of sexual secretions or saliva with hands, skin (including nipples), and so on is no risk at all.  If you follow all the things you describe, you could visit your parlors and escorts daily for the rest of your life and never expect to get HIV or most other STDs.  You would retain a certain risk for HPV and herpes, however.

HHH, MD

[anxious7]

I had a conversation with a person on an HIV Hotline [phone]. There are 4 bodily fluids that transmit HIV.

1. Blood
2. Semen
3. Vaginal Fluid
4. Breast Milk

Just FYI!

[iamworried333]

Thank you Dr. Hansfield.  In terms of the risk for genital herpes, I just did some reading and appears to me that even with condom use the potential of acquiring genital herpes from frequenting escorts would be high due to the prevalence of the disease (i've seen as high as 1 in 4 women and probably higher for escorts) and that condoms are less than 50% effective at preventing transmission of herpes.  Is that correct that genital herpes would be a significant risk or would it be very low risk if condoms were used?  Thanks and I promise no more follow-up questions.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

HSV is low risk with condoms but not zero.