oral sex

Just wanna ask if you can get hiv in oral sex??
i am bisexual,i only had 3 experience with a guy, we didint engage in anal sex. purely oral sex and i didnt swallow the ejaculation material. can i still get hiv from that?

[LIZZIE LOU]

there has never been a documented case of hiv being passed this way.

[Sadandregretful]

Your concern is the same I´ve had over the last week (see my "Did I behave foolishly?" post from yesterday). All the comments I received indicated that oral sex does not create a risk for HIV and that I shouldn´t even bother to do the testing, if that sole oral experience with a man was my only concern about unprotected sex.

However, on April 14th, "siteheld" posted a message, in response to a post titled "I think I screwed up", according to which the CDC says 8% of all cases of HIV in the world derive from oral. Could this be true? If it is, then I think that would be a high percentage.

There are days when I feel like I screwed up, others when I think I´m overreacting and dramatizing.  

[lookin4answers80]

I really have to disagree with you on that. According to the CDC, there have been documented cases of HIV being passed by oral sex. There have also been innumerable studies done that show varying transmission risks for oral sex, but always much lower than for vaginal or anal sex. (I'm talking about giving oral sex, i.e., sucking a guy, not receiving it, i.e., being sucked.) There was a famous (and much-criticized) study in San Francisco around 2000, co-sponsored by the University of California and the CDC, that found that 8 out of 102 gay men who contracted HIV over a 12-month period had done so through giving oral sex.

Here's a link to the CDC's page or HIV through oral transmission.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/qa/qa19.htm

And here's their page on that particular study.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/oralsexqa.htm

I'm not saying that it's common or that it's something that people who post here need to worry about. But I think it's unadvisable to make absolute statements like "HIV can't be transmitted through oral sex" when it's been proven over and over and over again that it most certainly can be.

[lookin4answers80]

Just to clarify - and summarize - my previous post.

Can HIV be transmitted through oral sex? Yes.

Does one episode of oral sex, with a man or woman, constitute a high enough level of risk to warrant getting an HIV test? No.

[Sadandregretful]

It was good of you to post the clarification, as yesterday you were one of those who suggested I didn´t need to test for HIV, after my sole experience.

The CDC site also says there has been at least one documented case of  HIV from rimming.

I do wish I could test today and get done with it. Having to wait nearly 3 more months is just hell.

[Sadandregretful]

I would recommend to you the site of the San Francisco CIty Clinic. It´s quite informative. They also have a table on the likely risks for each activity. According to them, oral is very low risk. But, obviously, very low risk is not "no risk".

[lookin4answers80]

My personal opinion is still that you don't need to get tested from one oral sex episode with a guy. I have had oral sex with a lot - a whole lot - more men than you. Enough to where I won't even hazard a guess at a number. I have never used a condom for oral sex. And my routine tests keep right on coming back negative.

[Sadandregretful]

That´s a relief. There´s always the possibility, of course, that "wilstar" or me will be the exception (LOL).

But, in a more serious vein, if you believe there are risks involved (your first post above indicates you do), why do you do it without protection? Don´t you blame yourself, afterwards? I was totally unaware of the risk and learning about it after the fact came as a shock to me. It´s been difficult just getting up from bed.

But, naturally, there are other issues at stake in my case (first time; "how could I?";  what would my friends - all exclusively straight - think if they knew; "why did I do it if it´s not my scene" etc...), which provoke a strong sense of guilt.  

[lookin4answers80]

In my own case, it's like with any behavior. It's an issue of weighing probability vs. reward, I guess. Every time I get in my car, I know I could have an accident and die. But driving is faster than walking, and the bus takes too long, so I drive. But I take appropriate safety measures. I wear a seat belt, drive at a reasonable rate of speed, use my turn signals and mirrors, etc. Every time I play a sport or work out, I could get injured. But I enjoy playing and want to get into better shape, so I feel the benefit outweighs the risk. But I still take necessary precautions. With oral sex, it's the same thing. Sure, I could contract HIV from oral sex, although the odds are probably less than my dying in a car accident this year or injuring myself seriously lifting weights. But I personally don't like the taste of latex, even flavored latex, and I doubt that it's as enjoyable receiving oral sex with a condom. So I don't use one, but I take steps to lower my risk. Since my gums often bleed, I don't brush my teeth before oral sex. I use a breath mint or mouthwash instead. I spit out precum. I don't let guys ejaculate into my mouth. Could I still catch HIV this way? Yeah, I guess I technically could, although the odds are tiny. But I could also die in a car crash every time I get behind the wheel.

When it comes to anal sex, I see it totally differently. Yes, it feels better without a condom, but I believe that the risk here is high enough to where I feel that it's more than worth the trouble to wear a condom (other than during the two drunken encounters that led to my obsessively posting here). So it's always a matter of weighing risk vs. benefits, like with any other activity we take in life, whether it be driving, playing sports, gambling, playing the stock market, flying in an airplane, or having oral sex.

[FWK]

Hi guys,

That is exactly what I was telling other people here, that oral sex is a risk.....I don't do it much but I did but never let a person ejaculate because sometiems I had sores or bleeding gums and only did it for like 5 sec.

Anyway I do anal but using a condom both ways....I am too scared to test and been 3 months since my last encounter...they always tell me I had no HIV exposure because my friend used a condom though I know they are wrong....it can happen nothing is perfect....

Thanks anyway guys at least people agree that there is a risk in oral......
anyway I still won't test....I rather die not knowing...

Take care and good luck

[lookin4answers80]

That is just silly. If you think you have had a risk, you should test. I do not think your risk has been substantial. In fact, it has been very low. You completely misunderstood my posts. Just because there is a risk - technically - with oral sex does not mean you have or will catch it that way. There are many levels of risk, and oral is at the very low end of the spectrum. Stop freaking out over a few unprotected oral encounters. The odds of your having HIV are ridiculously low. Why keep being worried about it when you can get a test and put your mind at ease in 20 minutes?

[Sadandregretful]

Meanwhile, I still have a sore throat. It started right after the oral, 9 days ago. Never went away. My results from the STD test won´t come out until next Monday. I´m convinced I have gonorrhea. Slight symptoms of flu also beginning to appear, which means that if they develop, I´ll have them in full two weeks after the oral. I´ll be able to convince myself they are symptoms of primary HIV infection.

Reading several posts on HIV in this forum, I realize there is a high incidence of "symptoms" of STD or HIV after unprotected sex amongst members of the forum. Basically, nearly all of those who write complain of symptoms. Could this be purely psychological? Does guilt after reckless behavior convince you that you "caught it"?

I´ll be crushed by fear until I test. FWK, you should test, really, if the time is right for you.

[gtshubha]

I think you are right. See, every unprotected sexual exposure has some amount of risk involved in it, such as unprotected receptive anal sex is considered as the highest risk activity and the risk factor is 1 out of 100. Whereas, the oral activity is considered as the much lower risk activity, i.e. 1 out of 10000-20000. So, it's probably really difficult to get infected by engaging in few oral sex exposure. That's what I understood from the suggestions of Dr. Hook and Dr. HHH.

[Sadandregretful]

But when you do oral sex to a super-promiscuous male (like a male escort), does that increase the risk?  Or can we asume that most gay men, if they don´t have a regular partner, are promiscuous anyway?

[lookin4answers80]

It doesn't matter how promiscuous he is if he is negative. It doesn't matter how promiscuous he is if he practices safer sex. It doesn't matter how promiscuous he is if you did not engage in comparatively riskier behavior. You didn't have anal sex with him, you didn't get ejaculate in your mouth, and from what you said, it doesn't even sound like you got pre-seminal fluid in your mouth. Please stop freaking out.

[Sadandregretful]

I know. Please, don´t get angry with me. This is all new to me and I´m just trying to make some sense of it.

But I do agree that I´m overreacting. That´s one of the points I made in one of the posts above: "symptoms" tend to show up at a surprising high rate in this forum. It can only be psychosomatic. I, for example, feel certain that I have gonorrhea and nothing will take that idea away from me, until I get the results of the test.

As to the pre-seminal fluid, I´m not so sure I avoided it.

Wildstar sent the original post and never wrote again. Has this discussion been at all helpful, Wildstar?

  

[worried826]

No **** symptoms are all over this forum. This forum is filled with people that get an ordinary non HIV specific ailment like a fever or rash and search the net and find that it could be a HIV sign and they jump on that thought, then they reflect on their past sexual behavior and all of a sudden that ailment means 100% that they have HIV, all the time ignoring the 1000 other things that could be causing that ailment.

Its all attributed to anxiety fueled by the overhyped BS on the internet.

[Sadandregretful]

I guess that having to wait 3 months for the test makes the whole situation even worse. I would give anything to be able to test today, after just 10 days, even though you told me yesterday there didn´t seem any need for me to test. How can anyone live like this for 3 whole months?

[worried826]

xanax, klonopin, valium, or buspar might help.

You were never at HIV risk in the first place so i dont get what all the worry is about.

[wildstar]

Guys, thank you for all your replies..im really worried..im afraid to get tested..
recently i developed this kind of 3 very small blister around my shaft, reddish.. it is not that painful i dont know if its just an irritation from masturbating or herpes. and for 3 weeks i have sore throat and coughs..i dont know.. im very anxious and paranoid...every day i am afraid, i always think that i have this kind of disease like hiv, stds etc..

[worried826]

HIV doesnt cause little blisters on the penis. Thats probably from HPV which isnt really a big deal at all, or herpes.

[wildstar]

thanks to you.. i think i am really anxious and so paranoid.. i need an anti anxiety..anyway my sorethroat and coughs wont go away i am on antibiotics now. i will go to the hospital after 5 days for further assessment.. im just afraid of having diseases. since i was 12 i sorta think that i have this kind of disease. anyway thanks guys i feel relieved now that i have someone to share my feelings.. thanks2 again.. now i am afraid to have sexual encounter again..lol!

[wildstar]

yes...it is very helpful to me.thanks for your concerns..

[Teak]

You don't contract HIV via oral sex. There has never ever been anyone documented of contract HIV via oral sex.

[beautylover]

Hi sadandregretful,

I've learnt quite abit from these long posts. Do let us know the results of your HIV tests in 3 months time, man!

i'm in a similar situation (going for my tests in 2 weeks time) and will be praying for you to be NEGATIVE!

Will be checking back in August.

Cheers,   Beautylover

[beautylover]

Hi sadandregretful,

i just submitted a testimony of my tests after receiving oral sex from a escort and i am so glad to say that i'm NEGATIVE!!!!

i hope you do your test and that you also test NEGATIVE!

Wishing you the best and also hoping that we do not commit these stupid acts again!

Cheers & GOD bless,   Beautylover

[Sadandregretful]

Congratulations on your results. And thanks for your interest. I´m about to have my HIV test. What´s holding me is the pre-conversation with the doctor. I hated it when I had the test for STDs. I live in Continental Europe, no way you can just drop by at the clinic and be tested with no conversation with the doctor. In any case, apart from HIV some more test for STDs will be necessary (I tested too early last time) and that can´t be done anonymously. A real hassle.  

[nursegirl6572]

I think it is FABULOUS that you are required to speak with a doctor first....there needs to be MUCH more education on HIV..and what better place to DO that than on someone coming in for testing?

Risk assessments can be performed, and the doctor can take a minute or two to explain why testing is or isn't warranted, and suggest follow up care, stress preventative measures (safe sex) and testing guidelines....etc.

That "hassle" is a wonderful thing....HIV is SO over dramatized by such a high population of people, if education was more prevalent...it wouldn't be that way.

Just my thoughts.

[beautylover]

Hi S&R,

i agree with Nursegirl, go for the medical discussion and advice and take the test. It will be more helpful than harmful. Doctors have probably seen many similar cases and may be more understanding than you think.

The test i took was for both HIV and STD and it was done in 2 hours, so it will be quick.

GOOD LUCK again!

Cheers, Beautylover