Stay in your own thread. The OP didn't have an exposure.
Looking for some advice - its been about 8 months since this incident and I thought all was well but I'm now getting chancres in my mouth - I never really got them before - should i get retested for HIV?
No incident HIV infections among MSM who practice exclusively oral sex.
Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. WePpC2072)??Balls JE, Evans JL, Dilley J, Osmond D, Shiboski S, Shiboski C, Klausner J, McFarland W, Greenspan D, Page-Shafer K?University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
Oral transmission of HIV, reality or fiction? An update
J Campo1, MA Perea1, J del Romero2, J Cano1, V Hernando2, A Bascones1
Oral Diseases (2006) 12, 219–228
AIDS: Volume 16(17) 22 November 2002 pp 2350-2352
Risk of HIV infection attributable to oral sex among men who have sex with men and in the population of men who have sex with men
Page-Shafer, Kimberlya,b; Shiboski, Caroline Hb; Osmond, Dennis Hc; Dilley, Jamesd; McFarland, Willie; Shiboski, Steve Cc; Klausner, Jeffrey De; Balls, Joycea; Greenspan, Deborahb; Greenspan
Page-Shafer K, Veugelers PJ, Moss AR, Strathdee S, Kaldor JM, van Griensven GJ. Sexual risk behavior and risk factors for HIV-1 seroconversion in homosexual men participating in the Tricontinental Seroconverter Study, 1982-1994 [published erratum appears in Am J Epidemiol 1997 15 Dec; 146(12):1076]. Am J Epidemiol 1997, 146:531-542.
Studies which show the fallacy of relying on anecdotal evidence as opposed to carefully controlled study insofar as HIV transmission risk is concerned:
Jenicek M. "Clinical Case Reporting" in Evidence-Based Medicine. Oxford: Butterworth–Heinemann; 1999:117
Saltzman SP, Stoddard AM, McCusker J, Moon MW, Mayer KH. Reliability of self-reported sexual behavior risk factors for HIV infection in homosexual men. Public Health Rep. 1987 102(6):692–697.Nov–Dec;
Catania JA, Gibson DR, Chitwood DD, Coates TJ. Methodological problems in AIDS behavioral research: influences on measurement error and participation bias in studies of sexual behavior. Psychol Bull. 1990 Nov;108(3):339–362.
There is no debate (among experts) about the HIV risks associated with oral sex. The risk is so low that almost nobody who cares for HIV infected patients has ever had a patient believed to have been infected that way. Among experts, it's a semantic issue about using terms like "no risk" and "very low risk". There is no difference between my or Dr. Hook's use of "low risk" and other experts' "no risk".
DR. HANSFIELD
"And oral sex is basically safe sex -- completely safe with respect to HIV and although not zero risk for other STDs, the chance of infection is far lower than for unprotected vaginal or anal sex. Please educate yourself about the real risks. If you stick with oral sex and condom-protected vaginal or anal sex, you have no HIV worries and very little worry about other STDs. " DR HANSFIELD
"I am sure you can find lots of people who believe that HIV is transmitted by oral sex, but you will not find scientific data to support this unrealistic concern..." DR HOOK
"HIV is not spread by touching, masturbation, oral sex or condom protected sex."- DR. HOOK
in the public HIV Prevention forum of MedHelp, TEAK and the other moderators maintain that oral sex in all forms is a zero risk activity. Would you agree with this assessment?
I TOTALLY AGREE / DR GARCIA
"HIV is not spread by masturbation, through oral sex, through kissing or other casual contact." Dr. Hook
"The observation on thousands and thousands of observations is that HIV is not spread by oral sex (of any sort)." DR HOOK
"I would not say your risk ,if he had HIV is "slim to none"- that's too high. I would say they are effectively zero. How much of his ejaculate or other genital secretions you may have swallowed makes no difference. EWH "
"As far as HIV is concerned, there is no known risk of getting HIV from performing oral sex on an infected partner, even if that person's genital secretions get into your eyes or if you swallow." Dr.Hook
HIV is not spread by oral sex, giving or receiving, even if sores, gum disease or blood is present
DR HOOK
Thank you. I cannot seem to locate that article - could you send it to me or point me to it?
Thank you everyone. I REALLY appreciate your responses.
"The other factor making this challenging for me to move on is that I've had this really weird, albeit mild, unsteady, sometimes dizzy feeling - its like I'm not "sure-footed" and I'm living outside of myself"
This is a CLASSIC anxiety symptom. Search the site for "derealization" and "depersonalization". You can also look at my profile, there is a journal I wrote about this exact anxiety issue...read it, I think you'll be relieved to realize that is exactly what you are suffering from.
Anxiety left untreated can affect your life tremendously. Stop wasting time worrying about HIV and spend some time seeking help for your anxiety.
YOU DID NOT HAVE A RISK.
So I should conclude there was no risk, I don't need another test, I'm ok and move on with my life....???
Your Dr is right about your anxiety. She is wrong about testing time, even if someone had a risk it is 3 months, not 6. And she said "very very low chance", which I can give her credit for actually placing it that low but it is no risk.
Hi Teak.
You responded to this post and a couple of others a while back - thank you.
I REALLY want to put this behind me, however there are a couple of things making it difficult to do so...for one, I went and saw my doctor a while back and she said that although there is a "very very low chance" of contracting HIV through oral sex, she said I should get re-tested at 6 month mark for conclusive results. I got tested about 24 hours shy of 4 weeks and it was negative. Upon my Doctor's recommendation, I also had tests done at the same time for Hepatitus A, B and C and syphilis - all negative.
The other factor making this challenging for me to move on is that I've had this really weird, albeit mild, unsteady, sometimes dizzy feeling - its like I'm not "sure-footed" and I'm living outside of myself. It's hard to describe but I also explained that to my doctor and she said its anxiety due to the divorce I am currently going through. Is this a potential symptom or do you think my Doctor is accurate in her assessment?
I know you say there is no way to get HIV through oral sex - giving or receiving - and that nothing else I did was high or even low risk, but is there anything else I'm missing? Or is there anything else you can tell me to help me get past this so I can move on?
I'd REALLY appreciate your thoughts on this.
Thank you so much in advance.
Signed,
Scared.