POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: light on July 06, 2011, 08:55:23 am
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I’d like to greatly appreciate everything you guys done here on your website. You all have shared helpful materials which sure do help for people who need to know about HIV further. I have been reading all your materials on your website and I am well aware the questions I am about to present here are likely the most common questions which usually granted a No-Risk status from you guys. But however I still need to propose them to you all as the expert so I may gain a proper and accurate answer. My questions are as follows;
1. A man performed oral sex to a woman. He licked the vagina so the fluids of it came to contact directly to his mouth. The man’s mouth had an open cut/sore. Is the man at risk ? What if the man had an open cut/sore in his mouth and also the woman’s vagina had cut or sore soo the vagina fluids or bloods came to contact with the man’s cut ? is the man at risk ?
2. Same with the question before, but now the man receiving a blowjob. I really appreciate all of your answer stating that there is no documented case someone was got blown then he got HIV. But, just wondering, what if the penis had an open cut/sore on its bar ? is the man at risk ? What if the man had an open cut/sore on his penis and also the woman’s mouth had the cut or sore soo the saliva or blood came to contact with the wound or cut on the man’s penis ? is the man at risk ?
3. If the man had an open cut or sore on his penis then he rubbing it againts a wet vagina (no penetration, just outercourse, or maybe you name it frottage) which also has an open cut, soo the vagina liquid or blood comes to contact with the wound or cut on the man’s penis. is the man at risk ?
4. A man did fingering. His fingers had open cut while the woman was worried that she was about to have her periode anytime soon. Let’s say that without knowledge from both of the man and woman, while being fingered, the woman’s menstruation blood spilled/started out and came to contact with the man’s wounded fingers. Is he at risk either by vagina liquid or by menstruation blood?
I am genuinly sorry if all my questions somehow had been answered thru all your materials and I am proposing them again here. I am also apologize if my questions sound strange. Just want to make sure with my own words so I propose the question. A one by one answer with detail explanation would be greatly appreciated. I sincerely thank you for all of your information !
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None of the questions you've asked are risks of HIV transmission.
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The only confirmed risks for the sexual transmission of HIV are unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse. If you consistently use condoms for those activities you will be effectively protected.
Yes, it is just that simple.
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Thank you very much RapidRod and Andy Velez for your information. Really - really appreciate it. Forgive me to ask again but for RapidRod, I honestly wonder, how can you say so ? With all due respect, are you 100% sure of your answer ? I apologize I am not having any intensions to undermine your answer just a natural question to make things sure (again)..Hope you don't take it wrong..
I also would like to hear from Ann if she doesnt mind..
Thank you very much guys for your help. I really appreciate it !
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All I asked before is, what if saliva, or blood or vaginal fluids come to contact to the cut in man's mouth or penis. I'd like to add, what if the cut or sore in the woman's mouth or vagina come or touch the man's cut directly. Soo the cut or sore meets the cut directly. Can they change the risk ?
I need your information. Thank you for your help !
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light,
Nothing you list are risks for hiv infection. The only proven sexual risks for hiv infection are unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse. I'm hiv positive myself (14 years, no meds) and I've never passed on my virus and the only thing I've done to protect my hiv negative sex partners is to make sure they are using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse.
1. Regardless of cuts in the mouth, going down on a woman is not a risk for hiv infection. Hiv transmission doesn't stand a chance of happening via female genitals to mouth - there are just too many obstacles on the oral route.
The first obstacle is the mouth itself. The mouth is a veritable fortress, standing against all sorts of pathogens we come into contact with every minute of our lives. It's a very hostile environment and saliva has been shown to contain over a dozen different proteins and enzymes that damage hiv.
Hiv is a very fragile virus - literally. Its outer surface doesn't take kindly to changes in its preferred environment; slight changes in temperature, moisture content and pH levels all damage the outer surface. Importantly, it needs this outer surface to be intact before it can latch onto a few, very specific cell types and infect.
Which leads to the second obstacle. Hiv can only latch onto certain types of cells, cells which are not found in abundance in the mouth - even with cuts present.
The third obstacle to transmission this way is having hiv present in the first place. The female secretion where hiv has been shown to be present is the cervicovaginal fluid. This fluid is actually a thick mucus that covers and protects the cervix.
The fluid a woman produces when sexually excited comes from the Bartholin's glands, located on either side of the vaginal opening. I have yet to discover one shred of evidence (and believe me, I've looked) that shows this lubricating fluid to have any more hiv present than other bodily secretions such as saliva, sweat or tears. Saliva, sweat and tears are NOT infectious fluids.
So there you have it. Once the results of the serodiscordant studies started rolling in, what we know about hiv transmission on the cellular level was validated. The only people who were getting infected were those who had unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse. Period. One of the three studies went on for ten years and involved hundreds of couples. That's a lot of nookie.
2. Getting a blowjob is not a risk for hiv infection. Not only is saliva not infectious, but it also contains over a dozen different proteins and enzymes that damage hiv and render it unable to infect. Unless you're in the habit of repeatedly punching a person in the mouth before they blow you, there could not possibly be enough blood present to cause any hiv concern.
3. Frottage is not a risk for hiv infection, even with cuts on the penis. Hiv can only infect a very few, very specific cells and these cells are not found on the surface of the skin or in shallow cuts (cuts, which I might add, that start healing immediately and a barrier is formed against infection). The cells that hiv CAN infect are found in the lining of the anus and vagina and in men, in the lining of the urethra and the inside portion of the foreskin - the part that is hidden when the foreskin is pulled over and covering the head of the penis. They are not found on the head of a circumcised penis.
4. Again, the cells that hiv can infect are not found on the surface of the skin nor in shallow cuts. Unless you have a deep, fresh-just-that-moment cut on your finger, transmission is not going to happen this way. And if you're sticking a finger into anyone's body when you've just sustained a deep cut on that finger, then you must not be very bright. That's a good way to get a bacterial infection.
Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:
You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.
To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.
Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.
ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED TO TEST OVER FINGERING, GETTING BLOWN OR GIVING A WOMAN ORAL SEX, anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.
If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.
Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv.
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE!!!
Ann
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Hi Ann. Thank you very much for responding my questions. I got the message clearly now. For number 4, do you think exfoliation on the fingers skin near the nails is considered as a deep cut ? It seemed to have a little blood on it because you can see it has little red on the second surface after the first exfoliated skin. I need your opinion.
Thank you very much !
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No, the exfoliation on your fingers would not have created a risk for transmission.
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Thank you very much for your information Andy. Appreciate it !
I have new question about frottage guys. I remember did frottage when I put my head of penis directly to wet vagina. No intercourse, just up and down against it (please excuse the detail, just want to be specific) but the urethra faced and came to contact directly with fluid of the vagina. I read Ann's answer that the line of urethra is risky and in connection to my question, the fluid of vagina might got thru my line of urethra. Is it true ? only Am I at risk ?
From all of my questions I've been asked to you about unprotected blow job, licking vagina, fingering and including this latest question about frotagge, I sincerely wonder, do you think I need to be tested ?
I need your answer to remove all my worry. More than one answer from you all guys is such a relief. The more point of view the better and more convinced the feeling I have. Thank you all for educating me !
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the true first question should be "Am I at risk ?" It should not have "only" on the sentence. It was misstyping. Please ignore the word "only"
"I read Ann's answer that the line of urethra is risky and in connection to my question, the fluid of vagina might got thru my line of urethra. Is it true ? Am I at risk ?"
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light,
Frottage is not a risk. It happens outside the body. Only unprotected intercourse where your penis is actually INSIDE another person's body (or someone's unprotected penis is inside YOUR body) is a risk.
You have not had a risk. You do not need to test over any of the specific things you bring to us.
However, we do recommend that any sexually active person gets a whole sexual health care check up, including but NOT limited to hiv testing, at least once a year. While you have not been at risk for hiv, you can get other STIs from activities such as frottage.
Ann
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Thank you Ann for a very straight and clear answer. I really appreciate it. Last question, based on all questions I've presented, so do you think I do not have HIV ? Soo can I throw all negative things in mind and move on now ?
I greatly appreciate all of your answers. Thank you very much !
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Light,
Unless you've been having unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse you have not told us about, then no, you are not going to have hiv.
If you cannot bring yourself to believe that nothing you brought to us was a risk, then go test and collect your negative result. As a sexually active adult, you should be testing on a regular, routine basis anyway. Think of it like going to the dentist for yearly check-ups. You may know you don't have any cavities, but you get checked anyway.
And like I said, you should also be tested for all the other more easily transmitted STIs as well. Not all of them have noticeable symptoms, so the only thing for it is regular, routine testing. It's what responsible adults do when they're sexually active.
Ann
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I really need answer to my last questions. Just to make thing sure and reaffirm all of your relief answers before. Could you please answer my questions ? Thank you very much for spending your time reading mine and responding my questions. Thank you !
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I posted while you were answering my question. Please forgive my impatience. I completely understand all of your answer now.
Thank you for sharing, educating, and informing me !You guys have a great job here. Thank you very much. Thank you soo much Ann ! REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR WORK !
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Light,
You're welcome. Remember to use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!!!
Ann
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Noted mam !
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Hello I am back again because I need your information another part of oral. I have two questions.
I forgot to mention about oral on my scrotum/balls. What if the girl sucked and licked my scrotum/balls, a deep one, while I had an open cut on it ? what if my scrotum/balls had an open cut and she also had open cut inside her mouth or tongue. so basically her cut met mine. Am I at risk ?
I have asked the same question before on bar/shaft of the penis but now I really wonder would it be different if the case was scrotum ?
My second question is she shaved her vagina including the hair located on upper side of her vagina. This location under/near by her navel. When I licked her vagina, maybe my tongue accidentally also licked/touched those shaved area, so I might had licked the are which had cuts from shaving. so maybe this is not oral case anymore where I lick part of body that likely have cuts maybe a lot small - smooth cuts,not bleeding but opened cut she got from shaving. by licking the area am I at risk ?
again, please excuse the detail. Just want to be specific so I hope it makes you easier answering/understanding my situations. Thank you very much for the information. Appreciate it.
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Light,
Oral contact is oral contact no matter where it occurs on your body. It's not a risk.
It also doesn't matter where you lick or if they've recently shaved. Unless you go licking and sucking blood out of a fresh, deep cut, you're not at risk.
Re-read your entire thread so I don't have to repeat myself ad nauseum.
If you read the Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) before posting like you're supposed to, you will have read the following posting guideline:
Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.
Please consider yourself warned!
Ann
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Thank you very much for answering my questions Ann. I sincerely apologize if I wrote some inappropriate words and situations in my question. I also have tried to re-read all of your answer but you know, sometimes the questions just popped out and I need to get clarification from you all the expert, hence I wrote again.
I thank you for all of your answers and information. I got the message. Appreciate it !
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Light,
You're welcome.
No need to apologise - nothing you wrote was inappropriate. The only problem is that you have already had the answers to your questions. We've already covered the basics of what you need to know about hiv transmission.
You should also have read the Transmission Lesson (http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/Transmission_9960.shtml) by now. If you haven't, get reading. You should also check out the condom and lube links in my signature line. The Condoms are a girl's best friend link goes to a particularly informative website and has many language options.
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE!!!!
Ann