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Author Topic: Does viral load matter in this instance?  (Read 4043 times)

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Offline concerned1113

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Does viral load matter in this instance?
« on: May 30, 2012, 01:14:41 am »
So i know you guys repeatedly tell people that deep french kissing and recieving oral pose no risk, but i was wondering If viral load matters. If i recall, viral load is higher when newly diagnosed. I had a cut near my back molar on the gum and engaged in deep french kissing along with recieving a blow job. If the girl I had done this with had recently been infected by HIV, would the viral Load Matter in these instances, or would they both still be a no risk? Also, considering the cut in the back of my mouth from food and if it was bleeding, would that pose more of a risk? Should I get tested? Im not worried about her saliva, i am more worried about if she had a cut and was potentially bleeding also. Thank you for your time and assistance  :)

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2012, 01:16:32 am »
No it doesn't matter when you didn't have an exposure to begin with.

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2012, 01:18:55 am »
Viral load is immaterial when dealing with kissing and receiving oral sex. Saliva simply presents too hostile an environment for HIV.

For example, I have kissed and engaged in oral sex with my partner while I was very ill, with a viral load approaching thee million copies per unit. That's one of the higher viral loads one can measure. At no point did my partner risk infection because saliva renders HIV inactive.

The notion of a cut, and bleeding also changes nothing. You are not at risk for acquiring HIV through kissing or receiving oral sex.

HIV is an exceptionally fragile virus.

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline concerned1113

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2012, 01:21:18 am »
Thank you so much for your help. You guys do good work on these forums. I have learned so much. Keep it up :D

Offline concerned1113

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2012, 01:35:32 am »
sorry, just to see it to shut my paranoia up, testing is not warranted then?

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2012, 01:53:47 am »
sorry, just to see it to shut my paranoia up, testing is not warranted then?

Of course not.

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline concerned1113

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2012, 01:59:28 am »
sorry, thanks again.

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #7 on: May 30, 2012, 08:00:05 am »
Use condoms everytime for anal and vaginal intercourse and you will be well protected against the sexual transmission of HIV. Those are the only confirmed risks sexually. Anything else is only theoretically a risk. Unprotected intercourse is the real risk. 
Andy Velez

Offline concerned1113

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #8 on: May 30, 2012, 10:58:25 pm »
so what if the top of my mouth was a bit inflamed from allergies and had some minor open cuts? would that make a difference?

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2012, 11:01:44 pm »
■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.

Offline concerned1113

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2012, 11:03:31 pm »
point taken

Offline Ann

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Re: Does viral load matter in this instance?
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2012, 06:15:49 am »
Con,

Saliva is NOT infectious, regardless of how high a person's viral load is. So when you know that, why would you even wonder if having cuts in your mouth made any difference when kissing?

And don't even start on the "what if there was blood in her mouth" stuff. Unless you're in the habit of repeatedly punching a person in the mouth before you kiss (or before you get a blowjob), there could not possibly be enough blood present to cause concern.

You haven't had a risk.

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 SPECIFICALLY OVER A KISS OR A BLOWJOB, 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. Some of the other STIs can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to test.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann

Condoms are a girl's best friend

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"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

 


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