Can you catch HIV when you give a bj with bleeding gums

[Sion]

Yesterday I gave a guy a blow job. He did not ejaculate in my mouth but there was some pre cum. After finishing I took a shower and wash my mouth out with water. When I spat out the water I noticed a small amount of blood. I went to the mirror to check and towards the front of my mouth my gum was bleeding a bit. Is it possible that I could catch HIV from doing this.

I have looked online and there seems to be varied answers to the question about catching HIV from oral sex. Why does this variety exist. My main concerns are that there was pre cum which can contain HIV and my gum was bleeding a bit when I had finished and the guy is very sexually active with numerous partners. In general my mouth higene is ok. I need to know as I have a girlfriend and do not want to part take in sexual activities with her if I am at risk of contacting HIV. I would appreciate your expert advice and also if any advice can be specific to my situation with regards to pre cum and bleeding gums.

[Ann]

Sion,

There have been three long-term studies of couples where one is positive and one is negative. In the couples who used condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, but no barrier for oral activities, not one of the negative partners became infected with hiv. Not one.

The positive partners in these couples had viral loads ranging from undetectable to quite high. Yet there were no oral transmissions.

It is thought that someone who has extremely poor oral health, such as "meth mouth", may be at risk if they blow someone who has an extremely high viral load. But this is purely based on conjecture and notoriously unreliable "patient report" - the studies do not support hiv transmission via the oral route. It is also very telling that it has never been claimed by a woman that she became infected through giving blowjobs.

If you're being sexually active outside your relationship with your girlfriend, then you must realise that you are NOT in a committed, monogamous relationship. While giving blowjobs is not a risk for hiv infection, it IS a risk for other, MUCH more easily transmitted STIs such as gonorrhea, syphilis, HPV and herpes. For this reason, you should be getting regularly checked out for ALL sexually transmitted infections and that includes oral swabs due to the fact that you're giving blowjobs.

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 (YOU ARE NOT 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 FOR HIV SPECIFICALLY OVER GIVING BLOWJOBS, 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

[Sion]

Ann,

Thank you for your reply, it is very reassuring with regards to HIV. Both my girlfriend and I are experiementing with other partners before we decide to commit to each other fully. The agreement was to make sure we play safely and I feel maybe I have been careless and I will get a check up based on your advice. I am just glad that I have not contracted HIV.

My only concern is contradictory information on other creditable websites such as the UK's NHS. Where they state there is a low risk of HIV from giving a blow job and that risk increases if you have symptoms such as bleeding gums. Why do these website post such things if they are untrue as it is scary to read. You seem 100% sure that HIV can not be transmitted orally unless the condition of the mouth is extremely bad and even then it might not be possible. It just seems a little strange to have contrasting information about something that is quite serious.

By the way I always use condoms for vaginal or anal sex.

Sion

[Ann]

Sion,

Many sources err on the side of caution.

Where oral is concerned, 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. That, along with the fact that hiv can only infect a very few, very specific types of cells, cells which are not found in abundance in the mouth, means that oral transmission is very, very difficult to achieve.

It's good to hear you're using condoms for anal and/or vaginal intercourse - you should be also using them within your open relationship until such time as you decide to become mutually monogamous and have both had full sexual health check ups.

While you're both experimenting outside your relationship, you'd both be wise to have regular, routine FULL sexual health check ups. As I mentioned previously, some of the other, MUCH more easily transmitted and MUCH more prevalent 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