POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: AlwaysMe on August 23, 2013, 10:59:27 pm
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Hi guys, first off, I have to thank you for providing an outlet for discussing and informing.
Ok so about 40 or so days ago, I performed oral sex on a
man who I now suspect is positive and lied about his status at the time. I had a canker sore in my mouth at the time of the activity. While performing oral sex there was a bit of precum that may have come in contact with the canker sore. He did not ejaculate in my mouth. I am nervous though. I had a full blood test done around 20 days later which came back with a negative for hiv. I don't know if that's an indicator of not being infected. During the time since the possible exposure I have developed a rash (red bumps that itch) on my thighs mainly, and in smaller instances on the rest of my body. I've also had other symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat and cough (cough was around prior to this event) I've spent a lot of time on google, which I know isn't a good idea. And the based on the results it seems as if it's split whether or not I'm at risk of being infected. Some sites say it's very possible, while others say it's not. At the end of the day, I am going to test myself very soon and am really scared. I would just like some information and opinion on my situation.
Thanks so much in advance!
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AM,
Unless you have really terrible oral health (think meth-mouth), and the guy you blew had an extremely high viral load, you're not going to end up hiv positive over this blowjob. 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. Plus, hiv can only infect a very few, very specific types of cells and these cells are not found in abundance in the mouth.
Of course you can end up with syphilis, herpes, or gonorrhea - to name the top three - from oral sex (either way), but hiv? It's rare in the extreme.
Absolutely none of your symptoms are hiv specific. Neither symptoms nor even the lack of symptoms will ever tell you a single thing about your hiv status. ONLY testing at the appropriate time will.
You can continue testing if you want to, but don't expect your results to change in relation to this incident.
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.
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
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Thanks for the answer Ann! I plan on testing myself via oraquick today.
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Like Ann I expect you will test negative. The risk for oral sex is strictly theoretical. In the real world of HIV we know that sexual risk is about unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse.
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Hi all, let me start by saying it may just be my anxiety but since I last got tested I've only been with two men. Both of which I gave unprotected oral sex, there was per-ejaculate fluid in my mouth but neither ejaculated in my mouth. At the time of both incidents, I didn't appear to have any open wounds in my mouth but you never know. I just would like to know what the real risk is. Is it possible that if either of these men were positive, I could have became infected myself through these acts?
Thanks in advance.
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Hello!
You had no risk over the incidents you described and do not need to test.
Saliva contains over a dozen identified elements (proteins and enzymes) which disrupt the slycoprotein shell that not only protects HIV but supports it's ability to transmit the RNA code into receptive cells.
These receptive cells are NOT, by the way, found in any abundance in the mouth.
There are several long term studies of serodiscordant couples where, as a criteria, they used barrier protection (condoms) for penetrative anal and vaginal sex but NO barriers whatsoever for any form of oral sex. In these studies, which spanned ten, five and three years (and two continents) there were ZERO infections traced to oral sex.
Your sexual risk for HIV is in unprotected anal and vaginal penetrative sex. Period. Use a condom for those activities and you will avoid HIV.
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Always , your oral sex questions had already been answered in your original thread .
If you decide to come back and buy a subscription to ask more questions please do not post outside of the thread no matter what the subject or how long it been . You can visit your profile and select show own post and it will take you here .