Am I More At Risk If My Partner Has Her Period
If a woman has an infection that can be passed on through blood there will be a higher risk if you give her oral sex when she has her period. The infection will be more likely to pass to you if you have any sores, cuts, ulcers or inflammation in or around your mouth.
Infections passed on through blood include hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
How To Use A Dam
- Cover the genital area with the dam before there is any contact with the mouth.
- Hold it in place during oral sex.
- It doesnt matter which side you put against the vulva or anus, but do not turn the dam over once youve started using it.
- Dont move a dam from the anus to the vulva because bacteria that are harmless in the anus can cause infection in the vagina.
- Do not use oil-based lubricants with latex products as this can damage them. You can use water-based lubricants with latex dams, and it is safe to use oil-based lubricants with polyurethane dams.
- Use a new one each time you have oral sex. Never re-use a dam.
- Dams cannot be used for penetrative sex.
If you dont have a dam, you can make one out of a condom.
What If My Partner Has Hiv And He Ejaculates In My Mouth
If a partner is HIV positive and ejaculates in your mouth, you have a small risk of getting HIV. The risk depends on how much active HIV infection is in his bloodstream. It also depends on whether you have any cuts, sores or ulcers in your mouth or on your lips.
If you are worried after having sexual contact with an HIV positive partner, you can go to a genitourinary medicine clinic, a sexual health clinic or an A& E department. The doctor or nurse will assess your situation to see whether taking anti-HIV drugs, known as Post Exposure Prophylaxis , would be helpful for you. PEP is more effective the sooner it is used. The latest it can be given is 72 hours after the oral sex happened.
PEP is not considered necessary:
- after performing oral sex on a woman
- if there has not been ejaculation in the mouth, even if a partner is HIV positive.
Don’t Miss: Does Cookie Have Hiv
How To Protect Yourself
Since there is still a chance that you could get infected with HIV through oral sex, you should always take precautions. Here is what you can do to lower your risk:
Do not let a male partner ejaculate in your mouth. You can do this if you remove your mouth from their penis before they ejaculate, or if you use a condom.
Use a condom or dental dam. A dental dam is a thin square piece of latex or silicone that you place over the vagina or anal area during oral sex. You can also cut a latex condom lengthwise and use it the same way.
Both of these barriers also lower the risk of infection from other STDs such as gonorrhea of the throat or hepatitis. Use a new one every time you have oral sex. Check the expiration date on the package, and make sure there are no tears or defects.
Don’t use oil-based products like baby oil, lotion, petroleum jelly, or cooking oil on condoms or dental dams because that can cause them to break. If you need lubrication, use a water-based or silicone-based product instead. Always use a condom or dental dam during your period since the virus can be present in menstrual blood.
Don’t brush your teeth just before oral sex. If you do, your mouth or gums may bleed, which raises chances of infection.
Skip oral sex during risky times. This includes a time when you have sores around your mouth, genitals, or anus , gum damage, a throat infection, or after dental work.
What If My Partner Ejaculates In My Mouth
The exact risk of infection is not known. If he has an infection that can be passed on through semen or blood you are probably at more risk if he ejaculates in your mouth. The risk is probably the same whether you swallow the semen or spit it out. The more time his penis and/or semen is in your mouth, the greater the risk.
Infections passed on through semen include chlamydia, gonorrhoea, hepatitis B and HIV.
Pre-ejaculatory fluid can also carry infection, so you could be at risk if a partners pre-cum gets in your mouth, even if he doesnt ejaculate in your mouth.
If you ejaculate into a partners mouth, this does not increase the risk of an infection being passed on to you.
Don’t Miss: Hiv From Dried Blood
Hiv Transmission Through Other Sexual Activities
HIV is also sometimes transmitted during oral sex . It may occasionally be passed from an HIV-positive person to someone sucking their penis.
Oral sex is much less risky than vaginal or anal sex, but it is not risk free. The risk depends on the viral load of the person with HIV, the dental health of the person performing oral sex and untreated sexually transmitted infections.
“Not every act of unprotected sex with an HIV-positive person results in HIV transmission.”
HIV can be transmitted by sharing sex toys such as dildos or butt plugs. They should be covered with condoms or disinfected between use by different people.
Can Oral Sex Give You Cancer In Your Mouth Or Throat
Research is currently looking at the link between oral sex and mouth and throat cancer. Mouth and throat cancer has been linked to some types of virus called human papilloma virus , which can be passed on through sexual contact, including oral sex. These are not the same types of HPV that cause genital warts.
Read Also: Is Hiv In Semen
How To Reduce The Risk
Although the risk of HIV passing to another person through oral sex is low, people can take steps to reduce it further.
For example, people with HIV can avoid ejaculating in the mouth of their sexual partner. They can do this by using a condom or withdrawing the penis before ejaculation.
A dental dam is another option. This is a small latex or silicone sheet that a person places over the vagina, anus, or mouth during sex.
Flossing or brushing the teeth can cause the gums to bleed, so it might also help to avoid this right before sexual activity.
People without HIV can take additional steps to avoid transmission, including:
- taking pre-exposure prophylaxis medication beforehand
- using condoms or dental dams correctly during all sexual activities
- avoiding lubricants with an oil base, such as Vaseline or baby oil
- taking post-exposure prophylaxis within a couple of days after the sexual contact
- getting regular sexual health checkups
People with HIV should take antiretroviral medication exactly as their doctor recommends.
In the early stages of HIV, people might experience:
- a fever
- rashes that are not itchy
- aching muscles
- swollen glands, or lymph nodes
- oral sores
Transmission: Oral Sex & Hiv
It is possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex. However the risk of becoming infected in this way is lower than for unprotected vaginal or anal sexual intercourse.
When giving oral sex to a man a person could become infected with HIV if infected semen or pre-cum gets into any cuts, sores or gums in the mouth.
Giving oral sex to a woman is considered low risk, but not zero risk. Transmission could take place if infected fluids from a woman get into the mouth of her partner. The likelihood of infection might be increased if there is menstrual blood involved or if the woman is infected with another STI, which causes breaks in the skin, therefore increasing exposure to blood.
Don’t Miss: How Long Does Hiv Take To Show
What Is The Risk Of Sucking Penis
The chances of HIV being passed on during fellatio are low, but it can sometimes happen.
On the other hand, several sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, syphilis, genital warts and hepatitis B can be passed on when either your penis is sucked or you suck someone else’s penis.
Even without the exchange of body fluids, many sexually transmitted diseases can be passed on during close or intimate contact. You could use a condom during oral sex to reduce this risk, but you can’t completely eliminate the risk.
Scientists characterise the risk of HIV transmission through fellatio as far lower than the risk from anal or vaginal sex. But the risk is not as low as zero.
Sucking the penis of a man who has HIV, with ejaculation in the mouth, is an activity that may occasionally involve HIV transmission. When sucking a penis, the risk of HIV transmission rises if there are bleeding gums, oral ulcers, genital sores or other sexually transmitted diseases.
It’s important to have regular check-ups for sexually transmitted diseases, especially if you’ve had several sexual partners since you were last tested. If you’re feeling anxious about a recent sexual encounter that may have exposed you to HIV, the best way to deal with the issue is by taking an HIV test.
Is Deep Kissing A Route Of Hiv Transmission
Deep or open-mouthed kissing is a very low risk activity in terms of HIV transmission. HIV is only present in saliva in very minute amounts, insufficient to cause infection with HIV. There has been only one documented case of someone becoming infected with HIV through kissing a result of exposure to infected blood during open-mouthed kissing. If you or your partner have blood in your mouth, you should avoid kissing until the bleeding stops.
Recommended Reading: Jania Has Herpes
A Guide To Safe Oral Sex
Oral sex and sexually transmitted infections There are different levels of risk, depending on the STI and the type of oral sex.
- Having a STI can increase your chances of getting infected with HIV.
- STIs that cause sores and blisters are easy to get from all types of oral sex getting or giving.
- With gonorrhoea, chlamydia and NGU, infections are possible from sucking and getting sucked.
- Hepatitis A, intestinal parasites and herpes can be easily passed through rimming without a barrier.
- It is easier to pass STIs on when sores, blisters or discharges are present.
Remember: low risk does not mean no risk.
Oral sex and HIVThere have been no studies measuring the risk of getting the Aids virus through oral sex alone. Until better scientific information is available, the actual risk from oral sex is still unknown. Meanwhile, available evidence suggest that:
- HIV can be passed on from oral sex.
- There have been well-documented cases of getting HIV from sucking or giving head.
- Bleeding gums, gum disease and sores in the mouth can make it easier to get infected with HIV through oral sex.
- There have been no well-documented cases of getting HIV from getting sucked.
- There have been no recorded cases of getting HIV from rimming or getting rimmed.
- It is much easier to get HIV from sucking than from getting sucked.
- It is much easier to get HIV from anal or vaginal sex without a condom than from oral sex without a condom.
How easy is it to get HIV and other STIs from oral sex?
What About Other Stis
So HIV isn’t a high risk when you’re giving/getting head, but that doesn’t mean you’re protected from any other STIs.
You can get syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia from blowjobs, as well as other types of inflammation caused by bacteria in the mouth. So while you’re relatively safe from HIV, if you’re having oral sex with multiple partners you should be getting tested for STIs at least once every three months.
Read Also: Average Hiv Life Expectancy
When Is The Risk Greater
These risk factors can increase the chances for transmission of HIV:
- Status: Risk varies based on whether the person with HIV is giving or receiving oral sex. If the person with HIV is receiving oral sex, the person giving it may have a higher risk. Mouths may have more openings in the skin or lesions. Saliva, on the other hand, is not a carrier of the virus.
- Viral load: The risk of contracting HIV is higher if the person with HIV has a high viral load. Higher viral loads increase infectivity.
- Ejaculation: During oral sex, ejaculation may increase risk for sharing the virus, but ejaculation alone isnt the only possible way of contracting HIV.
- Cuts or sores: Openings in the mouth, vagina, anus, or on the penis are possible routes for HIV. These may be cuts or lesions from another infection or condition. For example, HIV-related infections like candidiasis can cause sores that compromise the integrity of the tissue in the mouth. Any break in the skin puts a person at risk for transmitting or contracting the virus.
- Menstruation: HIV-bearing cells do shed from the cervix during menstruation. Coming into contact with menstrual blood with the mouth may increase contraction risk.
- Urethritis: This condition causes inflammation and irritation in the urethra. It may increase the chances of HIV contraction, too. People with HIV are likely to shed the virus when they have this condition.
What Is Oral Sex
Last reviewed: Medically reviewed
All of Healthily’s articles undergo medical safety checks to verify that the information is medically safe. View more details in our safety page, or read our editorial policy.
What is oral sex? Is it safe? Can it cause pregnancy?
Lots of people have questions about oral sex. It used to be a subject that people avoided . But its a common sexual activity, and its important to be able to tell the myths from the facts for the good of your sexual health. So read on to learn more.
Recommended Reading: Hiv Hair Loss Symptom
Is It True That Gay Men Are More At Risk For Hiv Than Other People
Although anyone can be at risk for HIV, some people can be more at risk depending upon the types of sexual practices and drug use they are engaging in. Being gay does not necessarily mean you are at higher risk, but certain activities gay men sometimes participate in might put them at greater risk. Overall, the gay male population in Canada has higher rates of HIV infection than some other populations. Stigma and homophobia can affect a person’s ability to access information about safer sex specifically for gay men.
Prevention: Protection From Hiv
Abstinence or no sex is the only complete safe way of protection against sexually transmitted HIV infection. This does not necessarily mean that you cannot have sex your entire life. It may mean not having sexual intercourse until you are in a monogamous sexual relationship, where both partners are tested and found not infected with HIV. This will only hold true for as long as neither of the partners goes outside this relationship and both stay faithful to each other.
In all other circumstances it is advisable to use condoms, correctly and consistently – every time you have sex. There are male condoms and female condoms commercially available and both can protect you against HIV and most other sexually transmitted infections.
You May Like: How Long Can Hiv Be Dormant In Your System
Can I Get An Infection If I Give Oral Sex To A Partner
Yes, you could be at risk of an infection if you have licked, kissed or sucked a partners penis, vulva, vagina or anus. Infections that are more easily passed on this way include gonorrhoea, Herpes simplex, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and syphilis, although others can be passed on too.
If a partner has an infection they are more likely to pass it on to you if:
- you have a sore throat or sores, cuts, ulcers or inflamed skin around or on your lips, or in your mouth
- they have blisters, sores, cuts, ulcers, a skin rash or warts on the genitals or anus
- your lips or mouth come into contact with the skin where a blister or sore is about to appear
- a partner has her period
- you get their infected body fluids in your mouth or throat
- your eyes come into contact with infected sperm or vaginal fluid.
Many people do not get any signs and symptoms if they get an infection this way. The signs and symptoms can include:
- a sore throat
- blisters or sores in the mouth or on the lips
- signs and symptoms of hepatitis .
What Are The Chances Of Becoming Infected If He Doesnt Ejaculate Inside Me
While research suggests that high concentrations of HIV can sometimes be detected in precum, it is difficult to judge whether HIV is present in sufficient quantities for infection to occur. To guard against the possibility of infection with HIV or any other STI it is best to practice safer sex by using condoms.
You May Like: Can You Get Hiv From Dried Blood
How Safe Is Oral Sex
Although it is possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex, the risk of becoming infected in this way is much lower than the risk of infection via unprotected sexual intercourse with a man or woman.When giving oral sex to a man a person could become infected with HIV if infected semen came into contact with damaged and receding gums, or any cuts or sores they might have in their mouth.
Giving oral sex to a woman is also considered relatively low risk. Transmission could take place if infected sexual fluids from a woman got into the mouth of her partner. The likelihood of infection might be increased if there is menstrual blood involved or if the woman is infected with another sexually transmitted disease.
The likelihood of either a man or a woman becoming infected with HIV as a result of receiving oral sex is extremely low, as saliva does not contain infectious quantities of HIV.