The risk of getting HIV from oral sex is generally low. If you’re using your mouth on someone’s penis, vulva, or anus, you have a low risk for getting HIV. If someone is using their mouth on your penis, vulva, or anus, you have no real risk for getting HIV. But there is a high risk for getting some other STIs from oral sex. There are lots of ways to make oral sex safer!
Can I get HIV from giving oral sex?
Giving oral sex can be a lot of fun! Whether you’re giving oral sex on a vagina, penis, or anus, there’s a low risk for HIV. It’s hard for viruses to get through someone’s mouth or stomach and into their blood. But it’s still possible to pass HIV because semen, vaginal fluid, and rectal fluid in the anus can carry HIV.
There’s more risk when your throat or mouth has cuts or sores. So, it helps to wait 30 minutes after brushing or flossing before you give oral sex. It also helps to avoid giving oral sex if you have a cut in your mouth.
Can I get HIV from getting oral sex?
Getting oral sex can be a lot of fun too! There’s no real risk of getting HIV from receiving oral sex. This is because saliva has very low levels of HIV. It’s almost impossible to give or get HIV from spit. But, it is possible to get other STIs like herpes from receiving oral sex.
How can I reduce the risk of getting HIV from oral?
Whether you’re giving or getting oral sex, you can lower risk by using barriers like condoms or dental dams and using medications like PrEP. Dental dams are thin sheets of latex or another material that go between a mouth and an anus or vulva. You can put some lube inside the condom or under the dental dam to make oral sex with a barrier feel better!
PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. It’s a pill you can take every day to lower your risk of getting HIV. You can also ask the person living with HIV if they have an undetectable viral load. This means that there’s very little of the virus in their body and it’s almost impossible for them to pass HIV to someone else. Most people taking medication for a few months have an undetectable viral load.
I’m worried I got HIV from oral. What do I do?
You can talk to a doctor or nurse if you’re worried you got HIV from oral. There’s medication you can take within 72 hours of having sex to reduce your risk of getting HIV. This medication is called PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and needs to be prescribed by a doctor.
Getting tested is the only way to know if you have HIV. It can take up to three months for HIV to show up on an STI test. A rapid HIV test can give you your results in a matter of minutes, while lab testing can take 1-2 weeks to get your results.
Waiting for test results can be very stressful. It can help to talk to trusted friends and family members about how you’re feeling. You can also contact AIDS Community Care Montreal.
