[Question #12431] unprotected oral or condom sex
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7 months ago
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I am wondering what is safer in terms of catching an std, receiving unprotected oral sex or vaginal sex with a condom. which is safer? Thank you.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
7 months ago
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Welcome to our Forum and thanks for your questions.
Irrespective of the sort of exposure, condoms, when worn throughout the encounter and they do not break ( which happens about 1% of the time) the almost totally eliminate any risk for HIV, gonorrhea and chlamydia and markedly reduce the risk of syphilis and herpes. Because fewer people have oral STis than genital infection and because oral sex biologically is less efficient for transmission than vaginal sex, receipt of unprotected oral sex is less risky than unprotected vaginal sex. There are no studies which compare the risk associated with receipt unprotected oral sex to participating in condom protected vaginal sex. Both are close to no risk.
---EWH
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7 months ago
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Thank you, my main concern is catching hsv 2. I am also wondering if sanitizing with alcohol after unprotected oral or protected vaginal does anything as far as killing std or bacteria. many massage parlors sanitize after, is that effective? thank you
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
7 months ago
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HSV-2 is almost never acquired from receipt of oral sex. When herpes is acquired from receipt of oral sex, it is due to HSV-1. Condoms are calculated to reduce risk for acquisition of genital herpes, most often due to HSV-2.
Topical sanitizers have been studied for reducing HIV but not herpes. In fact, the sanitizers actually appeared to slightly increase risk for HIV acquisition.
You have one follow up remaining. EWH
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