[Question #14052] Oral sex

1 months ago

Sir,

I have read / seen many doctors saying receiving or giving oral sex leads to hiv, but in your posts you say oral sex is risk free for hiv. So I am thinking why some doctors say oral can cause hiv and why some doctors say oral is risk free for hiv?

Is there difference between giving oral sex and receiving in terms of hiv risk?

Searching internet is confusing

Edward W. Hook M.D.

1 months ago

Welcome to our Forum. I’ll be glad to comment. The internet is full if misinformation on this topic. There is no doubt that among forms of penetrative sexual activity oral sex is the biologically least efficient mechanism of transmission. There are a small number of well described cases in which HIV has been acquired by PERFORMING oral sex on an untreated HIV infected partner but these cases are rare. The CDC estimates that infection is acquired in about 1 out of every 10,000 cases of performing oral sex on an infected person. In contrast, there are no proven cases of HIV acquired by RECEIPT of oral sex from an untreated infected partner.

EWH

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