When is Oral Sex More Risky?
June 9, 2008 by rainier
You are at more risk of passing on HIV through oral sex if you have an untreated sexually transmitted infection. You are at more risk of being infected with HIV from oral sex if you have cuts, sores or abrasions in the mouth or on the gums, or if you have an infection, including sexually transmitted ones, in the throat or mouth which is causing inflammation.
Viral load testing suggests that traces of HIV can almost always be found in semen. Having high viral load in the blood may also mean that viral load is high in the semen. The reverse is not necessarily true: even if viral load in the blood is undetectable, it may not be so in semen. Therefore it is not safe to assume that taking anti-HIV therapy always reduces the infectious potential of semen, or protects sexual partners.
The levels of HIV in vaginal fluid vary. They are likely to be highest around the time of menstruation (having your period), when HIV-bearing cells shed from the cervix are most likely to be found in vaginal fluid, along with blood. Oral sex will therefore be more risky around the time of menstruation.
