How to practice safe sex.

Brenden wrote:For HIV transmission, the risk for bottoming is 50 per 10,000 exposures (1 in 200), while the risk for topping is 6.5 per 10,000 exposures (1 in 1,500). That means the risk of transmission is 7.7 times greater for the bottom. [source]

• rinses off easily from skin and fabric
• cheaper and easier to find than silicone-based lube

• lasts longer than water-based lube
• best for anal sex

• usually a water-based lube with flavor added, often contains sugar
• best for oral sex, especially when using a condom

Joe wrote:Sexual Health in Bristol

REMEMBER THAT SEXUAL HEALTH SERVICES ARE COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL UNLESS THE STAFF BELIEVE YOU TO BE AT RISK, IN WHICH CASE THEY MAY HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE ABOVE THEM, BUT THIS WILL BE DISCUSSED WITH YOU AND WILL NOT BE SHARED WITH ANYONE WHO DOES NOT ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO KNOW.

In Bristol, sexual health services for young people are managed by a branch of the NHS called 4YP, which stand for 'For Young People'. 4YP have a distinctive logo:



This is displayed in pharmacies, doctor's surgeries, the GUM clinic in the City Centre, some youth clubs and some colleges. Anywhere you see this you can pick up a chlamydia test (a shiny blue packet for males and a shiny pink one for females) and a packet of condoms. This packet normally contains eight condoms and two sachets of lube. There are normally a mix which equates to roughly 4 standard, two flavoured, a ribbed or dotted one and an extra safe. Lube-wise, there are normally two packets of plain lube.

You can go into any 4YP Doctor's Practice and ask for a drop in. They will normally see you within 15 minutes, and your consultation normally lasts 15 minutes, but can be as long as it needs to be.

You can talk to them about anything, as long as it's sex or relationships related. You can register for a C-Card, which is a condom card, as explained by Reitou Sakura above. Differently though, you can use it as many times as you need to in one period. There are ten empty squares, which get filled in as you use it. When asking for a C-Card, you are given something called 'the condom teach', in which they show you how to properly use a condom, explain sexual health to you and try to dispel any obvious myths. The condom teach is simple and easy to understand so ensure you ask away!

There's a link to the website below.

http://www.4ypbristol.co.uk/

Just remember, the key to good sexual wellbeing rests with you.

Eryx wrote:http://www.buscape.com.br/preservativo.html
http://www.sitedacompra.com.br/departam ... vo-Blowtex

Free condoms are offered in clubs, concerts, public squares, schools and malls... I have over 50 condoms to spend with my boyfriend... We paid for two.

mattyengland wrote:Good morning boys and girls. I've noticed around the forum that an alarmingly high number of you have got various facts twisted and wrong over HIV, particularly amongst our younger members. Seeing as some of you have in all likelihood had insufficient sex ed, here is a sex ed class for you. Having had a friend who had a near miss with HIV and his research into it, I'm going to just give you all what the SCIENTIFIC viewpoint is on HIV at the moment. Obviously there is a large amount of fear and controversy surrounding HIV, but the more you know about it, the better you'll be able to avoid it.

Why are you telling us this?
HIV is on the rise worldwide. In the western world, a large proportion of new cases are in gay men. The National Health Service in the UK reckons that 1 in 8 gay men in Brighton are HIV positive, and 1 in 10 in London. These are shockingly high percentages, although the NHS does work on that only 3% of the population are Men who have sex with Men. The Centres for Disease Control in the USA reckon that up to 20% of gay men in San Francisco are HIV positive, they have had even higher estimates in the past as well.
These are sobering statistics so pay attention.

How do you catch HIV?
HIV is transmitted primarily by:
- Unprotected Anal sex
- Unprotected Vaginal sex
- sharing needles EDIT (prompted by Geometrix)

I'd also stress being extremely careful with needle use!
I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but right now in Toronto, Canada there's been a spike in people between ages 14 - 25 using needles for drug use, and unfortunately sharing.

EDIT (prompted by Davey): - Blood and sexual fluids through open wounds, this is mainly relevant to medical professionals and is one of the reasons that gloves must be worn by medical staff.

Can I catch HIV from unprotected oral?
This is a subject of huge scientific debate. There have been many studies done over the years. There are two types of data: the behaviour reported by patients and data collected from a study. Patient sourced data is notoriously unreliable. This is because people either lie, can't remember (alcohol and drugs) or are in denial. The CDC in the USA did a study using patient sourced data and concluded that 8% of new infections were due to unprotected oral. This study has been largely discounted because it is believed to be wildly inaccurate and is now getting quite old. Since then, there have been several studies involving scientists monitoring serodiscordant couples (where one is positive, and one is negative). Condoms were used for anal and vaginal sex, but not for oral sex. One of these ran for over 10 years and included 19,000 acts of oral sex. There was not a single transmission in any of the studies.
So, in short, we believe that there is no risk from being sucked, and only a theoretical risk from sucking someone. It is good practice though not to allow ejaculation in the mouth. This is not to say it's impossible to catch HIV from Oral Sex, but it is highly improbable. However, whilst you are unlikely to catch HIV from oral sex, you can catch most other STDs very easily from oral sex, so protection should always be considered, even with oral sex.

Why is it harder to catch HIV from Oral sex?
Your mouth is like a fortress to HIV, it's designed to keep out bugs in the first place. Your saliva is also very good at destroying HIV, since it contains enzymes that damage HIV, making it unable to reproduce. There are also very few of the cells that HIV can infect in the mouth, since HIV needs certain select cells.

How can I protect myself?
Use condoms, it's pretty obvious really. Condoms prevent transmission of HIV effectively. Make sure you use plenty of lube for anal sex, and don't double bag condoms, this will only cause friction making them more likely to break. Also, everyone should get tested once a year, regardless of having protected sex or not. Those who have unprotected sex should test more regularly.

Can I catch HIV from a surface/kissing/etc?
No. HIV is very vulnerable to changes in temperature and PH. Essentially, once it's left the body, it will not be able to reproduce because it will have been damaged. Only body to body will generally allow transfer. HIV is actually quite hard to catch.

Help! I had unprotected sex with someone who is known to be positive/I've been raped/any other scenario.
The following MUST be done within 72 hours of the event, and preferably ASAP. Go to the emergency department at your hospital IMMEDIATELY. They might give you a medication called PEP which if taken properly will reduce your chance of becoming positive. PEP is essentially HIV medication, and will probably make you suffer some pretty horrendous side effects like vomiting etc, but it will be worth it. PEP is not suitable for all cases, so it's up to the duty doctor to decide. In countries with a health system (UK, Canada, most of Europe) it will be free.

So what are the stages of HIV infection, and what's AIDS?
There are two stages of HIV infection:
- initial infection/Seroconversion
- Late stage/AIDS
Seroconversion will occur approximately 4-6 weeks after the infection, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days. Symptoms may or may not occur, but when they do occur they are very similar to mono/glandular fever. They include: flu, fever, rash, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes. There are many symptoms for HIV, which may or may not occur, and the presence of these symptoms does not mean much since they occur in many many other conditions.
AIDS is when your immune system has collapsed. Your T cells number under 200. This leaves you open to many opportunistic infections, like pneumonia.

So when can I test?
Testing at 6 weeks after an exposure gives you a pretty high accuracy rate, but it cannot be considered conclusive. All tests MUST be repeated at three months after an exposure to confirm the result. However, someone who tests negative at six weeks, is highly unlikely to become positive at three months. You should also get a whole panel of STD tests done, since the others are far more infectious than HIV.

Is HIV a death sentence?
If diagnosed as early as possible, absolutely not. Medical professionals in all likelihood will be able to help you live a 'relatively' normal life. However, if only diagnosed at the AIDS stage, the prospects are not so good. HIV medication is now very good, and can help the immune system to recover.

Any other tips?
Although not HIV, Hepatitis B is 100X more infectious than HIV and can permanently damage your liver. Certain countries, like the UK, offer free Hep A/B vaccinations to men who have sex with men because we are considered an 'at risk' category. See your Dr for more information. EDIT (prompted by Ryan101), since vaccinations are available for Hep A & B, it is very sensible to actually get vaccinated. We can't vaccinate HIV, but we can vaccinate Hep A & B, so it's worthwhile.
EDIT (prompted by Davey): There are also many other STDs, far more infectious than HIV which can also cause severe problems. This is why you should carry out a full STD screen, rather than just screening for HIV. Also, if your body's immune system is weak due to the presence of another STD, like Syphilis, then you may be at more risk of contracting HIV, as HIV may be able to 'piggy back' the Syphilis into the body.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll try to answer them as accurately as I can, otherwise I will point you at the appropriate organisations.
I know this is a mammoth essay, but follow this information and you'll probably remain negative.
Safe sex, ALWAYS! Even in a relationship you should keep practising safe sex until you have both attended testing, and been tested negative TOGETHER. Simply asking someone if they're negative offers no proof into whether they actually are.

Some of the organisations where this data came from: WHO, UN, US CDC, NHS, POZ, Terrence Higgins Trust.

Eryx wrote:Add Brazil to that list oface.

ShutUpAndBeHappy wrote:Are there any unique ways to practice safe sex that would apply to our lesbian members, or to those who participate in heterosexual activity?

Brenden wrote:

Blaz wrote:How about a section to cover myths? The one I hear alot is that the top is less likely to become infected during unprotected sex.

That's not a myth. For HIV transmission, the risk for bottoming is 50 per 10,000 exposures (1 in 200), while the risk for topping is 6.5 per 10,000 exposures (1 in 1,500). That means the risk of transmission is 7.7 times greater for the bottom. [source]

Milo wrote:Excellent thread bouby

Apollo wrote:Don't even bother using a condom if the packet has been opened before it's time to use it.