Sex Risks

Relative Risk of Sexual Activities (for men who have sex with men)

There are many ways to have sex, and often people want to know exactly how ‘risky’ each type of sex act is so that they can make safer decisions. What do we mean by ‘risky’? Let’s think of risk in terms of HIV transmission, other STD transmission, or HIV superinfection.

Let’s talk about sex…

Anal:
Anal sex is the riskiest type of sex for HIV and STD transmission, so whether you’re the top, bottom, or both, USE A CONDOM and plenty of lube. If you choose not to use condoms, you can reduce you risk of contracting or spreading infections like HIV by not having many partners or by being in a monogamous relationship. If you bareback (have unprotected sex) it is especially important that you know your HIV status and the status of your sex partner or partners. Keep in mind that even if you and your partner(s) have the same HIV status, you can still get and give a whole bunch of other STDs- STDs which are more serious for people living with HIV. Also, if you’re both HIV+ you run the risk of HIV Superinfection.

Oral sex:
HIV can be transmitted through oral sex, but it’s a relatively low risk. It is generally believed that swallowing increases the risk. The risk also increases if your mouth is in bad shape- if you have cuts or bleeding gums, for instance- or if your partner’s penis has cuts or sores. Use a condom if you have any doubts.

Rim jobs:
Rimming is not a high-risk activity as far as HIV is concerned, but it can expose you to other sexually transmitted diseases, such as Hepatitis A, HPV, along with parasites such as giardia, and bacteria such as E. coli.

Everything else:
Other types of sex play- BDSM, water sports, etc, should be looked in terms degree of exposure to the four bodily fluids that can transmit HIV and/or other STDs (semen, blood, vaginal fluids, and breast milk). If you’re going to share sex toys, is very important to wash them well with warm water and soap first. Using a condom on sex toys makes clean-up very easy.