A service provided by the BC Centre for Disease Control
In the years since SmartSexResource launched, we have developed a library of questions asked by you, and answered by our expert sexual health nurses.
Our answered questions library cover a broad range of sexual health topics and common questions we hear at our clinics.
Hi
Sorry for the confusion around this information. HIV is not commonly passed to the person giving oral sex. This means we don’t usually see this as a way that HIV is passed, but it is possible to get HIV given the right conditions.
Usually HIV does not live in the mouth because enzymes in the saliva inhibit or kill the virus. When giving oral sex, vaginal fluids or blood could get into the mouth. If the person giving oral sex has bleeding gums, open areas in or around the mouth or has had recent dental work or tooth extraction, and there was enough blood present then HIV could be passed on. The risk would be higher when a woman is menstruating.
Dental dams or a condom cut longwise are barriers than can be used to lower risk.
You might want to check out “Know Your Chances” to get more information about ways of having sex and the chances of getting an STI.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi
It would be good to go for a follow up STI test. The tests you get depend on what happened at the clinic.
Gonorrhea and chlamydia are two STI that can cause burning when you pee. Most gonorrhea tests would show a positive result by 7 days. Most chlamydia would show up in a test by 2 weeks but sometimes this can take as long as 6 weeks.
Sometimes if you go to the clinic with symptoms of an STI they will give you treatment to cover gonorrhea and chlamydia. If this happened to you there is no need for further testing for these, just wait a week for the antibiotics to work. If they did not give you antibiotics I would recommend going back and repeating the test at 6 weeks.
With the blood tests e.g. syphilis, HIV etc… we find that most of these results are accurate by 6 weeks but can take up to 3 months for a final result. You could repeat the blood test at 6 weeks or wait and get them done at 3 months. Really depends on your individual situation.
In regard to when it would be safe to have sex again it really depends on what your initial test results at the clinic show and how your symptoms are going. I would recommend talking with the clinic that did the testing for you.
As most STI do not show symptoms it can be hard to know if you are putting someone else at risk until you get your final results from your STI testing. This can take up to 3 months for most blood tests. While waiting for these test results I would just recommend having sex in a way that would reduce your chance of passing something on. Have a look at our “Know your chances” web page, it provides information on your chances of getting or passing an STI depending on how you are having sex.
Also have a look at our “STIs at a glance” chart, it provides information on what symptoms to look for and how long you need to wait before getting tested (window period).
In regard to HIV risk, HIV is not commonly passed with the sex you described.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi
Hepatitis C is passed through blood to blood contact. It is not found in other body fluids such as semen. The most common way it is passed in BC is through sharing needles, or a needle stick injury.
Oral sex is a negligible risk, which means there is a potential for getting Hepatitis C if there was blood present, but the chances of getting Hepatitis C in this way are very low.
If you did not see any blood then there should be little chance that you put yourself at risk with oral sex.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) symptoms happen when there is an overgrowth of normal organisms in the vagina. The usual symptoms are a change in the normal odor or amount of vaginal fluid.
It is not usually considered sexually transmitted, but studies indicate that when two women are having sex, and one has BV, then there is a higher chance that her partner will also have BV. This suggests that sexual exchange of vaginal fluids is a possible way for BV to be passed between women.
We recommend that female partners of women who have BV get assessed or tested and treated if needed.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi
HIV is not passed with erotic massage, masturbation and receiving oral sex.
When you get oral sex it is possible to get gonorrhea and Chlamydia, but if you use a condom properly then you should be protected.
Syphilis, HPV and herpes are passed through skin-to-skin contact so can be passed with oral sex. Condoms help, but they don’t cover all skin areas.
You might find it helpful to check out our “Know Your Chances” charts. They give lots of info about different ways of having sex and the chances of getting an STI.
Please leave a comment to let us know if that answered your questions or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment or let us know if this was helpful.
You cannot get HIV from sharing a cigarette because HIV is not passed by saliva. This is why it is not passed through kissing or sharing eating utensils either.
If there is old or dried blood on the cigarette, you will not get HIV because HIV does not live for long outside the body.
If there is a fresh blood and you had an open area (like a sore or cut) on your mouth, it is possible that you could get HIV. However, we do not see HIV being passed this way.
HIV is passed by blood, semen (including pre-cum), rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk. HIV can only be passed when the virus in one of these fluids gets into the body of an HIV-negative person. This can happen sexually during condomless vaginal/internal genital and anal/rectal sex. HIV is unlikely to be passed through oral sex or rimming. HIV can also be passed through sharing needles or other drug equipment. To learn more about how HIV and STIs are transmitted, see our ‘Know your chances’ page.
Kissing is, for the most part, a safe activity; most STIs are not commonly passed; however, herpes (sometimes referred to “cold sores”) is one that can be easily passed.
Sexually transmitted infections (STI) like gonorrhea and human papillomavirus (HPV) can also be passed with deep kissing, but they are not commonly passed this way.
Syphilis sores can be in the mouth, so it is possible to get syphilis from deep kissing. However, it is not a common way for syphilis to be passed.
Have a look at our ‘Know your chances’ and ‘Types of STIs’ pages to learn more about these STIs and how they are passed.
Hi
Gonorrhea, chlamydia and HIV are not passed this way.
It is possible, but not common, to pass the sexually transmitted infections (STI) that are spread through skin-to-skin contact. Those are herpes, genital warts and syphilis.
In general hand – genital contact is low risk for most STI. It is one of the safer ways you can have sexual contact.
Like you have suggested hand washing is a good idea.
Have a look at our “talk about it” web page it gives some suggestions on talking to partners about sex and STI testing.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi
Sexually transmitted infections (STI) like gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes simplex virus (HSV) and genital warts (Human papillomavirus) are easily passed when a man receives oral sex without a condom (bbbj).
HIV is not passed to the person receiving oral sex. On the other hand, the person who is performing oral sex could get HIV. Generally, oral sex is not a common way to pass HIV.
While it is possible to get some STIs from oral sex, it always depends on whether the person giving you the bbbj has an STI in their throat.
Often people are not aware they have an STI, because they don’t get symptoms or see changes in their body. That is why we recommend regular testing (3 – 6 months) for people who have new partners, or if they or their partners have more than one partner.
We can test for gonorrhea and chlamydia with a urine test and most results are accurate after 2 weeks.
Condoms are a good way to prevent most STIs that you could get from a bbbj.
Check out STI at a Glance to find out when to get tested.
You can also use our clinic finder if you need help finding a place to go for testing.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
Hi.
It’s great that you have been using condoms. When they are used correctly and they don’t break or fall off they offer good protection for many STIs.
There are some STIs, including warts, syphilis and herpes that are passed through skin to skin contact. Since condoms do not cover all skin areas, it is possible for these STIS to be passed with Russian (from behind) and ball licking.
Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and HIV are not passed with covered oral sex. Warts (HPV), herpes and syphilis are not commonly passed this way.
Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and HIV are not commonly passed with covered vaginal or anal sex. It is possible to pass warts, herpes and syphilis this way.
Viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C, could be passed when blood comes in contact with mucous membrane (rectum, urethra, vagina), open skin or sores. Blood contact with unbroken skin is not considered a risk for HIV or Hepatitis B and C. It was a good idea to wash the blood off right away.
Many times people have no symptoms, so not seeing sores does not always mean a person does not have an STI.
If you are not getting routine testing, it may be a good idea to get tested. Check out our clinic finder for a STI clinic in BC.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your questions or if you need more info.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
