Can You Get Aids From Oral Sex?

Can you get AIDS from oral sex? If you are concerned about getting AIDS from oral sex, then you need to know some basic information about the disease. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is a disease that means the body can no longer fight off infections and diseases. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is just that, a virus that can develop into AIDS. The virus assaults the T helper white cells and makes it virtually impossible for the body to fight infection. According to Global Health Reporting, as of December 2007, nearly 33 million people throughout the world were living with AIDS/HIV, and almost 500,000 Americans were diagnosed with AIDS. Seventy-five percent of the Americans diagnosed with AIDS are adolescent and adult men.

With that being said, the HIV virus that develops into AIDS can be found in vaginal fluid, infected blood (including menstrual blood) and semen. The virus cannot survive outside of the body, so it can't be transmitted through kissing, sharing clothing or towels, giving blood or from a toilet seat. AIDS can be contracted by the following encounters with HIV positive individuals: having unprotected sex, sharing a hypodermic needle, passed on from pregnant mother to baby, and through oral sex.

Yes, you can get AIDS from oral sex. It is not as common, and it is much harder to determine whether oral sex was the source of contracting AIDS, unless oral sex is the only type of sex that is being practiced. But it is possible. If a person performs oral sex with an HIV positive male, infected fluids can enter the bloodstream through mouth ulcers, wounds, sores or bleeding gums. The same holds true for an infected female. If her sexual fluids, including menstrual blood, come in contact with ulcers, wounds, sores or bleeding gums in the mouth of her partner, the partner is at risk of getting AIDS from oral sex. Also, infected blood can be transferred onto the lips or sores and cuts on a partner's genital or anal mucous membranes.

Although you can get AIDS from oral sex, the risk is low and can be reduced even more by using protection. Flavored condoms, cut open-ended condoms, plastic food wrap, and even thin squares of latex known as dental dams are available to provide protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Even though the risk is low that you can get AIDS from oral sex, it is not a risk worth taking. Know your partners, know your available precautions, and know the risks for contracting AIDS from oral sex activities.