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SafeSexGuide
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HIV/AIDS
How You Get It (Exposure):
HIV is present in four major body fluids. They are:
- VAGINAL
- SEMEN
- BLOOD
- BREAST MILK
HIV transmission is not possible without coming into direct contact with the four fluids listed.
Most cases of HIV transmission occur as a result of sexual activities. However, the four common routes of transmission associated with HIV infection are:
- Having unprotected sex with an infected person. Some sexual acts are more risky than others. Anal and vaginal intercourse can cause ruptures to the skin that make it even easier for the virus to enter the bloodstream. Oral sex between men or between a man and a woman is less dangerous but still risky, since the virus could pass from the semen into a tiny cut inside the mouth. The risk for women transmitting the virus to women through sex is much smaller, but it is still possible.
- Sharing needles or shooting drugs with someone who's infected.
- Being born of a mother who is infected, or by drinking the breast milk of an infected women.
- Getting blood from an infected blood donor. This route of transmission is less common since the blood supply in the United States is carefully screened, since 1985.
Any person that participates in the above mentioned routes of transmission with an HIV positive person is at risk of HIV infection. HIV is not specific to a certain lifestyle, drug users, gay men, or prostitutes. Any person engaging in high risk behaviors with partners and not knowing that persons HIV status is at risk.
Warning Signs (Symptoms):
Many people who are HIV positive do not exhibit any symptoms for years after they are infected. Only a test will tell you for sure if you have HIV. The symptoms and the severity of HIV differ from individual to individual. We have been able to identify five distinctive phases of HIV.
- Phase 1: Asymptomatic Incubation Period
Often referred to as the window period. The newly infected person will have HIV present and replicating in their blood but will generally have no detectable symptoms. This is a particularly dangerous period for possible transmission since an infected person has no idea that they are infected. During this particular phase an infected person converts from HIV negative to HIV positive. This phase is estimated to last between four weeks and six months.
- Phase 2: Acute Primary Infection Stage
During this stage many individuals experience some symptoms of early infection but, may not associate it specifically with HIV. Generally an infected person will experience flu like symptoms, including a fever, swollen glands, a skin rash and a sense of malaise. The severity of symptoms differ from one individual to the next. During this phase, an infected individual will create a detectable amount of HIV antibodies. A HIV antibody test will show a positive result. This phase is estimated to last one to two weeks.
- Phase 3: Asymptomatic Phase
This phase is characterized by a long period of relatively good health, although during the entire period, the HIV virus is still replicating in the body and is slowly eroding the ability of the immune system to fight off illnesses. The indication that the immune system is weakening is seen through the gradual fall in the number of helper T lymphocyte (CD4+) cells. The length of this phase varies from person to person. It is generally dependent on the overall health of the individual, personal care practices and the overall ability of the immune system to fight off disease.
- Phase 4: Symptomatic Phase
During this phase early onset of serious symptoms begins to occur. Infections that a person with a healthy, intact immune system could fight off will begin to make the HIV+ person ill. Then, the infected individual will develop more of the recognized opportunistic diseases associated with a diagnosis of AIDS. The symptoms of this phase include, persistent fever, drenching night sweats, diarrhea, enlargement of the lymph nodes in various parts of the body, weight loss, oral lesions, fatigue, rashes, cognitive slowing and severe pain in the hands and feet.
- Phase 5: Diagnosis of AIDS
This phase occurs when a persons CD4 (T-cell) count falls below 200 and the person is diagnosed as having one of 26 opportunistic infections.
Getting Checked Out (Diagnosis) / Treatment:
A simple blood test or oral swab can determine if you are infected with HIV. The HIV tests find antibodies in your system that naturally develop in response to contact with the virus. Usually, the antibodies appear within three months of infection, but it can take up to six. If you're worried that something you did might have exposed you to the virus, you must take precautions to protect other people until you know definitely that you're HIV negative six months later.
The prognosis for people with AIDS used to be pretty dire, but HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy), a cocktail of different drugs, has radically improved the outlook. As a result of HAART, beginning in the late 1990s, the number of deaths from AIDS began to decline for the first time. HAART is not a cure. The work to develop a vaccine continues.
If Left Untreated:
HIV has to get into your bloodstream to infect you. Once it does get in there, it begins to attack a certain class of white blood cell, the T-lymphocyte cell, or T-cell. Of this class, the virus targets primarily the helper T-cells, which are also known as CD4+ cells. Since white blood cells naturally fight off infection, the virus slowly weakens your body's immune system. AIDS is an advanced stage of HIV infection, when the virus has so drastically reduced the number of white blood cells that your body is no longer able to defend itself from opportunistic infections. These infections are frequently caused by commonplace bacteria and viruses that healthy people fight off naturally. But they can ravage the body of a person with an extremely weakened immune system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the HIV epidemic is the second leading cause of death among adults between the ages of 25 to 44.
Prevention:
Avoid letting the fluids that can spread HIV -- blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk -- into your bloodstream. Practice safer sex. Use condoms for anal or vaginal sex. Use condoms or dental damns for oral sex. Use gloves when you come into contact with any fluids from a person who might be HIV positive. Don't share a razor or toothbrush with someone who has HIV. It is theoretically possible that HIV could be spread even through French or "deep kissing, and the CDC does not recommend deep kissing with an HIV positive person; admittedly, there is no known report of anyone contracting the disease from a kiss. Scientists have never discovered evidence that HIV is spread through saliva, tears or sweat.
For Men: Most gay men should also know the importance of using protection when engaging in oral or anal sex. Unprotected anal sex is particularly risky. The virus can enter through the mucous membrane of the rectum and the anus; in addition, anal sex is likely to cause slight abrasions in the anus and on the penis which allow further opportunity for the virus to get in. HIV is not adapted to live long outside the body, but it can be transmitted on the surface of a dildo or any other sex toy. Don't share them.
Researchers from Australia reported on June 9, 2000 that circumcision may help provide protection against HIV and STDs. The inner surface of the foreskin contains HIV receptors, which are susceptible to the virus and other infections, the researchers say. By removing the foreskin, many of these receptors are removed, which may help protect you. Even so, all men should always use condoms to help ensure their safety from disease.
For Women: About 1 in 1,000 women have HIV and the numbers are increasing. There is a widespread misconception that women cannot get HIV by having sex with other women. They can: there are confirmed cases of this happening. That said, the risk is probably not very high, but it's impossible to be sure: there just hasn't been that much interest in studying the modes of transmission between women. Given what we know now, you should exercise caution. If you are engaging in anything that exposes you to blood -- including menstrual blood -- vaginal fluids, or breast milk, protect yourself. For extra protection during oral sex, use a dental dam or regular plastic wrap. Keep in mind that if you get any vaginal fluid on your hands and then touch your own vagina, it's possible that the virus could get into your bloodstream. Be careful if you share sex toys; put on a fresh condom on a dildo or vibrator before sharing them.
Prevalence:
According to the CDC, as of 1999 the total number of people infected with HIV in the United States is between 650,000 and 900,000, or 1 in 300. About 40,000 people in the U.S. become infected each year.
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General Information
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SEXUAL ACTS AND RISKS
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SEXUAL ACTS AND RISKS
Considered Completely Safe:
Mutual masturbation
Today, mutual masturbation is unquestionably the preferred sex act of the health conscious, or if you are unsure of yo...
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CONDOMS
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CONDOMS
Why you should use one:
When used correctly - and used every time you have sex - latex condoms provide some protection against sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes, gonorrhea,...
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DEPRESSION AND GUILT
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DEPRESSION AND GUILT
Unsafe Sex Among Gay Men Linked to Depression
Homosexual men with long-term, low-grade depression are almost twice as likely to have had unsafe casual sex in the last six mo...
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Sexually Transmitted Diseases
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CHLAMYDIA
CHLAMYDIA
Also known as: NGU, Nongonococcal Urethritis, UU, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Urethritis
How you get it (Exposure):
Unprotected sucking or fucking. It is often a sexually transmitte...
LYMPHOGRANULOMA VENEREUM
LYMPHOGRANULOMA VENEREUM (LGV)
How You Get It (Exposure):
LGV is transmitted in the same way as Chlamydia, through unprotected oral or anal sex or other sexual contact.
Warning Signs (Symptom...
MOLLUSCUM
MOLLUSCUM
How You Get It (Exposure):
Molluscum spreads from one person to another during any close physical skin to skin contact. Though most often the transmition occurs during sex, the virus...
CRABS
CRABS
Also known as: Pediculosis Pubis
How You Get It (Exposure):
Crabs are probably the easiest STD to catch. Usually they pass from one partner's pubic region to another's during close phys...
GENITAL WARTS
GENITAL WARTS
Also known as: Condyloma, Venereal Warts, Anal Warts, Human Papilloma Virus, HPV
How You Get It (Exposure):
The human papillomavirus spreads between sexual partners during clo...
PROSTATITIS
PROSTATITIS
How Do You Get It (Exposure):
When bacteria from your urethra enter the prostate through a duct that connects the two, you can develop prostatitis. Putting unsterile toys or othe...
SCABIES
SCABIES
Also known as: Sarcoptes scabiei
How You Get It (Exposure):
Although the infection can spread between partners during sex, any form of close contact is more than enough for the bug...
GONORRHEA
GONORRHEA
Also known as: GC, "Clap", VD, "Drip", Urethritis, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, PID
How You Get It (Exposure):
Gonorrhea is spread via sexual contact: specifically anal, oral or v...
SYPHILIS
SYPHILIS
Also known as: VD, Louies disease
How You Get It (Exposure):
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the corkscrew shaped bacteria (spirochete) Treponema pallidum. T...
HEPATITIS A
HEPATITIS A
Also known as: Infectious Hepatitis
How You Get It (Exposure):
Hepatitis A passes between people via a "fecal/oral" route. Rimming an infected partner can give you the virus, ...
HEPATITIS B
HEPATITIS B
How You Get It (Exposure):
Hepatitis B virus can be found in an infected individual’s blood, semen and other bodily fluids. You are contagious before you know you are sick and for ...
HERPES
HERPES
Also known as: Cold Sores, Herpes Simplex, Genital Herpes, Oral Herpes
How You Get It (Exposure):
Herpes is spread between partners during sex. There are rare cases described in med...
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
How You Get It (Exposure):
HIV is present in four major body fluids. They are:
- VAGINAL
- SEMEN
- BLOOD
- BREAST MILK
HIV transmission is not possible without...
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