# Can Anything Be Done Afterwards To Reduce The Odds Of Getting An STD Thru Oral Sex? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235 "2005-04-20T15:01:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/1 "2005-04-20T15:01:27Z")
If a male were to receive oral sex from a partner of undetermined STD status without the use of a condom, are there any measures that he could take immediately after the fact to reduce the probability that he might contract an STD from it? Specifically, I would like to know if scrubbing the penis with Listerine or dipping it in a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide would confer any benefit in such a situation. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/2 "2005-04-20T15:13:28Z")
While AIDs transmission during oral sex is possible though very difficult to really come up with numbers to prove, surely it’s sucker that would be at risk and not the suckee ? As long as you don’t have any open sores on your penis I don’t know if the virus is going to get absorbed through the foreskin ! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/3 "2005-04-20T16:26:02Z")
Well, HIV isn’t the only STD, you know. How about herpes? ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/4 "2005-04-20T16:43:47Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > Specifically, I would like to know if scrubbing the penis with Listerine or dipping it in a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide would confer any benefit in such a situation. > > Thanks. Hydrogen peroxide doesn’t even kill germs, much less any viruses. It’s strictly used to clean wounds, not as an antiseptic. I’m sure Listerine would be just as ineffective. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/5 "2005-04-20T16:56:30Z")
A tourniquet? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/6 "2005-04-20T17:13:34Z")
I checked your location… Someone from Gobbler’s Knob should KNOW this! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/7 "2005-04-20T17:26:32Z")
I am reminded of two sportscasters I knew who were at a basketball tournament. The younger one came back to the hotel room shortly after the older one had just finished with an “encounter.” The older one was in the process of pouring whiskey all over his privates. “Unless you’re actually pouring it inside,” the younger one said, “it ain’t gonna help.” ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/8 "2005-04-20T18:14:26Z")
How about super-glueing the whole length of the urethra shut? Aside from having to stick an ice pick or something similar in your bladder when you had to go, this would seem to be a safe way to prevent HIV,if not herpes. Gosh, I’m brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/9 "2005-04-20T21:16:07Z")
Uh, isn’t hydrogen peroxide quite a strong bleach? There’s no way my todger’s going anywhere near that stuff (though I guess 3% solution might be OK)! To the OP: I’d love to see the look on the girl’s face when she’s just done suckin’ and you get to scrubbin’ away with that Listerine. You’d better hope you’re not interested in subsequently making it with any of her friends at any point in the future 😃 . ---
**Author:** ![MaceMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@MaceMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaceMan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/10 "2005-04-21T01:02:16Z")
> [@ageless6](#): > > Hydrogen peroxide doesn’t even kill germs, much less any viruses. It’s strictly used to clean wounds, not as an antiseptic. > I’m sure Listerine would be just as ineffective. I’m sorry, but you are mistaken. Hydrogen peroxide is definitely an antiseptic, killing bacteria quite effectively. On my bottle of 3% H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub]: “Indications: fot topical use as an antiseptic to help prevent infection in minor cuts, burns, and abrasions, or to cleanse the mouth.” To the OP: unless you have cuts on your penis, I don’t see what good it would do. Even if you clean right away, you’d probably already be infected before you got a chance to disinfect. For bacteria on the outside of your penis, simple soap and water should be enough. You wouldn’t want to irritate the skin too much, especially if you are planning on having oral sex again, because that would increase your risk of infection. I’m not sure if herpes or CMV would be killed by either Listerine or 3% Hydrogen peroxide. Unless the person performing oral sex on you has blood or open sores in their mouth, the risk isn’t that big, and is roughly quivalent to kissing them with an open mouth. You might consider wearing a condom, however, to protect the other person from infections you might already have, which pass more readily to the active partner. ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/11 "2005-04-21T12:34:30Z")
Yeah, it seems you’re right **MaceMan.** I googled ‘hydrogen peroxide germ killer’ and was inundated with sites that all said it _was_ an antiseptic and killed germs and even viruses. One of them said it was effective against AIDS, although they didn’t say how it could be used that way. If you google what I quoted and read the first site it could have you thinking hydrogen peroxide is some kind of all-around miracle fluid, although that site also sells the stuff in many (maybe all) concentrations. I was certain I remembered reading, probably on the SD that it was only used to clean wounds and wasn’t effective as an antiseptic. I should know better than to trust my memory and not search for information before I post. I deserve a hard slap on my brain with a steel-edged ruler. ---
**Author:** ![Roches](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/12 "2005-04-21T13:02:10Z")
IIRC Lysol also claims to be effective against HIV. What that means is that the antiseptic is capable of killing HIV _in vitro_; you treat a sample of HIV with the disinfectant and see if the virus is destroyed. That doesn’t mean there’s any practical situation in which it would be possible to kill HIV with Lysol or hydrogen peroxide. In theory, you could use it if there happened to be HIV on your kitchen counter or toilet seat, but HIV cannot survive in dry surroundings, and the virus is likely to be already dead if it is present outside a person’s body. In all likelihood, any STD you might acquire from oral sex would already be in your body before the activity concluded, at least for the recipient. (Antiseptic mouthwash might possibly provide some benefit for the performer, but I don’t know of any evidence of any benefit.) The only thing you could do that might be effective would be to take a medication that destroys the STD, if such a medication existed. It would be far better to use a condom or wait until you have a monogamous, STD-free partner. ageless6: Hydrogen peroxide in high concentrations is very different than the stuff that’s used as an antiseptic and hair bleach. Even 30% H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub] is rather dangerous, and higher concentrations are used as oxidizers in rocket engines. High concentrations of hydrogen peroxide can decompose explosively, and provide an excellent source of oxygen that may help a fire spread. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/13 "2005-04-21T16:02:58Z")
> [@ageless6](#): > > I deserve a hard slap on my brain with a steel-edged ruler. You’d probably want to put a little antiseptic on that one… ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/14 "2005-04-21T16:29:46Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > You’d probably want to put a little antiseptic on that one… Okay **Crandolph,** you’ve just earned a spot on my ‘Wiseasses I must get even with’ list. I am ageless and my time will come. I call it ‘my time’ these days. I like to be innovative. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/15 "2005-04-23T08:18:18Z")
> [@ageless6](#): > > Okay **Crandolph,** you’ve just earned a spot on my ‘Wiseasses I must get even with’ list. Ahhhh… take a number, get in line! :wally ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/16 "2005-04-23T17:24:48Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > Ahhhh… take a number, get in line! :wally Putz; how pedestrian. You could at least use a new innovative term like, oh, say, fornication and wee wee baton.[sup]TM[/sup] Your reply to my post was so nicely sarcastic (a quality I respect) that I expected better from you than some old smiley cliche. Smileys are so last week. Notice I didn’t call you a ‘fornication and wee wee baton’, but you _did_ call me a putz. That’s bordering on illegal in GQ, as is this back and forth between us.I’d better say something on topic. Looks like, according to **Roches,** I was right about hydrogen peroxide, or any antiseptic being effective against HIV. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/17 "2005-04-23T18:58:01Z")
Hey, the SDMB is _offering_ “putz” as a smiley option. Dare I say _pushing_ its use, although it seems rare. Not everyday I get to use it… seemed more appropriate than: “You are a happy, jaundiced Orthodox Jewish male!” ;j or “I should really look into sunscreen!” 🆒 The day the Wee Wee Baton™ smiley is available, I shall use it. Plus being clever twice in one week may be a bit of a strain for me. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/18 "2005-04-23T19:03:37Z")
It’s been a few years since I last saw gonorrheal tonsillitis, but it’s still out there. And can quite easily be passed on via oral sex. And french kissing. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/19 "2005-04-23T19:32:12Z")
Get a room, you two. 😃 Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you are that worried, put on a condom before recieving oral pleasure. ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235/20 "2005-04-23T22:42:28Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > It’s been a few years since I last saw gonorrheal tonsillitis, but it’s still out there. And can quite easily be passed on via oral sex. And french kissing. **QtM:** Is gonorrheal tonsillitus the same as gonorrhea of the throat? I googled…damn, I don’t remember exactly what now, but I got information about G of the throat and found out that in many cases it’s asymptomatic, so what does that portend for those unfortunates? Also, many people (especially younger ones) believe that oral sex greatly reduces the odds of getting HIV. What’s your take on that? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anything-be-done-afterwards-to-reduce-the-odds-of-getting-an-std-thru-oral-sex/300235.md?page=2)