# Does heating sperm kill HIV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829 "2005-04-24T02:42:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Purple\_Brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f19dbf/32.png) [@Purple\_Brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purple_Brain)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829/1 "2005-04-24T02:42:36Z")
Does heating sperm kill HIV? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829/2 "2005-04-24T03:23:40Z")
No. Nothing “kills” HIV once it is in the body. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829/3 "2005-04-24T03:25:26Z")
Heating breast milk to 60 degrees Celsius for twenty to thirty minutes is supposed to kill HIV. I would expect that HIV in semen would be killed at a similar temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829/4 "2005-04-24T03:38:21Z")
Yes, but the difficult part is getting the guy to put his member in the oven. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829/5 "2005-04-24T03:40:01Z")
> [@Good Egg](#): > > Yes, but the difficult part is getting the guy to put his member in the oven. Microwaving might be faster. But you’d have to poke it with a fork first so it wouldn’t explode. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829/6 "2005-04-24T03:59:45Z")
So will [lemon juice](http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s695723.htm). ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829/7 "2005-04-24T04:21:45Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > No. Nothing “kills” HIV once it is in the body. :dubious: Where are you reading that PB is talking about sperm in the body? Admittedly it was a rather cryptic OP but I’m assuming he (?) isn’t speculating on putting his genitals in a microwave or a pot of boiling water. In which case LOTS of things kill HIV including heat and lemon juice and bleach. Problem is it would probably kill the sperm too…which I think might be his question, tho it is hard to tell. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829/8 "2005-04-24T05:37:42Z")
If you heated it enough, it would die, but the sperm would be plenty toasted too. If I were less lazy, I’d look up and link to the “pan-fried semen” thread. ---
**Author:** ![GawnFishin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GawnFishin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GawnFishin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heating-sperm-kill-hiv/300829/9 "2005-04-24T15:16:43Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > If you heated it enough, it would die, but the sperm would be plenty toasted too. > > If I were less lazy, I’d look up and link to the “pan-fried semen” thread. Well I guess someone will end up searching for it. So why not, [Pan-fried Semen](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=198659).