# HIV Transmission in Heterosexual Males **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 15, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296 "2004-10-15T00:50:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296/1 "2004-10-15T00:50:42Z")
Driving in to work, I heard a report on a possible barrier to HIV/AIDS transmission in women. The report mentioned that HIV was transmitted via proteins on the outside of certain cells in the woman’s vagina, whence it entered the blood stream. My question is a simple one. What is/are the equivalent entry points for HIV into the male who contracts HIV/AIDS through heterosexual sex? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296/2 "2004-10-15T01:07:25Z")
It’s possible, though unlikely, for the virus enter a male through the urethra. Vaginal fluid can contain HIV, but not as readily or as effectively as blood or semen. It’s much more likely to be transmitted by anal sex, or by vaginal sex with open sores on the penis and/or by having sex while she is on her period. > **[Female-to-male transmission of human immunodeficiency virus - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1886189/?dopt=Abstract)** > > \--The odds of male-to-female transmission were significantly greater than female-to-male transmission. The one case of female-to-male transmission was unique in that the couple reported numerous unprotected sexual contacts and noted several instances... In a study of 379 HIV-infected people reported in a 1991 Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found only one example of female-to-male transmission, and in that case, the couple had had several instances of vaginal or penile bleeding during intercourse. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296/3 "2004-10-15T01:10:07Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > It’s possible, though unlikely, for the virus enter a male through the urethra. Vaginal fluid can contain HIV, but not as readily or as effectively as blood or semen. It’s much more likely to be transmitted by anal sex, or by vaginal sex with open sores on the penis and/or by having sex while she is on her period. > > [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list\_uids=1886189&dopt=Abstract](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1886189&dopt=Abstract) > > In a study of 379 HIV-infected people reported in a 1991 Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found only one example of female-to-male transmission, and in that case, the couple had had several instances of vaginal or penile bleeding during intercourse. So it’s easier for a girl to get it from a guy than a guy to get it from a girl? ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296/4 "2004-10-15T01:14:37Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Vaginal fluid can contain HIV So it’s possible for HIV to be transmitted via oral sex? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296/5 "2004-10-15T01:26:22Z")
> [@](#): > > So it’s possible for HIV to be transmitted via oral sex? Most definitely. The mouth will usually contain microabrasions (especially if you just brushed your teeth) or cold sores. Both of which are open sores and bring blood into the equation. > [@](#): > > So it’s easier for a girl to get it from a guy than a guy to get it from a girl? Yes. HIV in the semen transmits readily through the walls of the vagina. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296/6 "2004-10-15T01:42:44Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Most definitely. The mouth will usually contain microabrasions (especially if you just brushed your teeth) or cold sores. Both of which are open sores and bring blood into the equation. As I thought. Why then do government announcements - at least in Hong Kong - focus solely on the need to wear a condom? Are other countries equally coy about mentioning the perils of oral sex? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296/7 "2004-10-15T01:48:15Z")
This country mentions oral sex too, and even makes Flavored Condoms and “Dental Dams” for that purpose. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296/8 "2004-10-15T01:54:38Z")
Not for the first time, I feel as if I’m lagging behind. For anyone else who’s not aware of them, a brief intro to [dental dams](http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/sexual_health/ssc/dams.htm), courtesy of Brown. ---
**Author:** ![MaceMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@MaceMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaceMan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiv-transmission-in-heterosexual-males/269296/9 "2004-10-15T04:00:33Z")
Actually, the risk of contraction of HIV through oral sex alone, while theoretically possible, is extremely low. Saliva kills HIV, and the risk of getting HIV through oral sex is about equivalent to getting it from deep kissing someone with oral abrasions. I’ve read that intact foreskin contains some surface cells with the receptors that are required for HIV entry into a cell. There is some conjecture that circumcision might cut the risk of HIV infection through this particular route.