# What are the chances to become infected with AIDS by fellatio? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910 "2003-12-19T03:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grousser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Grousser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grousser)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/1 "2003-12-19T03:48:36Z")
I mean, both cases, men to woman or woman to men. No sarcasms, please, it’s only a discussion. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Grousser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Grousser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grousser)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/2 "2003-12-19T03:50:38Z")
Oops, sorry, I meant man to woman or woman to man. ---
**Author:** ![scule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@scule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scule)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/3 "2003-12-19T05:19:24Z")
Interesting question. I worked on [this document](http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/publicat/epiu-aepi/hiv-vih/oral_e.html) for Health Canada, that synthesizes the current research on oral transmission of HIV. The chances are pretty low, but there is some risk. Only one study that we found calculated a per-sex-act probability of transmission for oral sex, of 0.04%, lower than any other form of intercourse (vaginal or anal). That study was on gay men, though, who have a higher rate of HIV prevalence than heterosexuals, so if you’re talking man-woman the chances are even lower. More likely it will be the person giving the action that will be more susceptible, but that doesn’t mean the receiver (the one getting the blowjob or otherwise being gone down on) is completely safe. Either way, nothing substitutes for knowing your partner’s history. And wearing a condom. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/4 "2003-12-19T05:21:19Z")
Just for the record, fellatio specifically refers to the act of oral sex by a man or woman on a man. The act from a man or woman on a woman is called cunnilingus. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/5 "2003-12-19T05:26:27Z")
I think **Grousser** means that if a woman performas fellatio on a man, what are the chances of transmission either way assuming one infected partner. ---
**Author:** ![sajwalke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sajwalke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sajwalke)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/6 "2003-12-19T05:32:57Z")
Depends what end you’re on. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/7 "2003-12-19T06:10:37Z")
Depends® is no protection against STD transfer. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![sajwalke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sajwalke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sajwalke)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/8 "2003-12-19T06:21:20Z")
[Here is info.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020301.html) Strangely enough it comes from this website called [www.straightdope.com](http://www.straightdope.com). You should check it out sometime. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Philosopher)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/9 "2003-12-19T14:39:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scule \* > \*\*The chances are pretty low, but there is some risk. Only one study that we found calculated a per-sex-act probability of transmission for oral sex, of 0.04%, lower than any other form of intercourse (vaginal or anal). That study was on gay men, though, who have a higher rate of HIV prevalence than heterosexuals, so if you’re talking man-woman the chances are even lower. \*\* Is that assuming one partner is infected, or just the general probability of a random partner both having HIV and transmitting it during fellatio? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/10 "2003-12-19T16:54:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sajwalke \* > [Here is info.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020301.html) > > Strangely enough it comes from this website called [www.straightdope.com](http://www.straightdope.com). You should check it out sometime. Cecil says there > [@](#): > > For example, the idea that condom use decreases your risk by a factor of 20 strikes me as optimistic–a factor of 10 (at best) is more like it. I am very surprised by this assertion. Really? Using a condom _correctly_ only reduces your chances by a factor of 10? I find this hard to believe. How can it be explained? ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/11 "2003-12-19T18:13:03Z")
Does swallowing increase the risk for the party doing the fellating? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/12 "2003-12-19T20:26:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alereon \* > \*\*Does swallowing increase the risk for the party doing the fellating? \*\* Only if the swallower has bleeding ulcers, or some other direct contact between their gastro-intestional tract and their bloodstream. And even then, it’d be a minor issue, since generally it’s blood leaking into the GI stream, not the other way around (because blood pressure is higher than GI tract pressure). ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/13 "2003-12-19T20:44:40Z")
I recall a couple of studies that postulated that “deep throating” might increase the risk to the person giving head - I think the idea was that it could cause microtears to the lining of the throat, which would give HIV better access to the bloodstream. But this was very tentative and a number of years ago. Once you’re at the low end of the risk scale, though, it all gets pretty speculative. Risk reporting seems to depend a lot on people’s memories of possible incidents in which they seroconverted. That’s not terribly reliable even assuming people are being truthful. And I suspect a lot of folks would only reluctantly admit that they were engaging in really risky sex. ---
**Author:** ![Grousser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Grousser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grousser)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-to-become-infected-with-aids-by-fellatio/219910/14 "2003-12-19T21:36:15Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Speaker for the Dead_ > The act from a man or woman on a woman is called cunnilingus. Curiously, no one mentioned the cunilingus in the cafe discussion we had, but now that you mention it, include it please. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Eleusis_ > I think Grousser means that if a woman performs fellatio on a man, what are the chances of transmission either way assuming one infected partner. That was exactly the original question. It’s curious, a lot of people says that oral sex is completely safe (even prostitutes, whom are supposed to be experts for their own safety). Whatever the sex of the “blowjob performer” was, it’s the common belief that the sperm doesn’t contains the HIV. So, there is no risk in swallowing. What is really hard to determine is how to keep the pleasure for the “giver” with a condom. When trying, they often reacts with nausea.