# Why condoms might NOT prevent HIV. (NSFW) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205 "2018-08-24T18:46:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Contemplation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/1 "2018-08-24T18:46:06Z")
Not sure where else to discuss this, but this is pretty important considering STD risks. HIV and some other STDs are spread by contact with genital fluids. Depending on the size of the condom and the size of the owner, the base of the penis may be exposed. Discharge from the vagina can be pushed out and drip onto the man’s base, scrotum and pubic area during intercourse. It is often said that HIV infects mucous membranes and wounds, but not intact skin. How intact is the scrotum? Also bare in mind that there are hair pores, sweat pores, and sometimes shaving nicks on the skin. Could a guy get HIV this way? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/2 "2018-08-24T19:22:07Z")
Very unlikely. If he has cuts or herpatic lesions in those areas, perhaps more likely. But the scrotum isn’t a mucus membrane. In addition, it’s more likely for the female partner to contract HIV from him than the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/3 "2018-08-24T20:14:35Z")
This sounds like the toilet-seat argument all over again. ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/4 "2018-08-24T20:19:28Z")
Studies have shown condom use to be effective in preventing HIV spread [around 90-95% of the time](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9141163). For the remaining cases - your scenario could explain some of them. So could the condom breaking, improper application, etc. In a vacuum, could that scenario explain transmission of HIV? Maybe in a case or two. Is it a likely or frequent transmission vector? Doubtful. ---
**Author:** ![Contemplation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/5 "2018-08-25T03:42:08Z")
Pubic shaving and manscaping is very common these days. Shaving is known to cause cuts, so all it should take is a little bit of discharge seeping into the cuts. Cervical mucus, skene’s fluid, and menstrual blood can all carry HIV. The thrusting force can cause a some of that to seep out. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/6 "2018-08-25T07:43:21Z")
> [@Celidin](#): > > Studies have shown condom use to be effective in preventing HIV spread [around 90-95% of the time](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9141163). > > For the remaining cases - your scenario could explain some of them. So could the condom breaking, improper application, etc. > > In a vacuum, could that scenario explain transmission of HIV? Maybe in a case or two. > > Is it a likely or frequent transmission vector? Doubtful. That abstract says consistent condom use (so we are not talking about a single exposure) decreases the chance of contracting hiv by 90-95%. The chance of catching hiv with unsafe sex (one exposure) is about 0,04% for men (and about twice as much for women). See earlier threads about this topic for sources Ps why is this unsafe for work? Verstuurd vanaf mijn Moto G (4) met Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/7 "2018-08-25T16:14:15Z")
Is the “Scroguard” still available? ---
**Author:** ![Contemplation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/8 "2018-08-25T17:46:24Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Is the “Scroguard” still available? Something like that may lead to last-minute rejection and or extreme ridicule. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/9 "2018-08-25T17:55:21Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Is the “Scroguard” still available? Good God! I thought you were [joking](https://www.menshealth.com/author/213192/scroguard/). Heinlein said that a condom was a device that allowed two people to make love without touching. This carries that concept to a whole new level. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/10 "2018-08-25T18:08:49Z")
The HIV virus has to get into the bloodstream v(via mucous membranes) to cause an infection, right? Do hair follicles have a close enough connection to blood vessels for this to happen, even theoretically? And is there any record of this ever having happened? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/11 "2018-08-25T18:16:04Z")
> [@Celidin](#): > > In a vacuum, could that scenario explain transmission of HIV? Maybe in a case or two. If your having sex in a vacuum then HIV is probably the least of your worries. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-condoms-might-not-prevent-hiv-nsfw/820205/12 "2018-08-25T18:29:40Z")
> [@Contemplation](#): > > Pubic shaving and manscaping is very common these days. Shaving is known to cause cuts, so all it should take is a little bit of discharge seeping into the cuts. > Cervical mucus, skene’s fluid, and menstrual blood can all carry HIV. The thrusting force can cause a some of that to seep out. Do most men actually shave their scrotums? Within hours of copulation? Because, for most people, I think cuts knit closed rather quickly. The scrotum tends to reside in an area that is habitually protected from injury, most of the time.