Best way to handle sex (disease risk) with new partner

[JadedStar]

There is always a risk with a condom. While using them is probably 85% safe that is only if they are used correctly.

 

Too many people dont use them correctly or they puncture, fall off etc which would render them no safer than sex without one at all.

[Lily04]

There is always a risk with a condom. While using them is probably 85% safe that is only if they are used correctly.

 

Too many people dont use them correctly or they puncture, fall off etc which would render them no safer than sex without one at all.

 

so I guess, birth control pills + condom are the safest method if you haven't yet been tested...hmm. and even the pill takes about 1-2 months to be effective, if I am remembering correctly.

[Batya33]

plus spermicide, then, yes. to be safe the pill takes one full cycle to be effective although some doctors say two weeks is enough.

[JadedStar]

so I guess, birth control pills + condom are the safest method if you haven't yet been tested...hmm. and even the pill takes about 1-2 months to be effective, if I am remembering correctly.

 

Well the pill is only safeguarding against pregnancy. Zero efficacy against STD's. So for the discussion we have been having about the safety of condoms and STD's the pill renders zero extra protection.

[Batya33]

I'll stick with what I consider to be reputable medical sites - here, the CDC, WebMD, planned parenthood, and others.

 

I am sorry you were misdiagnosed - that must have been terrible! I am sure that there is always a percentage of human error in diagnosing and I am sorry that happened to you. Your story doesn't affect what I think is accurate about STDs and safe sex.

[JadedStar]

Gotta go "tough love" this one time people. It's a real sore subject and I lost eight GD years to a fake illness I never had and ate $1,500.00 worth (tax payer's money) of toxic chox a month until real info came on line and I went cold turkey two years ago.

 

What are you saying? That you faked this illness to go along with these quacks, or they misdiagnosed you on purpose? I thought you meant the latter until i read your quote above which has me confused.

[JadedStar]

Your link sounds like a lot of propaganda and scare tactics. IF that were true explain why people who were never intravenous drug users, blood transfusion recipients or people who have never had sex?

[annie24]

wow, where did you get this jibberish? i am a microbiologist myself and can tell you that this is bull. were robert gallo and the french researchers in a 'race' to get results - yes. but that doesn't mean that hiv doesn't exist at all. i've done hiv research myself, hands on. this is utter nonsense.

 

typically, most people who get a positive HIV result get futher tests to confirm that it is accurate. i don't know what exactly happened in your case, but high metal content makes no sense at all given how the HIV detection assays are run. i am glad you do not have HIV though. have you gone back and gotten another test done?

 

many people are 'long term survivors' of HIV, where the virus can lay latent in their system for decades without symptoms. but they all do die of HIV, eventually.

[JadedStar]

many people are 'long term survivors' of HIV, where the virus can lay latent in their system for decades without symptoms. but they all do die of HIV, eventually.

 

I didn't think anyone died of HIV. I thought they died of AIDS caused by HIV, and that some people can live their entire lives without their HIV positive diagnosis turning into AIDS?

 

I am only a layperson but this is what I thought happened.

[annie24]

I didn't think anyone died of HIV. I thought they died of AIDS caused by HIV, and that some people can live their entire lives without their HIV positive diagnosis turning into AIDS?

 

I am only a layperson but this is what I thought happened.

 

oh, of course, sorry i was typing fast, i was agitated by the misinformation above!

 

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). the virus enters, replicates in, and kills human T-cells, which are very important cells used in fighting other infections. in the end, people die of something like bacterial pneumonia or some other infection that a healthy person (with normal levels of T cells) can ward off, but not an advanced stage HIV person. so, basically, you die because your immune system shuts down and can't defend you anymore.

[JadedStar]

Can someone be HIV positive but never contract AIDS?

[annie24]

Can someone be HIV positive but never contract AIDS?

 

not 'contract.' develop is the right word. the virus enters your cells, where it may integrate itself into your DNA and lay dormant for years (and just hang out, do nothing) or it may start replicating rapidly right away. doctors will look for viral loads in your blood to determine what's happening. there is a lot of research being done in this area. why do some people start develop AIDS within 6 months of infection, and why can some people live for decades with no symptoms whatsoever? maybe it's the strain of HIV? maybe some people have stronger immune systems that can hold it off for a longer time? probably a combination of both.

 

in any case, everyone who contracts HIV will develop AIDS, the time scale just varies. i think 2-3 years post-infection is usually when it happens for most.

 

MrRight - i would wait to have sex with this person, and after dating for several months, insist on a blood test. many diseases don't show up right away, which is why we insist on waiting several months before actually taking the blood test. and i would make sure that you two have a plan to prevent getting pregnant (unless you are purposely trying to get pregnant).