Oral sex involves using the mouth to stimulate the penis fellatio , vagina cunnilingus , or anus anilingus. However, it is hard to know the exact risk because a lot of people who have oral sex also have anal or vaginal sex. The type of oral sex that may be the riskiest is mouth-to-penis oral sex. But the risk is still very low, and much lower than with anal or vaginal sex. Though the risk of HIV transmission through oral sex is low, several factors may increase that risk, including sores in the mouth or vagina or on the penis, bleeding gums, oral contact with menstrual blood, and the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases STDs.
You can also use other HIV prevention methods, below. If you are living with HIV , the most important thing you can do to prevent transmission and stay healthy is to take your HIV medication known as antiretroviral therapy or ART , every day, exactly as prescribed. There also are other options to choose from, below. The more of these actions you take, the safer you can be. Abstinence means not having oral, vaginal, or anal sex.
The virus is transmitted between partners when the fluids of one person come into contact with the blood stream of another person. This contact can occur from a cut or broken skin, or through the tissues of the vagina, rectum, foreskin, or the opening of the penis. Oral sex ranks very low on the list of ways HIV can be transmitted.
Related: All topics , HIV transmission. I only had oral sex with her. She gave me a blowjob. Do I need to get HIV test? There have been no known cases of a man getting HIV by giving a woman oral sex or if a man receives oral sex.