Here, let me save you the trouble.

- New studies show that it's more or less impossible for a man to contract HIV from vaginal sex.
- The majority of HIV positive people in the US/EU are low income drug users, and/or homosexual men.

So unless you make a habit out of fucking questionable women (or men) in the ass without condoms (I know, all those SNAL's) or sharing needles with people on the street, your likeliness of contracting HIV are insanely low. Probably on par with getting struck by lightning or getting in a plane crash.

I really should put that post up.

Mark, Im sure you are probably right. I still think its a very interesting subject though. Even if the chances of catching it are low, Id like to read more about HIV and whats currently going on in the world relating to HIV from an intellectual angle.

If it is all low income drug users, and/or homosexual men, then why is it so prevalent in Africa for example?

And what percentage constitutes a majority? I mean if its like 55%, or 60%, then thats still 45% or 40% of HIV positive people in America/EU, that aren't low income drug users, and aren't homosexuals. So I mean that would still be a large percentage of people that don't fit into that criteria.

So thats why I want to personally learn more about what exactly is going on, what the statistics are and so on. Like anything in life, the more knowledge you have on a subject, the better basically.

Umm... I believe Africa would qualify as "low income." But I was referring to the US/EU anyway.

Yeah, do the research. Don't take my word for it. I'll tell you this though. Before I studied research on HIV, I was afraid of getting it. Since studying the research on it, I don't worry about it at all. It's so insanely unlikely that I'd ever get it. And I'm in the 99th percentile in terms of amount of sexual partners.

Like I said, pregnancy is 100x more likely and more life-altering than STD's. Fear of unwanted pregnancy has kept me up at night numerous times. Not STD's.

(08-14-2011 11:02 PM)Mark Wrote:  Umm... I believe Africa would qualify as "low income." But I was referring to the US/EU anyway.

Yeah, do the research. Don't take my word for it. I'll tell you this though. Before I studied research on HIV, I was afraid of getting it. Since studying the research on it, I don't worry about it at all. It's so insanely unlikely that I'd ever get it. And I'm in the 99th percentile in terms of amount of sexual partners.

Like I said, pregnancy is 100x more likely and more life-altering than STD's. Fear of unwanted pregnancy has kept me up at night numerous times. Not STD's.

Mark can you suggest any studies, or research/books that you have read that have changed on your mind on it? Thanks.

Start googling around. There's no shortage of info out there.

Or better yet, talk to your doctor.

Sex education in schools is the biggest culprit of a lot of people's fear of STDs. Probably scare tactics to keep kids from having sex more than anything else.

I went and got tested for STD's today which makes me feel a lot better. My tests for HIV came back negative and i'm still waiting for the urine test results which take 2 weeks. Either way I got the worst out of the way so no matter what happens with the other test they are not that bad.

Also I have be seeing my friends with benefits once a week and each time I see her we fuck 5-6 times. I'm not really as paranoid as I was before and I feel I am getting my confidence back. She is also very cautious and got on birth control and gets herself checked out which makes me feel good.

Sometimes though after a night of drinking I kinda don't remember the night and do get a little worried about if we used a condom etc. but its not that bad.

I think the fact i'm no longer sleeping around and I have had talks with this girl about safe sex, std's etc. it makes it much more enjoyable. So over all I am slowly getting back into the groove of things.

One thing I want to mention is that I do feel like the media does hype up STDS and make them much more scarier then what they are. I think thats where a lot of the fear comes from.

I am also considering getting a vasectomy so I don't have to worry about getting any girls pregnant.

Also Mark I been looking out for your article on STD's I would love to see it!

(08-14-2011 10:11 PM)Mark Wrote:  Here, let me save you the trouble.

- New studies show that it's more or less impossible for a man to contract HIV from vaginal sex.

[...]

So unless you make a habit out of fucking questionable women (or men) in the ass without condoms (I know, all those SNAL's)

One point that hasn't really been emphasized in this thread is that the person "receiving" vaginal sex (woman) or anal sex (man or woman) is far more at risk than the man "giving" the sex.

Two related reasons why:

(1) The outside of the penis, although it's fairly sensitive skin, is not really sensitive tissue like the mucous membranes inside the vagina or anus / rectum. Unless you've got open sores or cuts on the outside of your johnson when you slide it in, you should be fine (public health announcement: use a condom anyway though). On the other hand, the delicate membranes of vagina / anus are much more susceptible to micro-tears and abrasions through vigorous sex. Hence, the receiver's at much greater risk.

(2) Assuming climax with unprotected sex, the person "receiving" sex actually receives a teaspoon or two of (potentially infected) fluid inside their rectum / vagina, in physical contact with sensitive mucous membranes. The man "giving" sex faces no such risk.

Since this site is aimed at men who like women, I'm assuming that most readers don't "receive" unprotected sex. As such, your risk of HIV infection from your sexual activity is probably really low - a combination of "giving" only, and with straight women, a relatively low-risk population. (Assuming you're not banging prostitutes in Uganda, of course - how do straight men in Africa get HIV anyway? Maybe that screws up my theory...)

(That being said, use condoms to cut the risk anyway. You'll feel safer and have a lot fewer STI scares...)

Edit: a lot of the same points I made are covered in the article linked by TheZodiac. Still doesn't explain the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Africa, but the patterns of infection in North America / South America / Europe / Asia are likely to be the most relevant to most readers anyway.