Safe Sex

Are Condoms Safe?

A spokesman from the rubber chemistry industry answers The Washington Times, Wednesday April 22, 1992:

My only comment is to point out that the rubber comprising latex condoms has intrinsic voids about 5 microns (0.0002 inches) in size. Since this is roughly 10 times smaller than sperm, the latter we effectively blocked in ideal circumstances.
The 12 percent failure rate of condoms in preventing pregnancy is attributable to in situ cracking, removal. ozone deterioration from improper sealing, manufactured defects, etc.

Contrarily, the AIDS virus is only 0.1 micron (4 millionths of an inch) in size. Since this is a factor of 50 smaller than the voids inherent in rubber, the virus can readily pass through the condom should it find a passage.

A reluctance to stake one's life on the ability of a condom to prevent HIV infection bespeaks wisdom, not discrimination.

C.M. Roland

Editor. Rubber Chemistry Land Technology

Washington

[QUOTE=ThePerson]Hey Guys,
For the past month, I have had a pinkish, reddish rash on the base of my penis that has been very itchy. While taking a shower and cleaning my area it gets more irritated and sometimes bleeds a little. The rash area itself is somewhat glossy. I have applied alcohol at times but it does not go away.
Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]I would go to a GP immediatly, if you are worried about this getting out find a new GP close to work and use your work address. I would also advise being totally honest. The younger doctors are better in my opinion. What you need is a swob and a blood test. However saying all of that its most likely thrush, so while you are waiting for your test results go to a chemist and ask for some anti-fungal cream (make sure you ask for the one for men, unless you specifically require a vaginal cream inserter). Note : alcohol can make fungal rash worst in women, so i assume the same can occur with men.

As the other guys have requested, let us know the result - otherwise we will all assume it has killed you.

[QUOTE=Soujourn]The Person -- follow Civ's advise and see a doc ASAP! [/QUOTE]This is a good site for information.

[url]http://www.afraidtoask.com/std.html[/url]

The pitcures are definatly not erotic.

Hello Guys,

I wanted to discuss post-sex clean up because I know it does come up from time to time. You've fucked, been sucked etc by some hottie/sw/***** etc but you now regret it because you didn't use protection and now you feel worried about catching something. As a doctor I thought I would tell you guys about the post sex clean up that I do in the rare instances I don't have the chance to use protection. It won't work vs crabs or lice but it should be effective vs most forms of venereal disease. The best advise is always prevention (condoms, dental dams etc) but for some reason it doesn't work out this is a good clean up.

1. Cleaning your privates
I suggest using iodine. You can get iodine at walmart and most drug stores. It is purple stuff that stains like crazy but it is effective vs almost all STD except maybe crabs. In surgery we use iodine to sterilize things and it can work just effectively to clean yourself after an indiscretion. It is purple stuff - generously place it on a washcloth/paper napkin, slightly diluted in water and rub it all over your privates - testicles, shaft, roll back the skin (if you are not circumcised) and put it in and around your glans (if you are not circumscised). The only problem with iodine is it stains so you will probably have to do this in a shower, and have to wash up your privates agian afterward just as thoroughly using soap until the iodine stain is gone. Rubbing alcohol (don't use drinking alcohol it won't work) is just as effective as iodine but I don't recommend it because it hurts. I read on this site about a guy who washed up after sex but still got an STD. I would suggest that if he had used iodine that would not have been a problem. I guess in a pinch you could use listerine or peroxide or even rubbing-alcohol based aftershave to clean yourself but I am not certain they would be as effective.

2.Rinsing your mouth.

There probably is no good way to get around an std exposure if you have oral sex. However, I recommend rinsing your mouth with listerine. It will hurt a lot - Don't say i didn't warn you but it is probably the best protection. Use the equivalent of twice the normal amount of listerine (usually two large bottlecaps full) and rinse your mouth for 2 minutes. For those of you who don't normally use mouthwash, you need to really shake the fluid around inside your mouth to make sure it reachs anywhere bacteria may be hiding. Generic walmart/cvs/walgreens antiseptic mouthwash works just as well as the brand name stuff. Don't use scope or weaker mouthwash as it will not be as effective.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - be careful out there guys and happy mongering. By the way - Jackson you rock!

Later,

Jadedmd

You're kidding, right? You suspect you might have gotten an STD, your dick was hurting, and you proceeded to have sex with someone else? I hope you at least used protection this second time!

First off, get thee to a doctor as opposed to listening to anything on this site. There are plenty of STDs where in men the symptoms can disappear quickly but the infection is still there -- clap, Chlamydia, etc. The most likely thing, based on what you describe, is that she had a yeast infection (Candida) and that you got it.

Next, if you're gonna have sex, wrap that damn puppy at least until you know you're clean. The rest of us don't need exposure to your sloppy seconds in this instance.

Finally, don't you think a paternity test might be in order? You're not seriously taking the word of a hooker/ex-hooker that you're positively the father of her kid, are you?

Regardless of whether or not they're watching you like hawks, for heaven's sake get yourself checked out, man. Better to incur the wrath of women than the long-term health problems associated with some STDs. (Not to mention the potential issues should you pass something along to one or the other.) And lots of these diseases manifest as symptom-free in some guys, so just because the symptoms are gone doesn't mean the disease is -- get yourself checked and keep yourself safe.

'Sides -- sounds like in a number of months it all may come out in the wash anyway, eh?

Sorry for the title JW. But you should have let me bonk those women.
Forget the witch doctors. Your main problem, I guess is you are in Tokyo. You have two options: private or public.
Private: there is an old white Russian has a clinic near Roppongi Crossing. Easy to find: leave Roppongi station and walk past Paddy Foley's towards Tokyo Tower. When you come to the big crossing (right to ACCJ and Russian Embassy), he is on the far corner of that crossing. He is expensive.
Public: There are some good publich hospitals with English speakers if that is a problem, [url]http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7119.html[/url]
The only issue there is privacy that might work its way back to your boss if you have a health card. So tell them your long lost wife/sister whatever gave it to you.
International Medical Center of Japan (has the Skinless seal of approval, check US site for more details)
Do get checked out and don't mind people here too much. Symptoms can come and go. It might not be serious. But it might.
You miught also go to the International Pharmacy near Roppongi Crossing.
Also check out [url]www.metropolis.co.jp[/url] for the small ads, which should have phone numbers you can dial for more information.

And next time, let me fuck them first. Better safe than sorry.

...I'll just leave you with these.

[url]http://www.infectionspotlight.com/infection/PregnantWomen.jsp?id=105[/url]

[url]http://www.well-net.com/STD/std1.html[/url]

Think about what you could be doing to those women and, more importantly, that unborn child, which could very well be YOUR unborn child. PLEASE... SEE A DOCTOR ASAP!

cjw: first of all, this information belongs on the public board, not in private pms. this is so for two reasons: a. everyone should pay attention to sti debates here (very few do); b. for every 10 pms you get, it would be a good guess that 9 of them would be of the quack doctor variety.

your dick could be suffering strain or it could be infected. the only way to know is to have a qualified medic take blood and [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord109][CodeWord109][/url] samples at the appropriate intervals. the only way to know is to be checked. these intelligent viruses play self survival games and they sometimes lie low or don't show symptoms so they can thrive. women are generally asymmptotic: ie they don't show visible symptoms such as the 70% of males who have dripping dicks.

your skank friend may be pregnant or she may have a vaginal infection which causes her to skip a period or to have a delayed period. again, only a check can tell.

if being in tokyo is a logistical problem, go to an english speaking hospital |(links given in the earlier post), check out metropolis, phone up the help lines and get checked. there are several hiv checking places around shinjuku where english is spoken. details should be in metropolis. there isp lenty of help availalbe; avail of it.

if you do have a dose, the longer you leave it untreated, the worse it will be for your body.

fnally, do not rely on this board. you are better than that.

CJW: I am writing this as I have liked the wit in many of your posts. I got the clap and I reported on it here. Zop also was clapped.
Have you read Faustus by Thomas Mann? A worthy thing to mention on "VE" Day. Or, to give it its fuller title, Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuhn As Told by a Friend.

This is one of the greatest books ever written. It is based in Nazi Germany when Hitler's forces were waging war on all fronts, the home front with The Traveler's heroic family included.

Being a cultured man, you have no doubt read it and you no doubt know that Leverkuhn is based on the modernist innovator Arnold Schoenberg, whose music is probably known only to the likes of myself, Freeler and Prokofiev. (Jackson likes The Grateful Dead:(

Leverkuhn's friend is a typical, insipid, winded liberal but who has two sons dying for their beloved leader, Herr Hitler, on the Eastern Front where....... Do I digress? Sorry Crazy.
Maybe you are not interested in any of that. Maybe you are a low brow like the unmentionables on the Thai board. Bear with me. Leverkuhn/Schoenberg gets the clap from a hooker but in a mark of devotion, understood only by Mann, Domino and other high brows, he decides not to get it treated.

Guess what happens to Schoenberg? He goes stark raving nuts. True story dude. That is what the clap does if untreated. As this is VE Day, think of Churchill's father (and even think of his mother to keep RN off your case) who suffered the same fate. Get yourself treated/tested kid. Or else you might regret it big time.
Don't fuck around with this. Follow the advice of the earlier posts. Think about safe sex -another day.
You might be afraid you have fucked up really big time with HIV. (Mann deals with something similar). Bite the bullet and get properly tested.

I note your link and I am sure it is a good one. But one of the reasons I got the clap was from following the witch doctors who post on this site. Bush doctors and prison lawyers are fine. But in a real life situation, you want the real professionals.
PS: I was all set to sign out but deliberately stuck my nose in here to see if you had been back. Do the right thing.

[QUOTE=Gulfro]Are Condoms Safe?

A spokesman from the rubber chemistry industry answers The Washington Times, Wednesday April 22, 1992:

My only comment is to point out that the rubber comprising latex condoms has intrinsic voids about 5 microns (0.0002 inches) in size. Since this is roughly 10 times smaller than sperm, the latter we effectively blocked in ideal circumstances.
The 12 percent failure rate of condoms in preventing pregnancy is attributable to in situ cracking, removal. ozone deterioration from improper sealing, manufactured defects, etc.

Contrarily, the AIDS virus is only 0.1 micron (4 millionths of an inch) in size. Since this is a factor of 50 smaller than the voids inherent in rubber, the virus can readily pass through the condom should it find a passage.

A reluctance to stake one's life on the ability of a condom to prevent HIV infection bespeaks wisdom, not discrimination.

C.M. Roland

Editor. Rubber Chemistry Land Technology

Washington[/QUOTE]What this article is saying is that condom is useless as far as preventing HIV is concerned. If it is true, why do health authorities throughout the world, and in fact the WHO have been promotion and encouraging the use of condom as the most effective mean to prevent HIV and other STDs??

That letter has become one of the cornerstones of the religious right's abstinence movement, as it's used to say "Condoms don't work! Not having sex is the only answer!"

The basic problem with Roland's letter and research is that he's comparing apples and oranges -- his data looks at the latex of rubber gloves, and their levels of porousness, and condoms are simply made to higher standards. There's a discussion (albeit old and rather sketchy in places) of Roland's letter at [url]http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a940506.html[/url] and a better article on the issue as a whole at [url]http://www.thebody.com********AIDS/SafeSex/Archive/PreventionSexual/Q2944.qna[/url].

But the single best piece of information that looks at condom effectiveness, which is also more recent (2001), is at [url]http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf[/url]. This report came from a literature review workshop which examined the question, "What is the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of male condom-use to prevent STD transmission during vaginal intercourse?" It concluded that by and large the research literature was inadequate to conclusively answer the question as a whole, but that the published data for condom effectiveness was strongest for HIV (which it said clearly significantly reduces risk for both men and women) and gonhorrhea (which it said clearly significantly reduces risk for men.)

The CDC (at the behest of the current administration) removed its "“Condoms are effective in preventing HIV and other STDs” statement from its condom fact sheet and replaced it with, "The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual intercourse ...” but the research shows that the first statement is still valid.

I was browsing the CDC website and found HIV trends:

[url]http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/GRAPHICS/trends.htm[/url]

Take a look at slide 16 titled:

Estimated Number of Male Adults and Adolescents Living with AIDS, by Tansmission Category, 1985-2003 United States

If I'm reading the correctly, it says 40,000 heterosexual guys that are not drug users have AIDS as of 2003.

IMHO, this defeats a lot of what is said on this forum about guys having a hard time contracting HIV from bareback sex.

How do you guys interprit the graph?

pop till you drop,
hojo

Hojo: I interpret the graph as AIDS on the rise again....


[QUOTE=Hojo]I was browsing the CDC website and found HIV trends:

[url]http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/GRAPHICS/trends.htm[/url]

Take a look at slide 16 titled:

Estimated Number of Male Adults and Adolescents Living with AIDS, by Tansmission Category, 1985-2003 United States

If I'm reading the correctly, it says 40,000 heterosexual guys that are not drug users have AIDS as of 2003.

IMHO, this defeats a lot of what is said on this forum about guys having a hard time contracting HIV from bareback sex.

How do you guys interprit the graph?

pop till you drop,
hojo[/QUOTE]

the cdc estimates as of the end of 2004 there are about 21,000 american males living in the usa who contracted hiv via heterosexual acts. when you compare this to male on male, or iv drug use it is a mere fraction. the facts are, hiv can be transmitted from female to male during straight vaginal sex, but it's far more difficult.

however, get a recently infected females vaginal secretions, or blood into your urethra and all bets are off. studies indicate that as much as 70% of hiv transmission occurs when the host (giver of the disease) is within the first year following their infection. why? because virus levels are at there peek during the first year. in the millions, sometimes even exceeding a billion during the first few months, then decline to usually below 20,000.

scientists have done studies that indicate, if you have sex with someone who was recently infected, the chances for transmission is as high as 27% (1-4) per sexual act! this number declines to less in 1-1000 after a year or so has gone by and the virus level in the body is reduces and stabilized.

genital vaginal hiv shedding during the first 12 months following infection is 200-500% higher then it is during an established infection.

this is why hiv is still being spread, because 99% of those recently infected, have no idea they have been infected. there have now been dozens of studies proving this science. remember, experts now say that 70% of people who caught hiv, did so, from someone who had themselves been infected within the past year.

use condoms!! or die! it's really this simple! going on 50 million people worldwide can't be wrong! 50 fcking million people. and estimated to hit 100 million by 2010!!!! think about it boys, it's a virus, it plays by it's own rules! get it inside your body, no matter who, where, how or why and your life is fcked!