Safe Sex

Things are getting riskier all the time - see article in full below:

Sex disease turns into a 'superbug'

* A correspondent in Atlanta
* April 14, 2007

HEALTH officials in the US have recommended nationwide use of a new drug to treat gonorrhoea because the sexually transmitted disease, now considered a superbug, is steadily becoming resistant to the long-time standard antibiotic.

The disease has grown increasingly resistant to fluoroquinolones, the most common treatment for the bacterial disease since the early 1990s.

The US federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommended yesterday that a different class of antibiotics, cephalosporins, be used instead.

"Gonorrhoea has now joined the list of superbugs for which treatment options have become dangerously few," Infectious Disease Society of America president Henry Masur said.

"To make a bad problem even worse, we're also seeing a decline in the development of new antibiotics to treat these infections."

The CDC made the recommendation after discovering that nearly 7 per cent of gonorrhoea cases among heterosexual men in a survey of 26 US cities last year had drug-resistant strains of the disease. In 2001, only about 0.6 per cent of gonorrhoea cases among heterosexual men were drug-resistant.

"That leaves us with a single class of highly effective antibiotics," said John Douglas, director of the CDC's division of STD prevention.

Other experts called the situation perilous.

It is the first time cephalosporins have been recommended to treat gonorrhoea for the entire US population, though the CDC recommended the antibiotics to treat drug-resistant gonorrhoea in California and Hawaii in2002.

In 2004, the CDC made the same recommendation to treat the bacterial infection among American men who had sex with men.

The new antibiotics included the generic drug ceftriaxone, also known under the brand name Rocephin, which must be injected and worked "very well", Dr Douglas said, although the drug was not commonly stocked in doctor's offices. Fluoroquinolones were more commonly available and easy to use because they could be taken orally in a single dose.

Ceftriaxone must be given as a shot and costs about $US20 ($24).

More than 700,000 people in the US caught gonorrhoea each year through sexual contact, the CDC said. It was the second most commonly reported infectious disease in the US.

The highest rates of infection were among sexually active teens, young adults and African-Americans. Because many people did not have obvious symptoms, they could unknowingly spread it to others.

Though treatable, gonorrhoea put people at greater risk of catching the AIDS virus, the CDC said. In women, it could cause pelvic inflammatory disease. In men, it could cause epididymitis, a condition of the testicles that could lead to infertility if untreated.

In the survey of 26 cities last year, Philadelphia had the highest percentage of drug-resistant cases, at almost 27per cent, followed by areas in California and Hawaii where health officials have long known about drug resistance.

A quarter of gonorrhoea cases among heterosexual men in Honolulu, San Diego and Orange County, California, were drug-resistant, followed by 22.5per cent of cases in San Francisco and 22 per cent in Long Beach, California. More than 15 per cent of cases in Miami were drug-resistant to the bacteria, the CDC said.

San Francisco's drug-resistant cases more than doubled between 2004 and last year, from 10.3 per cent to 22.5per cent. During the same period, Miami's cases spiked from 2.1 per cent to 15.3 per cent and Atlanta's climbed from 1per cent to 5.7per cent.

Consistent and proper use of condoms would stop the disease's spread, experts said.

AP

[QUOTE=Livefastdiehard] I couldn't feel shit using the so called "Microthin" Kimono condoms! They fucking HURT! They SMELL! And they RUIN the mood for me! Can anybody else relate here?
[/QUOTE]

Mate,

You need to try various condom types before you completely abandon them to go bareback. I also had issues regarding, "feel", if i can put it that way, have found the "Featherlite", made by Durex has sorted this to a degree.

i second what speed13 said. you need to try out different kinds before you decide to terminate your relationship with them altogether. some condoms are absolutely horrible and don't allow you to feel much. i cannot use the local condoms in brazil and argentina because they're way to thick. they're even worse than american condoms which i don't care for either. i find the japanese condoms to be thinner and much more pleasurable than the rest. some are even half as thick as the thinnest american made condom, and many brands come in a larger size as well.

This is probably an elementary question - but I don't know it. Is gonorrhea and/or chlamydia contagious during the incubation period - e.g. in the first couple of days prior to symptoms? Anyone's help would be great. Thanks.

[QUOTE=@sh] Is gonorrhea and/or chlamydia contagious during the incubation period - e.g. in the first couple of days prior to symptoms?[/QUOTE]As soon as the organisms are present, they can be transmitted. Obviously, a person who is copiously dripping the bugs will provide more opportunity to come in contact with them but even if you can't see them, they may be there.

As for symptoms: more than 70% of women who are infected with chlamydia remain without symptoms and about half of men! Similarly, for gonorrhea, the symptoms may be very mild or even absent.

You mention the incubation period: for gonorrhea that can be a couple of days or up to a couple of months.

Remember, too, chlamydia and GC are not the only things to worry about (oh! that they were!). May I suggest you check out the excellent site maintained by the US Centers for Disease Control ([url]http://www.cdc.gov/std/[/url]) for fact sheets for most of the STDs.

Hope this helps.

[QUOTE=Animby]As soon as the organisms are present, they can be transmitted. Obviously, a person who is copiously dripping the bugs will provide more opportunity to come in contact with them but even if you can't see them, they may be there.

As for symptoms: more than 70% of women who are infected with chlamydia remain without symptoms and about half of men! Similarly, for gonorrhea, the symptoms may be very mild or even absent.

You mention the incubation period: for gonorrhea that can be a couple of days or up to a couple of months.

Remember, too, chlamydia and GC are not the only things to worry about (oh! that they were!). May I suggest you check out the excellent site maintained by the US Centers for Disease Control ([url]http://www.cdc.gov/std/[/url]) for fact sheets for most of the STDs.

Hope this helps.[/QUOTE]

Thanks you.

Most bacteria breed very fast, frighteningly fast. An immune response takes up to a week, so before you start trying to fight them, they are multiplying rapidly. In many cases, like with non STI infections, there is little chance of spreading them, eg cut finger. With STIs, genitilia full of bacteria means a good chance of cross contamination, even before symptoms ( immune response) ocurs.

Hi all

I've never been with an escort before.

I have some money right now, and was planning to spend some of this on my first experience with one.

I'm worried about STD's though - especially herpes. I've gone through in my mind all the reasons for NOT seeing an escort (moral reasons, high cost, etc) and I've managed to cast them all aside... except for the issue of STD's.

To maximize safety, I would use a condom for 100% of the time, and go with a "high class" escort. It would be straight sex and I'd avoid anything risky like anal sex. I'm fairly sure I'd be safe from HIV and most other diseases. However, I know that herpes can be transmitted [b]even with a condom[/b] and that's what's really, really bothering me.

So I was wondering... what are the chances of catching it? Bearing in mind I'd be going with a high class escort, not a street walker, and I'd be using protection throughout. I'm based in London UK, by the way. Is herpes really that common, and easy to catch? If there's more than a 10-20% chance of being infected, then to be honest I don't even want to bother. An hour of fun, followed by a lifetime of incurable disease is something I'm keen to avoid.

I was even thinking about "frottage" (sex with clothes on) to avoid skin contact, but this would feel silly somehow...!

I would greatly appreciate any info.

Hi all,

I've never been with an escort before.

I have some money right now, and was planning to spend some of this on my first experience with one.

I'm worried about STD's though - especially herpes. I've gone through in my mind all the reasons for NOT seeing an escort (moral reasons, high cost, etc) and I've managed to cast them all aside... except for the issue of STD's.

To maximize safety, I would use a condom for 100% of the time, and go with a "high class" escort. It would be straight sex and I'd avoid anything risky like anal sex. I'm fairly sure I'd be safe from HIV and most other diseases. However, I know that herpes can be transmitted [b]even with a condom[/b] and that's what's really, really bothering me.

So I was wondering... what are the chances of catching it? Bearing in mind I'd be going with a high class escort, not a street walker, and I'd be using protection throughout. I'm based in London UK, by the way. Is herpes really that common, and easy to catch? If there's more than a 10-20% chance of being infected, then to be honest I don't even want to bother. An hour of fun, followed by a lifetime of incurable disease is something I'm keen to avoid.

I was even thinking about "frottage" (sex with clothes on) to avoid skin contact, but this would feel silly somehow...!

I would greatly appreciate any info.

London 2007: Can I be blunt? Don't do it. You'll just be wasting your money.

You are sooooo panicked already, just [i]thinking[/i] about visiting a hooker...how relaxed do you think you're gonna be when you're actually in bed with her?! Your body just ain't gonna function under all that pressure, baby. You'll be wasting your time and hers, unless you take control of some of that anxiety.

Let me ask you this - do you put yourself through all this trauma before you have sex with a 'regular' girl?

The average English sex worker has regular STD tests, because she knows that she has more chance of coming in contact with infections ...your average NON-sex worker has NEVER had an STD test in their life, because for some bizarre reason, they think they're just not at risk. Be honest - have you ever had an STD test yourself? Fact is, if you're a sexually active person and you've never had an STD test before, then you are a much bigger risk to a hooker than she is to you.

If you do decide to go for it, do some research first. Start in the London section of this site and maybe find some links to local escort forums. If you want to be really, REALLY careful, look through all the reviews and pass on any girls who provide BBBJ or other uncovered services. Even better, see if you can find any girls that guys complained about because she refused to do anything without a condom. Once you narrow the field a bit, give a couple of your favourites a call. NEWBIE NOTE: Don't EVER start the conversation with "I've never done this before". Some girls, like myself, would go out of their way to make sure you feel comfortable and enjoy your first experience. Unfortunately, many others will take it as an open invitation to rip you off.

On the phone, ask an open-ended question like "...and what's your policy on condoms?" (Never be afraid to ask questions. You can ask a working girl pretty much anything - we've heard it all before). You'll be able to judge from her answer whether she's firm on condom use or not.

And that's what's important here. Condom use. For the record, when we're talking about disease risks, there is NO SUCH THING as a 'high class escort'. We are all hookers, all doing the same job, all taking the same risks. It makes absolutely NO difference what sort of environment she works in. The only thing that counts, is whether or not she agrees to unsafe sex practices. I know of 'high class escorts' who offer unprotected sex to keep their wealthy clients coming back. I also know a heroin-addicted street girl who punched a guy in the face when he tried to force her mouth onto his dick before she had the condom on. Granted, condoms can't really protect you from herpes - BUT - a sex worker who cares enough about her own health to always demand safe sex, is likely to also do STD inspections on her clients (decreasing her risk even further) and have regular STD tests herself.

Can I guarantee that you won't catch something from a sex worker? Of course not. I can't guarantee that your car won't crash on the way to your booking, either. But if you do your homework before you go and practice safe sex while you're there, you do have VERY little chance of anything going wrong. If it makes you feel any better, I worked as a hooker full-time for four years and part-time for three years and I never caught herpes.

Good luck. x

[QUOTE=London 2007]Hi all,

I've never been with an escort before.

I have some money right now, and was planning to spend some of this on my first experience with one.

I'm worried about STD's though - especially herpes. I've gone through in my mind all the reasons for NOT seeing an escort (moral reasons, high cost, etc) and I've managed to cast them all aside... except for the issue of STD's.

To maximize safety, I would use a condom for 100% of the time, and go with a "high class" escort. It would be straight sex and I'd avoid anything risky like anal sex. I'm fairly sure I'd be safe from HIV and most other diseases. However, I know that herpes can be transmitted [b]even with a condom[/b] and that's what's really, really bothering me.

So I was wondering... what are the chances of catching it? Bearing in mind I'd be going with a high class escort, not a street walker, and I'd be using protection throughout. I'm based in London UK, by the way. Is herpes really that common, and easy to catch? If there's more than a 10-20% chance of being infected, then to be honest I don't even want to bother. An hour of fun, followed by a lifetime of incurable disease is something I'm keen to avoid.

I was even thinking about "frottage" (sex with clothes on) to avoid skin contact, but this would feel silly somehow...!

I would greatly appreciate any info.[/QUOTE]You could get her to give you a handjob with a condom and a rubber glove, which would considerably reduce your risk of getting an STD, but you would not have much fun. Quite honestly, if you are so anxious, you might be better off to just save your money and spend it on a new i-pod or something that will give you many hours of pleasure.

Incidentally, "high class" as in escort just means "high fee". It is no indication of her health or social status.

Alright, thanks for the replies so far. :)

On reflection, I think my fears about herpes are probably exaggerated. I've read a few articles now which suggest condoms - although not 100% safe - do offer [b][i]significant[/i][/b] protection from herpes if used correctly. And it seems a large percentage of people (perhaps 80%) are immune from the virus anyway, or will experience only minor symptoms.

Also, I agree that escorts could actually be safer than "ordinary" women. I would certainly think protected sex with an escort is safer than unprotected sex with a random stranger you met in a pub.

I will look around the various websites as you say. I'll still try to be careful about who I pick. But I'm feeling a bit more confident about doing this now.

Read this, according to latest NEJM article, those of us who luv daty are more susceptible to HPV virus.

Good news - there's a vaccine out.

[url]http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showpost.php?p=597653&postcount=979[/url]

Sorry to rain on your parade, but the HPV vaccine is for young WOMEN (up to age 26), preferably virgins.

This vaccine was developed to fight the infection that causes most cases of cervical cancer. The article you linked to seems to make Gardasil out to be almost 'sexist', suggesting there hasn't been enough research into whether it can also prevent 'male' cancers. One simple fact the article neglected to mention though - Gardasil doesn't work on men. It doesn't matter whether future studies focus on oral cancers, penile cancers or cervical cancers. This is not an 'anti-cancer' vaccine. It's an anti-HPV vaccine. It works in women to prevent HPV infection. For some strange biological/genetic/whatever reason, it doesn't appear to work the same way in men.

But theoretically, men will eventually reap the benefits as well. In time, if ALL our young girls are vaccinated against HPV, there will be NO women carrying the virus, so men won't be at risk of catching it either. It will be interesting to see, 20 years or more down the track, whether that has an effect on the other cancers the article mentions.

I love to give DATY, I love to see the girl getting pleasure when I lick her little pussy. However, I never did it without a protection, and this has been either a latex glove cut and open, or a small plastic bag, like those you find in supermarkets.

Now: both of these tools are possibly effective in diminishing the risk of contracting STD's, but they are difficult to manage when you do sex. I heard that there exists latex sheets used by dentists, called "dental dam", which seem to be easier to manage and use: does anyone have any experience with them? Where can one buy them? Are there better products? For instance, it would be nice to have some latex piece which can stay more tight adhering to the body, so one could do a deep DATY without fearing that the tongue's movements could slip away the protection.

Anyone had experience with Molluscum Contagiosum ? And better yet any fast cures?

Not a pure STD as such, and not dangerous, but a bit of an annoyance nonetheless to be rid of in a hurry. Seems to be spread through skin to skin contact and use of towels etc..