Ways to help avoid STIs?

[MikeBiDude]

No. Actually, I don't believe any do.

 

You either need a creative doctor or you cover this out of pocket.

I’m getting my every 90 day paid for by insurance....I’m sure they’d balk at 30 days.

[rvwnsd]

Does most insurance cover monthly testing? Just curious with people’s experience.

No. Actually, I don't believe any do.

 

You either need a creative doctor or you cover this out of pocket.

Or you ask your local LGBT center and/or county health department where you can get a low- or no-cost STI screening.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Or you ask your local LGBT center and/or county health department where you can get a low- or no-cost STI screening.

 

Yes, that is a fail-safe, but clinics like those don't always do a 10-panel.

 

However, it's better than no testing at all. #KnowYourStatus

[+ keroscenefire]

I go every 3 months as part of my Prep routine and I definitely let me healthcare provider know if I think any other testing is necessary. I almost always use a condom for sex but once didn't and therefore got an anal and oral swab. Sometimes you can get a bit creative about paying for it. I always go for the plan with the lowest deductible possible since I know I have high health-care costs, then pay for the first three months of PrEp on a credit card and get the rebate from Gilead. Since Truvada is so expensive ($3000+), I hit my deductible almost immediately and then all the rest of the testing is paid for by insurance. Just got to make sure the paperwork is right because you don't want a $3000 credit-card bill to accrue interest. Happened to me, the first year I did this and ended up with $300+ extra in interest.

[hypothetically]

So since most of the most common STIs can be transmitted orally as easily as anally, I can see where someone on PREP or someone who is already HIV+ and undetectable from meds might tend to go the bareback route. Why not? Who wants to suck a condom wrapped dick? Who wants to wrap it up before getting head? If I could just as easily get infected orally and I'm already HIV+ or on PREP what would I be protecting myself against?

 

Antibiotic-resistant strains of “super Gonorrhea” and syph. Unless you want “cute” accessories to go along with HIV.

[rvwnsd]

I go every 3 months as part of my Prep routine and I definitely let me healthcare provider know if I think any other testing is necessary. I almost always use a condom for sex but once didn't and therefore got an anal and oral swab. Sometimes you can get a bit creative about paying for it. I always go for the plan with the lowest deductible possible since I know I have high health-care costs, then pay for the first three months of PrEp on a credit card and get the rebate from Gilead. Since Truvada is so expensive ($3000+), I hit my deductible almost immediately and then all the rest of the testing is paid for by insurance. Just got to make sure the paperwork is right because you don't want a $3000 credit-card bill to accrue interest. Happened to me, the first year I did this and ended up with $300+ extra in interest.

My pharmacy submits the claim to my health plan, it calculates the copay (which counts toward the deductible), and then the pharmacy bills Gilead. I time my first PrEP appointment of the year to occur just after my first refill of the year. In essence, my end-of-December refill occurs on January 1 or 2 and my doctor's visit occurs on the 4th or 5th.

[tanman4u]

Antibiotic-resistant strains of “super Gonorrhea” and syph. Unless you want “cute” accessories to go along with HIV.

Oh I get that, but my chance of getting any of those are almost as high from oral as it is for anal. So it's back to, if I want to avoid HIV a condom for anal greatly decreases (but doesn't eliminate) my chances. Whereas almost everything else has a pretty much even chance whether oral or anal so if I was already HIV- or on Prep wrapping it up for anal doesn't really protect me if I'm going down on him without a condom.

[Prime Muscle]

Having a good doctor or clinic that you can be totally honest with regarding sexual activity without judging is very important but difficult in some areas. Last fall, a couple of playmates got a little too aggressive with my hole during a big toy night so much that 2 days later I made a doc appointment. Being totally upfront and direct about what happened allowed the doc to assess the real problem and not just the symptoms. Turned out to be not an issue. But I was able to talk about it and use language that you would use with your sex buds.

 

And if you ever do have symptoms or know you've been exposed, you can always go to a minute clinic and tell them you received word that you were exposed. Insist on treatment.

[marylander1940]

rinsing with mouthwash with alcohol right after sex helps avoid some STDs but the only safe sex is abstinence and that's something I never did.

 

PrEP certainly changed the rules when it comes to HIV and BB sex (paid or free) is no longer an act of irresponsible madness but all other "minor" diseases have increased in numbers because we're using less condoms then before.

[Rod Hagen]

PrEP is harm reduction, like needle exchanges, so I'm in favor of it. I do resent the amount it contributed to the erosion of the commonality of condom use.

[Saucyromanian]

Thats a really interesting question. I have actually asked myself the same thing. I typically meet 1-2 people per week. I am on prep and try to stay safe but I feel like there isn't too much that you can do to really protect yourself. I've been told when I get routine checks to use condoms when doing any service whether oral or any kind of play but it just seems like there's no way to really be certain other than staying solo. I personally get tested every 2-3 weeks just so I can know asap if I have come into contact with anything. I'm very honest with healthcare providers. It is my duty to be able to create a safe and discreet environment for a client so I try to take my health very seriously.

[marylander1940]

Does most insurance cover monthly testing? Just curious with people’s experience.

 

I don't think so and it might raise alarms about lifestyle etc. Most folks go to their free clinic (Whitman Walker in DC).

[AJ Doyle]

Does most insurance cover monthly testing? Just curious with people’s experience.

I do 3 month checkups thru my insurance. On the other two months I go to a free testing clinic, so that I manage to get tested monthly. I don't have to pay for the ones I do at the free clinic, but I usually make a donation.

[MidAndy]

Undetectable means pretty much untransmittable.

 

I would be precise and clarify your adjectives. If you have HIV and it's undetectable, it means that HIV is most likely untransmittable. This stupid statement and U=U movement does not mean what you will not get gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis when you are in contact with with someone who is HIV-positive and undetectable. In fact, it is the opposite:

 

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/67/5/676/4917600

[RomanticRick]

Undetectable means pretty much untransmittable.

This is not a stupid statement.

@tanman4u 's statement was only about HIV, not gonorrhea, chlamydia nor syphilis.

 

I would be precise and clarify your adjectives. If you have HIV and it's undetectable, it means that HIV is most likely untransmittable. This stupid statement and U=U movement does not mean what you will not get gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis when you are in contact with with someone who is HIV-positive and undetectable. In fact, it is the opposite:

 

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/67/5/676/4917600

You're taking it out of context and calling it stupid.

[Monarchy79]

I came back from my routine STI testing and was frustrated to find out I had not one but two different STIs. Both treatable, but I was asymptomatic for both, so I feel bad about possibly unwittingly passing them along.

 

I can and will get tested more frequently (it had been about 6 months). Do escorts do anything special or take extra precautions to avoid STIs when you see many clients, especially w bareback sex?

 

Yeah....

 

They stop doing bareback, and slap on a condom.... lol

[Monarchy79]

STIs can be transmitted orally as easily as anally

 

This is the common statement that bareback enthusiasts say to convince themselves that bareback fucking is “equal”, in the levels of riskiness in sex acts.

[RomanticRick]

This is the common statement that bareback enthusiasts say to convince themselves that bareback fucking is “equal”, in the levels of riskiness in sex acts.

If you think it's not a true statement, kindly explain please

This is not a challenge, but a humble request to share knowledge. For a bareback anal bottom on PrEP, how is the risk more than for a bareback oral bottom on PrEP? Just an inquiring anal bareback bottom enthusiast's mind that wants to know.

Thanks in advance!

Edited May 21, 2020 by RomanticRick

[Monarchy79]

If it's not a true statement, kindly explain please

This is not a challenge, but a humble request to share knowledge. For a bareback anal bottom on PrEP, how is the risk more than for a bareback oral bottom on PrEP? Just an inquiring anal bareback bottom enthusiast's mind that wants to know.

Thanks in advance!

 

I didn’t mention PrEP in my post.

But since you did, The fact is that PrEP has no protection against STIs. So in the scenario you mentioned, the risks of an anal bareback bottom on PrEP, are 100% equal to an oral anal bareback bottom on PrEP, which is high risk susceptibility to contracting an STI.

 

I’ll be clear:

Oral, vaginal, and anal sex, (both receiving and giving ) all have their risks.

 

Their levels of risks are not equal.

This isn’t a judgment.

These are facts that have been proven.

 

These orifices are different, have varying levels of lubrication, skin sensitivity/elasticity, and absorption, which all play into the likelihood of transmitting an STI.

 

In my own life, I have been sexually active for at least 20 years. Have received and given oral without condoms, and have used condoms on all anal practices.

 

Have never contracted an STD.

[+ IronMaus]

I keep a calendar with all my sexual activity, and use that to notify people in a wide window when I test positive. When I show symptoms, I'll let people know BEFORE I get the results - it's not worth waiting just to save face.

As for my personal sex life, I like to know how many people someone has had sex with SINCE their last test. Tested a week ago? Great. How many guys have you had sex with? This makes all the difference to me. I turn down sex with very sexy people - often people I know and love to have sex with - because of their recent sexual activity.

...However, if I don't have a client or porn shoot lined up in the next few days and I have a test later in the week, I'm more likely to have more bareback fun.

[Daverwr]

Okay, I don’t mean to be stupid, more realistically show that I’m stupid, but specifically what STIs are incurable or untreatable. Granted, I’ve only had one, received from a bareback escort. I was the bottom and requested bareback. Fortunately, with some cream and 8 months and all was good.

[Monarchy79]

Okay, I don’t mean to be stupid, more realistically show that I’m stupid, but specifically what STIs are incurable or untreatable. Granted, I’ve only had one, received from a bareback escort. I was the bottom and requested bareback. Fortunately, with some cream and 8 months and all was good.

You’re not stupid. It’s better to ask, than assume... (that’s what the forum is for ☺️)

All are treatable, meaning that there are medications that can suppress outbreaks/significant impacts in those that are incurable.

However,

The incurable ones are:

Herpes

Genital Warts / HPV (There is a vaccine that can prevent it, by the name of Gardasil)

HIV (There are medications that can block it (Truvada), and combined therapies that can suppress it to undetectable levels, but there still is no full-fledged cure)

 

ALL:

If there’s anything I stated that’s outdated or incorrect, please chime in.

[Kris_Canada]

Genital Warts / HPV (There is a vaccine that can prevent it, by the name of Gardasil)

 

Good, someone else mentioned it. Surprised it hasn't been mentioned otherwise (just saw this thread now after months away from this forum), but then again, health care workers and organizations are still getting the word out and they only started routine vaccinating tweens against it in some countries a few to several years ago.

 

Get the HPV vaccine, guys. Claim it if you can or pay outta pocket for it when you can. Should be mandatory for all escorts, it's a no-brainer, and it would be good if all non-escorts got it as well.

 

Where I live in Canada (the cost varies from province to province), it's three shots administered over 6 months. Each costs about $200 Canadian, so it could run you $600 total if you have little or no coverage. I was lucky that my first shot and a bit of the second shot were covered under my drug plan, but I paid outta pocket for the third and most of the second one.

 

Then you can put "HPV vaccinated" or "Vaccinated against HPV" in your ads and maybe it'll help up your appeal even more to anyone looking. Can't hurt, plus it shows 'em you're taking your health and their health into consideration.

 

Re: safer sex

 

Not a problem during the pandemic, if you're following social distancing recommendations and refraining from sex anyway (unless you live with someone you can play with--lucky!).

 

Man I miss fucking. ?

 

And cuddling and massage (giving and receiving) and basic human contact. ? Are we there yet ?

[+ FrankR]

 

Man I miss fucking. ?

 

Me too!

 

[rossthebosssf]

Personally, I have always followed the protocol of urinating right after sex followed by a long soapy shower. I also gargle Listerine right after any oral sex (including rimming). To date, after 1000+ partners, I have only had oral gonorrhea once. And that happened shortly after a meet up that I fell asleep right after and didn't follow my own protocol. Perhaps I'm lucky, or it actually works. It has done well for me. I am now on PrEP and play mostly safe, but I'm sure something will come along at some point. And I do get tested every three months or sooner if I feel I've been exposed or have a symptom. While not afraid of contracting most STI's, I would feel bad if I passed it along to someone else.