Hi Dr. Bob.

You seem like a great guy and it makes me feel good when you say "I'm here if you need me, okay?" at the end of your responses to people who are worried or not feeling well.

My question is this: What frequency of testing would you, as a Doctor, recommend to someone who only participates in unprotected oral sex? I've read the archives so I understand it's relatively low risk. Because of this, I'm thinking maybe testing every 6 months is not warranted as long as there are no unusual circumstances -- (visible blood in mouth, etc.) What do you think?

I am sending you big hugs and wishes for an abundance of health and happiness for you and your partner.

OralOnlyGuy

Hi Oral-Only Guy,

There are no hard and fast rules here. My recommendations would vary based on whether you give the occasional Saturday night blowjob after a romantic dinner date or whether you're a charter-VIP member of San Francisco's "Blow-Buddies" sex club where you manage to "oral only" studs by the dozens five nights a week. In general, I feel a six-month recommendation for STD/HIV screening is reasonable because even though HIV is difficult to transmit orally, many other STDs are quite easily transmitted via this route. Consequently an every-six-month full STD screen for guys who are sexually active with multiple partners seems reasonable and appropriate to me.

Hope that helps.

Dr. Bob