AIDS question????!
Question: I have heard that it is easier for a man to give it to a woman.. than it is a woman to give it to a man.. is that correct.. is there any statsic to prove it.. thank you
Answers: I have heard that it is easier for a man to give it to a woman.. than it is a woman to give it to a man.. is that correct.. is there any statsic to prove it.. thank you
Yes it is, regardless of what others say to the contrary. There are a few reasons why it is easier for a man to pass HIV on to a woman than vice versa.
1. As was mentioned, the vagina is a very large area lined with mucosal cells, and a VERY thin layer of skin cells on the cervix (a common site for viral entry). The urethra on a man (pee hole) is much smaller.
2. On average, HIV can be found in higher quantities in semen versus vaginal fluids making semen, on average, more infectious (though this depends on other factors as well and isn't true all of the time)
3. Another reason (though indirectly): It should be common knowledge that the presence of a sexually transmitted infection drastically increases the likelihood of a person acquiring HIV (and if the POZ person has the STI, they are more likely to transmit the virus). Women are more likely to have a sexually transmitted infection and NOT show symptoms. In many cases 60% of women have no symptoms while only 40% of men have no symptoms. Just because there are no symptoms doesn't necessarily affect the likelihood of transmission ---- when you have an STI in the genital region (or in the mouth/throat) your immune system is present in large numbers in that area fighting off the infection. Some of these cells are exactly what HIV needs to find once inside the body for the infection to take hold. Pretty easy if there are a lot present when HIV enters the area.
One of the other answerers quoted the per exposure risk of transmission.
In general I would prefer not to give a specific number when explaining HIV risk, as this can indeed be very misleading to those who don't understand the limitations of statistical-risk estimates and attempt to apply these statistics in absolute terms to their individual situations. It's important to point out HIV transmission involves many variables other than just "route of exposure" statistical risk estimates. Factors, such as viral load, viral strain, host immune integrity and concurrent infections, as well as a variety of other factors, come into play for any specific situation. These statistics are mere estimates. They provide information about general risk levels for various sexual activities, but should not be considered the absolute total and exact risks applicable to their specific situations. There are far too many variables (viral factors, host factors, situational factors, etc.) to accurately compute those numbers.
Statistics are not always easy to comprehend. For instance, when you flip a coin, the chance it comes up heads is one in two, right? Some folks could infer from that statistical chance that if they flip the coin twice it will come up heads at least once. This is obviously not true. In fact, even if you flipped the coin and it came up tails 10 times in a row, the chance your next flip will come up heads remains exactly the same as the first flip, one in two. The chance of coming up heads doesn't increase because you just flipped a bunch of tails. Similarly, with the HIV statistical-risk estimates of, say, 1 in 10,000, that doesn't mean you can perform that particular sex act 9,999 times before you have to worry about contracting the virus.
The stats are estimated per-act statistical risks for acquiring HIV, based on the epidemiological studies published in the medical literature. Their purpose is to give some idea of relative risk of various sexual exposures. So if unprotected receptive oral sex with a poz partner carries a 1-in-10,000-exposures estimated statistical risk and unprotected receptive vaginal sex with a poz partner carries a 10-per-10,000 exposure risk, the important fact is that it's about 10 times more risky to have unprotected vaginal sex compared to oral sex. Similarly, the statistics would indicate it's 50 times more risky to have unprotected receptive anal sex and 9,000 times more risky to get a blood transfusion with HIV-tainted blood. However, the WWWs (Worldwide Worried Wells) are often not at all satisfied with "relative risk" figures. They want their specific risk, which as I mentioned above is nearly impossible to accurately calculate due to the number of variables involved. Also is a group of folks who are so irrationally worried about becoming infected they almost seem to fear they can catch HIV in the mail. In general HIV is much more difficult to acquire than most people think. Most folks are shocked to realize that even being stuck by a KNOWN HIV-contaminated needle, carries a risk of only 1 in 300! Again this may seem like a low number just like the seemingly low numbers for various types of sexual risks.
And so we are left with three take-home messages:
1. HIV can occur even with a single exposure, even if the estimated statistical risk seems low. There are 10's of millions who can attest to this fact
2. Different sexual activities carry different levels of relative risk for contracting HIV. Unprotected receptive anal sex carries the highest risk, followed by unprotected vaginal sex, follwed by unprotected oral sex
3. HIV is probably not as easy to acquire as many people fear. Over twenty-five years of epidemiologic statistical research have provided us with consistent data related to these relative risks.
These messages can sometimes be difficult for folks to understand, because they are not intuitively obvious and may even seem contradictory. However, in reality, they are not. It's all in the interpretation and understanding of facts in the context of "crazy mad grasp-the-sheets sex."
So yes, the science tells us on many fronts that it is easier for a male to female transmission than female to male in heterosexual relationships.
These reasons, along with the social/legal inequity that women face around the world and you see why more women are becoming infected than men
yes it is true...the vagina has a much greater surface area than the penis and so it is much more susceptible to not only HIV but any and all other STD's
I've heard a woman can get it easier...
not really, my dad's girlfriend had a heroin habit, and contracted hiv, and gave it to my dad, he died from it in 1990
:(
Women do get the short end of the stick when it come to getting an STD. I've heard that it's easier for them to receive it, but I don't know of any stats that prove it for AIDS.
This is true because men have a smaller hole than women. If a woman's fluids don't get inside the man won't catch it. However this doesn't mean that men shouldn't be as cautious as women. There is only a possibility they won't catch it if they have intercourse with an infected woman.
Also studies have shown that circumcised men are less likely to catch it than uncircumcised men.
just think about it. it need to get inside.
the mans hole is much smaller and it comes out not in.
ok 1st...to the other answers...WTF...I really feel like I am having stroke reading these.
NO. this is not true. there is no difference between the sexes contracting AIDS. Even with a condom which is the best way to protect yourself beside abstenance. Nothing is 100%
I am a hospital corpsman in the US navy and I have extensive training on STDs....you really wouldn't believe the stuff i have seen in 8 years.
another myth that goes hand in hand with this one is that AIDS can not be passed by oral sex, giving or recieving. this is also not true. while it is more difficult to transmit, it is still possible, both ways.
One more myth is that you can contract AIDS by kissing. This is again not true. AIDS is not transmitted by saliva...you would have to drink gallons of the infected persons spit to even have a risk of contraction.
HIV and AIDS are real, and the really are out there. Protect yourself! and please get the information from an official source like a doctor. NOT RUMORS.
Yes, the transmission risk per sex act from a man to a woman is 0.1%, whilst from a woman to a man, it is 0.05% (in the US). This is because women have a greater surface area in the vagina to be damaged and the mucus membranes of the vagina are thinner than the external penile skin. Women can also suffer from a condition known as cervical ectopy, which breaches the "skin" barrier. There are plenty of statistics to prove it as well as simple biology lessons.