STDs in your scrotum?

During protective anal sex, is it possible for a man (giving anal sex) to receive HIV or STD's when his testicles hit the outer surface of his partner's anus?

Furthermore, are there anal juices (from the recipient) that can infect a man's testicles while he has anal sex with his partner?

I read in one of your articles that STDs can lurk at base of penis, scrotum, and pubic hair area. Are we still safe if using a condom?

I also read before that HIV can only spread through body fluids (semen) or 'open wounds'.

Most STD's (except HIV) are spread by skin to skin contact. So if your partner has an STD on his anus and your testicles hit the area you can catch something. Common STD's spread this way can be herpes and HPV. Syphilis can also spread by contact.

HIV is fortunately relatively hard to catch and is best spread through contact with semen or blood. If you use condoms for anal sex and they don't break then fortunately the risk of HIV is very low. I hope this helps.

Is my sore throat an STD?

I am 54 years old, and for the past few months I have been having what I call a chronic sore throat, which comes and goes. When I have it, it is very uncomfortable, but it doesn't feel the same as a cold-related sore throat, and I never show any other cold symptoms. I have also been told that my breath sometimes smells like sour milk. I have not had oral sex in over a year, but could it still be some kind of STD? Or something worse? Thanks!

It does not sound like a sore throat from an STD. I would urge you to go to a STD clinic or doctor to get a gonorrhea and Chlamydia throat culture to be sure there is no STD. You should also have a blood test for HIV and syphilis.

I also think you should see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT) to be sure it is not a sinus problem which can give you these symptoms or a precancerous area. If you smoke or are older then cancer can present like this. I don't mean to scare you but I do agree that you should see someone for another opinion. Good luck and I hope it all works out.

What about those cheeky spots?

I get spotty bum cheeks and no matter what I do they never completely clear up. I am HIV positive with a CD4 count of around 200 but otherwise I am healthy. I am 40 years old. I don't shave my cheeks. I don't have spots elsewhere apart from an occasional staph infection inside the crack which comes and goes and it is antibiotic resistant. The spots are normal, small and red and have nothing to do with staph.

Many people have skin blemishes on their buttocks and they can be completely normal. You could also have hair follicle infections which don't always have staph in them. I urge you to see a dermatologist to be sure nothing else is wrong.

Do Hepatitis A & B vaccinations last forever?

I was vaccinated against Hepatitis A & B over 5 years ago, but could never get a definitive answer as to how many years of protection the vaccinations afforded.

Can you give me a ballpark number of years at which a sexually active gay/bi male SHOULD be re-vaccinated against Hep A & B?

Many doctors feel that at 10 years you may need re-vaccination while others feel that you are covered for life. You can have your antibody levels checked in your blood to know if you still have effective vaccination.

Thanks for the question.