Categories for Assessing HIV Risk

ASL

No Risk

These sexual activities present no risk of HIV transmission because there is no exchange of body fluids, and no transmission of HIV has been documented.

  • Kissing when no blood is present
  • Masturbating (oneself or someone else)
  • Using an unshared sex toy
ASL

Negligible Risk

These sexual activities present some risk of HIV transmission because they lead to an exchange of body fluids. However, the amount of fluids and the way they are exchanged seem to make transmission less likely, and no transmission of HIV has been documented.

  • Oral sex:
    • Performing fellatio (mouth/penis) with a condom
    • Receiving fellatio with or without a condom
    • Performing cunnilingus (mouth/vulva) with protection
    • Receiving cunnilingus with or without protection
    • Performing or receiving anilingus (mouth/anus) with or without protection
  • Digital penetration (fingers-anus/fingers-vagina) with or without a latex glove
  • Performing or receiving manual penetration (hand-anus/hand-vagina) with or without a latex glove
  • Sharing sex toys using a new condom for each person
  • Sharing properly disinfected sex toys
ASL

Low Risk

These sexual activities present a risk of HIV transmission because they lead to an exchange of body fluids that can transmit HIV. There are some documented reports of infection attributed to these activities.

  • Receiving fellatio (mouth/penis) without a condom (when semen or pre-ejaculatory fluid is present)
  • Performing cunnilingus (mouth/vulva) without protection (whether during menstruation or not)
  • Vaginal penetration with a condom (risk exists for both partners)
  • Anal penetration with a condom (risk exists for both partners)
  • French kissing when blood is present
ASL

High Risk

These activities present a risk of HIV transmission because they lead to an exchange of body fluids that can transmit HIV. Many cases of infection have been documented and many studies have consistently shown a link between these activities and HIV infections.

  • Vaginal penetration without a condom (risk exists for both partners)
  • Anal penetration without a condom (risk exists for both partners)
  • Sharing unclean sex toys without a condom
  • Sharing contaminated (dirty or used) needles or syringes

Never forget that having sex can also make you vulnerable to other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

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The Public Health Agency of Canada is an affiliate member of the Canadian Health Network, HIV/AIDS section.