Can kissing spread hepatitis?

Dear Doctor: Can I get HIV or Hepatitis B by kissing? My girlfriend has both but we use condoms and I kiss her.

Herman

Dear Herman: Hepatitis B and HIV infections are spread mostly through unprotected sex and mother to child (before or during birth, or through breast milk).Hepatitis B, however, is less likely to be spread through breast milk. Hepatitis B (HBV) is 50 to 100 times easier to transmit sexually than HIV.
Casual contact, including dry kissing, is not believed to transmit HIV or Hepatitis B.
Since a small amount of HIV and HBV germs exist in saliva, French kissing (very deep kissing) may carry transmission risks which may be increased when one has wounds in the mouth.

Given that some oral wounds may be microscopic, it is important that for the time being, you avoid oral sex or even kissing your girlfriend while you consistently use condoms for sex.
You should also check for Hepatitis B and if the result is negative, get immunised against it.

Dear Doctor: Every time I make love with my husband, my body itches intensely. Could it be an STD?

Maria Buluma

Dear Maria: Itching of the private parts and the body when related to sex, does not only cause great discomfort but can also lead to relationship difficulties due to fear of sex or suspicions of infidelity.

Itching of the genitals and the rest of the body during or immediately after sex can happen if one is allergic to a man’s semen, condoms or contraceptive spermicides (put in the vagina) though many people suspect it could be due to STDs.
Also, an allergy to a man’s body applications including scented soaps, creams and lotions can cause such a reaction. Allergy to your partner’s sweat when your naked bodies come into contact or even contact with his saliva during kissing can also lead to intensive itching involving the affected body parts and the rest of the body.

If one already has infections such as candida or trichomonas vaginalis but shows no symptoms before sex, this may lead to itching of the genitals during or after sex but may not spread to involve the rest of the body.
Your problem requires quick attention by a medical doctor who will investigate and advise you accordingly.
Meanwhile, you may need to ask your partner to bathe thoroughly with unscented soap, not to wear perfume or apply creams and lotions before sex. Your husband could also try out non-latex condoms which have a lower likelihood of causing allergies.

Dear Doctor: Although it is hard, I have been withdrawing during sex in order to prevent pregnancy because my wife is not using contraceptives. Is this method effective?

Allan

Dear Allan: Male withdrawal, during sex before ejaculation, is also known as “coitus interruptus”.
Withdrawal may be one of the most common untold methods of birth control in Uganda since sexual matters are always kept secret.
During sex, the manhood releases two kinds of fluids, pre-ejaculate or pre-cum. Pre-cum acts as a lubricant and a vaginal acid neutraliser but does not contain sperm but can transmit many sexually transmitted infections.
Semen contains millions of sperm and can transmit sexually transmitted infections.
While withdrawal has been criticised as a non-method, it is 73 to 96 per cent effective for birth control, depending on the male partner’s self-knowledge and self-control.

Withdrawal allows precum but not semen and though it may not cause pregnancy, it does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/Aids.
Some of the pregnancies that happen because of the failure of this method, do so because of sperm having remained in the penis during earlier rounds or previous sex but not due to the precum as was originally thought, since it contains no sperm.
Therefore, to ensure no sperm enters the vagina during sex, the male partner should urinate and wipe the tip of the penis before intercourse. When the male partner feels close to ejaculation, he must withdraw and avoid ejaculating near the female genitals.
The effectiveness of withdrawal depends on communication between partners before and during sex, as well as the male partner’s knowledge and experience with his own body.
Withdrawal may not be effective if the male partner is unable to withdraw before his orgasm. Also, male partners who are less experienced with withdrawal may have a higher risk of causing pregnancy.