Tag Archive for: HIV

7 myths about HIV and AIDS you need to stop believing

We’re taught to fear HIV and AIDS like plagues — inevitable death sentences upon diagnosis.

But that’s simply not true, and it’s taken an unexpected source to point out the gaps and inaccuracies surrounding how we talk about HIV — actor and all-around controversial figure Charlie Shee

Professor Roy Chan explained why sexually-transmitted diseases are managed by dermatologists

Interview with Professor Roy Chan, former Director of the National Skin Centre and Founding President of Action for AIDS (Singapore). He explained why sexually-transmitted diseases are managed by dermatologists in Singapore, and also discussed the state of HIV social acceptance and management in Singapore

Drugs can control HIV but cure a ‘long way off’

Professor Roy Chan, who is on the governing council of the International Aids Society and president of Action for Aids, told The Straits Times: “(The virus) infects and multiplies in a variety of organs – these include the brain, lymph nodes, genital tract and gut. These organs are reservoirs of HIV that are not treated and cannot be eliminated by conventional antiretroviral treatment…

Charlie Sheen reveals he’s HIV positive

One of the reasons he disclosed the news about his health, said Sheen, was to stop others from extorting money from him. He would not disclose how many people he was paying for their silence, but said the payments reached into the millions of dollars to people he once considered in his inner circle.

HIV Positive Men Give Advices To Their Former Selves

Imagine all of the worries, questions, and concerns that would race through your mind on the day you were diagnosed with HIV. The endless barrage of worst-case scenarios run on a loop as you try to gather yourself and somehow make it to a safe place to sort it all out.

Getting Hard, Getting Off

10943776_10152766273403737_3035513682697172047_n

Guys don’t always get hard or stay hard. Guys don’t always get off. But pleasure can be more than a hard dick or a cumshot!

Trouble getting or keeping an erection can be caused by a whole range of factors: physical, mental, and more.

Sometimes guys have erectile difficulties when they use a condom, which can prevent them from using it, or cause them anxiety when they use one.

For older guys, they might think erectile difficulties are just an inevitable part of aging, but it doesn’t have to be. Erectile difficulties can affect men of all ages and aren’t necessarily related to age.

However, a few tactics may help to understand how severe the issue is. For example, a person suffering from erectile difficulties can try getting aroused by watching porn or using a real life sex doll (which can be available in various genders including male, female, shemale, etc.). It can help them to properly analyze the problem and convey it to a medical professional.

In addition, here are some tips to get hard and stay hard:

  • Try foreplay, dirty talk and porn.
  • Take your time and don’t hurry.
  • Try different positions to see what gets you off and avoids discomfort.
  • Use a lubricant. Silicone-based lubricants don’t dry up as quickly as water-based lubricants, which can help reduce anxiety about taking too long to get off. Experiment with different kinds on your own, to see what types of lube you prefer. Oil-based lubes make condoms break.
  • Use a cock ring. They come in a variety of materials and you can find them in an online sex shop. Choose ones that don’t fit too tight when you are hard, and are easy to remove. Many guys use them. They will enhance your orgasm, as well as your erection.
  • Try sex in the morning, or at another time when you might be more relaxed or horny.
  • Too much alcohol or drugs before sex can make it difficult to get hard and stay hard…
  • Look into the side effects of medications you’re taking, but don’t stop taking medications without consulting your health care provider.
  • Believe it or not – getting hard after eating a heavy meal is not easy for many guys.

Talk to your doctor if none of these strategies work. Erectile difficulties could be a symptom of a bigger health issue, or a medical issue on their own. Erectile drugs, including orals and injectables, are an option, but aren’t a magic bullet for everyone. On the other hand, many guys are able to use a condom with erectile drugs that otherwise wouldn’t and they report that they appreciate the freedom and anxiety from having to worry about staying hard. Know the side effects of gastrointestinal-medications.online and what you shouldn’t mix them with.

You don’t need to get hard to get or give sexual pleasure. Try other kinds of sex play that don’t require you penetrating your partner with a cock, like:

  • Oral sex, mutual masturbation, etc.
  • Dildos, strap-ons, and cock sheaths.
  • Fisting
  • Sensual massage
  • Try bottoming. (If you’re trying to be a bottom for the first time, read the section on Guys on Top.)

For more support and ideas, talk to other guys, check out resources and workshops on sexual pleasure, as well as trusted sex shops.

Source: Thesexyouwant


Action for AIDS – MSM Programme

Address: 9 Kelantan Lane #03-01
Singapore 208628Tel : (65) 6254 0212Fax :(65) 6256 5903
Email : daniel.le@afa.org.sg , avin.tan@afa.org.sg, alex.tan@afa.org.sg

Sexually Transmitted Infections(STIs) Workshop

Think you know all the Sexually Transmitted Infections(STIs)? How does it spread ? The symptoms? The stages for infections? The treatments and some even have vaccination to prevent you from getting them?

STIs workshop

 


gayhealth.sg partnered with DSC Clinic on November 27, 2014 for our MSM volunteers and their friends. The workshop was very informative for the participants and many left with a different view of how easily the infections can be transmitted. The feedbacks were positives and some even shared on Facebook about what they had learnt.

“Attended a fruitful session on STDs. It’s very interesting to have a Doctor speaker and explain in more details on STD. Two types mainly, the viruses like herpes 2 and warts which will stay in our body even when symptoms are gone and bacteria type which covers the rest which can be cured. But that doesn’t mean it won’t come back, if u have even a deep kissing of mouth to mouth, you will still get syphilis! So get a regular partner(s) and reduce the risk. Even precum has viruses… Argh.. And your listerene doesn’t blast your mouth super clean after either. Know your risk, play your part.” – R.E

Want to know more about these Sexually Transmitted Infections? Click on the link below for more articles in our Survival Kit!


Missing out on our workshops? Do follow to know our upcoming workshops coming to you soon!!!

“Guys On Top Don’t Get HIV… Right?”

We’ve all heard that ‘tops’ are less likely to get HIV than ‘bottoms’. Sometimes guys will be on top during anal sex (or frontal sex with trans guys) in order to reduce their risk of getting HIV. When guys with different HIV statuses have unprotected anal or frontal sex, sometimes the negative guy will top the poz guy to reduce the risk of transmission.

 

 

 

This is called ‘strategic positioning’, and is based on the fact that it’s easier for HIV to get into the body through the ass than through the cock.

However, some factors could make strategic positioning not so strategic for reducing HIV transmission risk.

  • If a poz guy is ‘strategically positioning’ himself on the bottom, but he isn’t used to it, he could be more likely to injure himself and increase the risk of HIV transmission.
  • If a negative guy is ‘strategically positioning’ himself on top, but he isn’t used to it, he could be more likely to injure his partner and increase the risk of HIV transmission. If he is uncircumcised, he may injure his foreskin, which can also increase the risk of transmission.

It’s technically less likely to be infected as the top than the bottom, although the risk isn’t eliminated. According to a study in Australia, around 1 in 5 men who recently contracted HIV were tops. In a research study published in 2007, among a sample size of 102 gay and bi men who were recently diagnosed HIV-positive, 10 of them were infected despite ‘strategic positioning’.

Giving and receiving unprotected anal sex are both considered high-risk for HIV. That means a lot of guys have become HIV-positive this way. When a condom is used, it’s low-risk for both partners.

Don’t assume another guy will bottom or top just because he is trans, masculine/feminine, or because of his ethnicity, race, age or cock size. Also, don’t make assumptions about your partner’s HIV status.

 

From the Sexual Health survey 2014 conducted at AFA Anonymous Testing Site and online, a total of 91 MSM responded. 27% of the participants have an inconsistent condom use with casual partner(s).

Figure 1. In the past 6 months, with your casual male partner(s), would you say that condoms during anal sex (whether insertive or receptive, top/bottom) were used?

Never used condoms 5 5%
Sometimes 9 9%
Most of the time 12 13%
All the time 43 45%
No casual male partner(s) 22 23%

 

With practice, most guys can have pleasurable anal sex without any pain whatsoever. Here are some tips for trying out a new position:

  • Try it on your own first. Use your finger or a sex toy.
  • Go slow. Foreplay can help. Spend some time getting turned on, lubing up your or his ass, and getting mentally prepared. If it hurts, stop.
  • If you’re on top, pay attention to his body language: tensing up, breathing, etc. This will give you cues as to whether you’re going too hard or too fast.
  • Alcohol and other drugs (like cocaine) can numb pain, so you should avoid using them when trying a new position for the first time. You might hurt yourself or your partner and not know it.
  • If you’re bottoming for the first time, try a position that’s comfortable for you. Some guys prefer to bottom from on top, lowering themselves onto him while he lies on his back, so they can have more control. Some guys prefer to lie back with their legs in the air, so they can relax more. It varies from guy to guy, and can depend on factors such as his or your body size, weight, cock size, flexibility, and sheer will.
  • When he’s entering you, try relaxing your ass just after a short tight clench. Clench, relax, repeat. It will get easier with practice!
  • If you have questions about improving your anal sex experience, you can talk to a local service organization, visit some sex shops, and do some research online at sites like MySiliconelovedoll.com.
  • Remember: not all gay men have anal sex. If it isn’t doing it for you, there are plenty of other ways to get off.

Your risk reduction strategy is up to you. But it’s important that you know the facts before you decide what kind of sex you want to have. No risk reduction strategy is as effective as consistently using condoms with lots of lube.

Remember that unprotected sex puts you at greater risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. An STI can harm your health, and also put you at greater risk of getting or passing on HIV. They often don’t show symptoms, so you should get tested regularly.

Source: Thesexyouwant

The number of homosexual and bisexual cases has risen from 166 in 2009 to 247 last year. Action for Aids says the rise could be due to the availability of effective anti-retroviral medication and a degree of "condom fatigue" in Singapore. -- ST FILE PHOTO - See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/health/story/worrying-rise-hiv-cases-among-gay-men-20140605#sthash.jGH56AcL.dpuf

‘Worrying’ rise in HIV cases among gay men

The number of homosexual and bisexual cases has risen from 166 in 2009 to 247 last year. Action for Aids says the rise could be due to the availability of effective anti-retroviral medication and a degree of "condom fatigue" in Singapore. -- ST FILE PHOTO - See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/health/story/worrying-rise-hiv-cases-among-gay-men-20140605#sthash.jGH56AcL.dpuf

The number of homosexual and bisexual cases has risen from 166 in 2009 to 247 last year. Action for Aids says the rise could be due to the availability of effective anti-retroviral medication and a degree of “condom fatigue” in Singapore. — ST FILE PHOTO – See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/health/story/worrying-rise-hiv-cases-among-gay-men-20140605#sthash.jGH56AcL.dpuf

The number of new cases of HIV and Aids in Singapore fell slightly last year to 454, 15 less than in 2012.

However, the Action for Aids (AfA) group here said there has been a “worrying” rise in infections among homosexual men.

The Ministry of Health revealed the figures yesterday, which also showed that the number of homosexual and bisexual cases has risen from 166 in 2009 to 247 last year.

In contrast, the number of heterosexual men infected fell from 241 to 157 in the same period.

First Published: Straits Times

Tag Archive for: HIV