I know that the statistical possibilities of catching something from typical hobbying (which I define as including BBBJ) are discussed regularly with some posts indicating significant risks and others not. Rightly or wrongly I have included another input into my decision making about uncovered oral and that is that it is so widely offered that the rate of STD transmission must be very, very low. I base that on the assumption that a few hobbyists or providers getting infected from those activities would pretty quickly be shared info and rapidly cause uncovered oral to go from the norm to a less standard offering because of the higher risk. Am I wrong in assuming that since the board is not routinely showing "this happened to me" posts I can take it that the actual risk is very low?
While noone's judging you on your polyamorous lifestyle 
.... how far do you go on safety measures.... do you play safe/get tested regularly.... or play "devil-who-cares until I bring something home then off to divorce court I go?"
Just a reminder
Happy & SAFE hobbying!
xoxo
I'm single and I get tested anyway. If I happen to get something I want to know ASAP and I certainly don't want to give anything to anyone, wife/girlfriend or not.
for helping keep our growing community safe.
I just had a complete testing done. Peace of mind = priceless
And a happy hubby
My wife knows about my lifestyle and I get tested 3X per year.
It's nice to be in a relationship with open communicatio
Yes, I do get tested from time to time.
But I'd ask Zabrina's question somewhat differently: if you have an SO and you regularly see both providers as well as civvies, who should you be more concerned about?
Personally, I think I provide less risk to my SO by being with reputed providers (like Zabrina, for example) than being with average civvies.
Any thoughts
I couldn't agree more.
But of course, getting tested isn't only for those around us, it's for us as well. If in fact we do catch something, there are some things we can get rid of - and those same things can kill us or cause severe problems, including brain damage and dementia, if they're not taken care of.
Definitely keep yourself up to date on this stuff - and that goes for anyone who is sexually active. Not just in this hobby.
I'm not worried about my wife catching anything because we haven't had sex in maybe 3-4 years? I don't remember exactly, but only reason I'm into hobbying is because of a sexless marriage.
20 years for me it was--February 14, 1994!
I'm new to this, but where do you go to get tested? Your regular doctor? Is there somewhere more discrete?
You can find discreet clinics here in Chicago with a simple Google search. The one I go to is very queer and sex worker-friendly. I've never been tested with my regular doctor but I do have the results sent along.
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I use stdtestexpress.com
It's a company based here, actually. You purchase either individual or packages of tests on the website and they contract with Quest, Labcorp and other walk in clinics (same places you'll go for employment drug testing, etc.) It's anonymous, you just show up with your printout from the website and when your results are ready you get an e-mail and log in to the website to view them. If there's a positive result a doctor associated with the company will contact you to discuss treatment.
Agree with this place. Not cheap, but very easy and discreet.
You can have anonymous testing that's runs about $200 for everything. I do mine every 6 weeks, that kind of stuff is important!
Told him that I had a homeless person spit in my face (true) and I am concern that something may have entered via my eyes. To keep me at ease, we test annually. Insurance pays for it and doctor/patient confidentiality applies. I know a provider in Las Vegas who uses her regular doctor for regular tests as well. She likes her doctor and is opened with him about her life style
I too use my Dr office. I trust him and he knows about everything. Never lie to your Priest, Doctor or Lawyer is my theory. 
Love
Zana
I know that the statistical possibilities of catching something from typical hobbying (which I define as including BBBJ) are discussed regularly with some posts indicating significant risks and others not. Rightly or wrongly I have included another input into my decision making about uncovered oral and that is that it is so widely offered that the rate of STD transmission must be very, very low. I base that on the assumption that a few hobbyists or providers getting infected from those activities would pretty quickly be shared info and rapidly cause uncovered oral to go from the norm to a less standard offering because of the higher risk. Am I wrong in assuming that since the board is not routinely showing "this happened to me" posts I can take it that the actual risk is very low?
I gotta say, I simply don't engage in FS. bbbj is as far as i'll go, and it pretty much all I need for a once in awhile... even if I get it regularly at home, its still a fun once-in-awhile for me
Don't forget kissing, unprotected oral is also high risk
What's scary is some people on here are probably carrying or have had contact with the hpv virus without even knowing it. While relatively harmless, as the human body can normally fight it off, it can cause an outbreak i.e genital warts up to several months after contracted it.
Don't forget to also test for hpv. There is no cure, the treatment mainly consists of leading a healthy lifestyle and letting your body get rid of it over a period of time. There are no signs/symptoms if you are carrying it
It said that something like 70% of everyone will have some form of HPV in their lifetime. It's true that the vast majority of people don't even realize they have it and their immune system defeats it somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 to 3 years.
Gardasil should be a mandatory childhood vaccination. It protects against the forms that cause cervical and other cancers.