Curious what the opinions are on the likelihood of getting a STD if you stick with well reviewed providers?
Other than use of protected sex, any other habits providers or hobbyists practice as preventative measure?

I get tested regularly and I don't do anything in the dark at first.  If I can't visually inspect the goods, I won't be putting it anywhere near my body.  Now, I am very discreet about this and I doubt any of the men I've been with ever realized I've checked him out.  But, before I ever started here a fellow provider told me, don't do anything in the dark.  Now, once you've passed inspection, the lights can go out.

I've heard of strippers giving bbbj in VIP rooms across this country and I wonder, if the club is dark how do they see what they are putting in their mouths?  

I understand that a lot of STDs won't have visual symptoms and often no symptoms at all.  That is why I educate myself on the risks and play safe (or at a safe level I feel comfortable with).

So far, knock on wood, I've never caught anything and I don't plan on it.  But, I get tested often just to make sure.

even with the most "dangerous" activity -  bareback anal sex between an infected partner and a non infected partner the risk of transmitting HIV per occurrence runs about 1/71.....

some infections spread a bit more easily but the risks are highly overstated....

nonetheless if you are going to play this game you should be regularly testing -  frequency of testing should be proportional to frequency of activity -   especially if you are going bare with a personal lover....

there are many places where you can get tested anonymously.....

Get tested.frequently.  My doctor asks all her younger patients to do it so I don't have to ask.  Be aware of any signs, symptoms. This goes both way.  I wouldn't use the number of reviews as a measurement of safety.  There was a recent review in SF where a well reviewed lady allowed BBFS.  I don't know if the reviewer was being truthful or not, but I'm staying away from that provider for a while  

A good prevention is to use a cover and wash up after every appointment. Urinate after doing each hoe. Get tested after each hoe.

The best prevention, however, is to stop seeing hoes and stop sleeping with other people all together. Just chop yo dick off and you'll never have to worry about no clap, no dick rash, no dick bumps

And the preface to the article explains that this is very hard to measure effectively, it is still iffy as to how comforting those numbers should be. By any measure, this is a very high risk world, simply because of the number of partners most of us have, and the frequency of the sex. And while the research cited is generally valid, one can easily increase the transmission rate to close to 100% by doing certain things with an infected partner.

So here are some rules.

If it smells bad, don't fuck it. This requires that one have sufficient knowledge to recognize the difference between the smell of normal female/male secretions and something off, but most of us should have sufficient experience.

If you have an open cut or sore, stay home. This is the most important thing, because if you have sex with someone who is infected and your blood is in contact with the infection, you can increase the frequency of transmission from these very comforting surveys 10-fold.

If you see what looks like a sore or wound on your sex partner, walk away.

If you like to do things that cut and hurt for fun, make sure they are very well protected if you then have sex (okay to get whipped on back and buttocks, then fuck, not good to clip labia or penis and draw blood then engage in any sort of sex). One of the problems with unprotected anal sex is that it tends to tear if sufficient lube and gentle patience are not used and then the fuckee's blood is exposed to whatever the fucker might have.

Get tested regularly. Asking your partners when they were last tested is not particularly helpful as the odds of getting an honest answer are only good if your partner is both clean and was recently tested, and the question can be considered a bit rude.

As for the odds of getting something from a well reviewed provider, I add one more rule of thumb - if she appears to be taking good care of herself, the odds are she is going to take good care of you. If she looks good, seems clean, does not appear inebriated, confused or otherwise weird and out of it, then she probably is okay. Common sense I guess.

I have been doing this for a while, and I admit I have not always followed those rules. There are reasons to ignore them, though not really any good ones. But at least know when you are breaking the rules, and always follow the one about getting tested, so you know ASAP when you have caught something, whether it is from simple bad luck (unlikely as that is), not paying attention to warning signs, or just doing something stupid. And when you know you have been dumb, get tested sooner.

Having said all that, if you do everything covered, no DATY, and CBJ, the odds of getting anything are very small. For every layer you remove, the odds go up, and they really jump when you do things uncovered and have a cut or open sore.

zig

Where a woman advertises, how many reviews she has, how good her reviews are, her costs, or anything online is a real indication if a provider is safe or not. In fact high TER scores can indicate higher risk as BBBJ and anal both up the risks. Most providers test often but way more than a few don't and a few have been known work with an STD. Sadly most clients don't get screened as often as they should. Everybody in this game is high risk according to the CDC. Also many people are BBFS someone, so it is safest to assume everyone is.  

Now how to play safe:

First educate yourself. Not here, so many here are so misinformed. Talk to your doctor and look things up on trusted medical sites like the CDC's site. Do your own homework and forget what the clowns here say. Most are not doctors and some are looking to justify there choices. This is not the place to get medical advice. Learning about STD and their risk and prevention is medical advice.

Second after you do your homework decide what risk you are willing to take. All sex acts have risk. There is no such thing as safe sex just safer sex. Covered activities are much safer than uncovered. HJ are safer than BJ. BJ are safer than FS. FS is safer  than anal. Anal covered with enough lube is well with in most here's comfort zone, so is a good old BBBJ. But you after getting real data and not board hearsay make up your own mind as to your risk tolerance and stick to it. I would avoid unprotected full service and anal. That is just asking for something when done with a high risk stranger.

Choose providers with similar risk tolerances. If she plays safe with her other clients it reduces your risk as is less likely to have something.

Look at the goods before you play with it. Some STD's can be seen or smelled. See do your own homework on this.

Hygiene is key, but only if done right. Do not shave, wax, floss, or brush your teeth right before the fun as this makes small holes viruses can enter. But do brush and floss often as bad gums and teeth poses a likely worse risk. Besides who would want to fuck some who doesn't brush? Bathe before and after. Bathing reduces risk. Peeing after can to. Use mouth wash before and after to reduce risk. None of this is good as a cover but it may and I mean may reduce risk.

Make sure your vaccines are current. Some STDs have a vaccine and they while aren't 100% effective do work.

Lastly get checked often for STD as none of this is 100%. Catching things early reduces the damage done, and can prevent others from getting sick. If you catch something it is your responsibility to inform every sex partner in the last three months so they can get tested and treated.

END OF MESSAGE

People can get hurt. Know the risks, protect yourself and decide if you want to play.