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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can I Contract HIV From Briefly Sucking A Nipple With A Canker Sore If My Partner Had Unprotected Sex 72 Hours Prior And I Tasted Slight Blood?

Question: I was with someone, there was no sex, just the famous nipple sucking with my mouth. I didn t notice any wound on my partner s nipple, and she wasn t breastfeeding either. I was sucking her nipple with my mouth for about 30 seconds, nibbling it a little and pulling it slightly, but not intending to hurt her. As I was finishing sucking her nipples, I felt a slight taste of blood in my mouth, which worried me a lot because I had a canker sore in my mouth. I didn t bite her nipples hard enough to cause any cuts, and I didn t chew her breast forcefully because she didn t scream or complain. I believe if I had pierced her breast, she would have felt stronger pain and complained. After I stopped, her breast wasn t bleeding. In the morning, we went to the hospital, and we both got tested for HIV and other diseases, and the results were all negative. HOWEVER, she told me that 72 hours before, she had sex with another person. I know her negative result was for the past 30 days, not for the unprotected encounter she had 72 hours before me. My question is, could I be infected by sucking her nipples after feeling the slight taste of blood in my mouth, considering that I had a small lesion in my mouth, if she got infected and it hasn t shown up in her test yet? Another question, since she had unprotected sex 72 hours before me, If she had been infected, would the virus amount in her body be large enough to infect me with that slight taste of blood I felt in my mouth, considering I had a canker sore?
posted on Tue, 26 Dec 2023
Twitter Wed, 23 Jul 2025 Answered on
Twitter Sun, 3 Aug 2025 Last reviewed on
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,

Casual nipple sucking on a non-breastfeeding, non-bleeding nipple has an extremely low to negligible risk of HIV transmission. However, you cannot consider this zero risk. Even if the one with whom you engaged became infected 72 hours before you, her viral load would not yet be high enough to make her highly infectious.

Acute infection “viremia” takes about 7–10 days to peak. Her test reflects her status prior to the encounter 72 hours before you. If she was infected during that earlier encounter, the test wouldn’t show it yet. But even in that case, her body would not have produced much virus yet (window period), and transmission risk at 72 hours post-infection is extremely low.

Oral contact with nipples (even with a sore in your mouth) is negligible risk. Even oral sex (mouth-to-genital) is lower risk than vaginal or anal sex. This situation does not meet criteria for PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) unless the source is known to be HIV-positive. However, you are advised to get tested yourself now (for baseline) and again at 6 weeks and 12 weeks (to fully rule out HIV although risk here is negligible but not zero).

Monitor her test result again in a few weeks if she chooses to test again. Since HIV is transmitted through blood, semen & vaginal fluids. Also through breast milk (infected). You are advised to avoid dangerous encounters with strangers. Try to control your temptation to indulge with multiple partners. Always indulge in protected sex.

Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Nupur K., General & Family Physician
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Can I Contract HIV From Briefly Sucking A Nipple With A Canker Sore If My Partner Had Unprotected Sex 72 Hours Prior And I Tasted Slight Blood?

Hello, Casual nipple sucking on a non-breastfeeding, non-bleeding nipple has an extremely low to negligible risk of HIV transmission. However, you cannot consider this zero risk. Even if the one with whom you engaged became infected 72 hours before you, her viral load would not yet be high enough to make her highly infectious. Acute infection “viremia” takes about 7–10 days to peak. Her test reflects her status prior to the encounter 72 hours before you. If she was infected during that earlier encounter, the test wouldn’t show it yet. But even in that case, her body would not have produced much virus yet (window period), and transmission risk at 72 hours post-infection is extremely low. Oral contact with nipples (even with a sore in your mouth) is negligible risk. Even oral sex (mouth-to-genital) is lower risk than vaginal or anal sex. This situation does not meet criteria for PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) unless the source is known to be HIV-positive. However, you are advised to get tested yourself now (for baseline) and again at 6 weeks and 12 weeks (to fully rule out HIV although risk here is negligible but not zero). Monitor her test result again in a few weeks if she chooses to test again. Since HIV is transmitted through blood, semen & vaginal fluids. Also through breast milk (infected). You are advised to avoid dangerous encounters with strangers. Try to control your temptation to indulge with multiple partners. Always indulge in protected sex. Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Nupur K., General & Family Physician