16 Signs Your Sexual Partner May Be HIV Positive

Within a month or two of HIV entering the body, 40% to 90% of people experience flulike symptoms known as acute retroviral syndrome (ARS).

But sometimes HIV symptoms don’t appear for years—sometimes even a decade—after infection.

“In the early stages of HIV infection, the most common symptoms are none,” says Michael Horberg, MD, director of HIV/AIDS for Kaiser Permanente, in Oakland, Calif. One in five people in the United States with HIV doesn’t know they have it, which is why it’s so important to get tested, especially if you have unprotected sex with more than one partner or use intravenous drugs.

Here are some signs that you may be HIV-positive.

Fever

One of the first signs of ARS can be a mild fever, up to about 102 degrees F.

The fever, if it occurs at all, is often accompanied by other usually mild symptoms, such as fatigue, swollen lymph glands, and a sore throat.

“At this point the virus is moving into the blood stream and starting to replicate in large numbers,” says Carlos Malvestutto, MD, instructor of infectious diseases and immunology in the department of medicine at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. “As that happens, there is an inflammatory reaction by the immune system.”

Fatigue

The inflammatory response generated by your besieged immune system also can cause you to feel tired and lethargic. Fatigue can be both an early and later sign of HIV.

Ron, 54, a public relations executive in the Midwest, started to worry about his health when he suddenly got winded just walking. “Everything I did, I got out of breath,” he says. “Before that I had been walking three miles a day.”

Ron had tested HIV positive 25 years before feeling so tired; fatigue during acute, or newly contracted, HIV might not be so obvious.

Achy muscles, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes

ARS is often mistaken for the flu, mononucleosis, or another viral infection, even syphilis or hepatitis.

That’s not surprising: Many of the symptoms are the same, including pain in the joints and muscles and swollen lymph glands.

Lymph nodes are part of your body’s immune system and tend to get inflamed when there’s an infection. Many of them are located in your armpit, groin, and neck.

Sore throat and headache

As with other symptoms, sore throat and headache can often be recognized as ARS only in context, Dr. Horberg says.

If you’ve engaged recently in high-risk behavior, an HIV test is a good idea. Get tested for your own sake and for others: HIV is most infectious in the earliest stage.

Keep in mind that the body hasn’t produced antibodies to HIV yet so an antibody test may not pick it up. (It can take a few weeks to a few months for HIV antibodies to show in a blood test). Investigate other test options such as one that detects viral RNA, typically within nine days of infection.

Skin rash

Skin rashes can occur early or late in the course of HIV/AIDS.

For Ron, this was another sign that he might not have run-of-the-mill allergies or a cold.

“They were like boils, with some itchy pink areas on my arms,” Ron says. The rashes can also appear on the trunk of the body. “If [the rashes] aren’t easily explained or easily treated, you should think about having an HIV test,” Dr. Horberg says.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Anywhere from 30% to 60% of people have short-term nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea in the early stages of HIV, Dr. Malvestutto says.

These symptoms can also appear as a result of antiretroviral therapy and later in the infection, usually as the result of an opportunistic infection.

“Diarrhea that is unremitting and not responding at all to usual therapy might be an indication,” Dr. Horberg says. Or symptoms may be caused by an organism not usually seen in people with healthy immune systems, he adds.

Weight loss

Once called “AIDS wasting,” weight loss is a sign of more advanced illness and could be due in part to severe diarrhea.

“If you’re already losing weight, that means the immune system is usually fairly depleted,” Dr. Malvestutto says. “This is the patient who has lost a lot of weight even if they continue to eat as much as possible. This is late presentation. We still see a lot of these.” It has become less common, however, thanks to antiretroviral therapy.

A person is considered to have wasting syndrome if they lose 10% or more of their body weight and have had diarrhea or weakness and fever for more than 30 days, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dry cough

A dry cough was the first sign Ron had that something was wrong. He at first dismissed it as bad allergies.

But it went on for a year and a half—and kept getting worse. Benadryl, antibiotics, and inhalers didn’t fix the problem. Neither did allergists.

This symptom—an “insidious cough that could be going on for weeks that doesn’t seem to resolve,” Dr. Malvestutto says—is typical in very ill HIV patients.

Pneumonia

The cough and the weight loss may also presage a serious infection caused by a germ that wouldn’t bother you if your immune system was working properly.

“There are many different opportunistic infections and each one can present differently,” Dr. Malvestutto says. In Ron’s case, it was Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), aka “AIDS pneumonia,” which eventually landed him in the hospital.

Other opportunistic infections include toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that affects the brain; a type of herpes virus called cytomegalovirus; and yeast infections such as thrush.

Night sweats

About half of people get night sweats during the early stages of HIV infection, Dr. Malvestutto says.

These can be even more common later in infection and aren’t related to exercise or the temperature of the room.

Similar to the hot flashes that menopausal women suffer, they’re also hard to dismiss, given that they soak your bedclothes and sheets.

Read the 6 remaining signs at Health.com

MEN: Six Types Of Sex Women Enjoy

You seem to be noticing a pattern with your last couple of girlfriends: during the first few months, you can barely keep your hands off each other, and slowly but surely, the sexual frequency drops so much below the freezing point that you end up right back where you started: out with the guys, desperate to score.

but you want one

The thing is, you kinda like having a girlfriend. So how can you keep the dreaded bedroom boredom from setting in with your current lady? You must never let the sex become routine. It’s easier than you think; you just have to add different styles of lovemaking to your repertoire, and have a woman who’s willing to go the distance.

So what are these different styles and when are they appropriate? From romantic to animalistic, read on and find out how to keep the flame burning for good.

Type 1 – Seductive Sex

Chances are that your first few sexual encounters with your woman will revolve around seduction. In other words, you’re going to do your damndest to charm her right into your bed.

Look deep into her eyes and “sensualize” the conversation in order to seduce her mind and get the sexual energy between you flowing.

Once you have her eating out of the palm of your hand, take her in your arms and kiss her. Lead her into the bedroom and slowly undress her. Lay her down and make love to her while keeping eye contact. Maintain a constant, steady pace and refrain from using too many sound effects. After all, you’re the strong, silent type tonight.

This type of set-up is also good for when you’ve been together for a while and want to feel like the stud that you are, and want to remind her of that too.

Type 2 – Romantic Sex

This type of sex is good for when you’re both relaxed and not pressed for time, such as during a weekend getaway. It’s time to enjoy the fact that neither of you has anything to do but enjoy each other’s bodies.

Here’s your chance to give her what she wants: a romantic setting and seemingly endless foreplay. Light candles, put on some sexy music (it’s subjective), open up a bottle of Merlot, and caress all of her erogenous zones, including her thighs, butt, back, neck, soles of her feet, and breasts.

The ensuing sex should be slow and rhythmic, and allow both parties to enjoy every sensation to its fullest. Basically, it should feel like it’s going in slow motion.

Don’t forget, she also wants to get wild with you…

Type 3 – Animalistic Sex

Other times, you are just so hot for each other that prolonging foreplay just seems like agony, like when you’re at a club and get incredibly turned on, but have to wait until you get home. Once you unlock that front door, it’s time for animalistic sex.

Grab her and kiss her hard, and rip each other’s clothes off; it doesn’t even matter if some of them stay on. Go ahead and do it doggy style on the living room floor, or prop her up on the kitchen counter if you so desire. Do it fast and hard. Grab her hair by the roots, yell if you feel like it; just be sure to check your inhibitions at the door.

Type 4 – Passionate Sex
Perhaps you were away on business and haven’t seen her for a week, or maybe you had a huge fight and need to make up; the point is you’re burning with desire and you want to devour each other.

The resulting sex should be intense and deeply felt. Hold on to her body and make love to her like she’s all the woman you could ever want or need.

Type 5 – Quickie Sex
This one’s great if you’re pressed for time, stressed out, or in an unusual location that you really shouldn’t be having sex in, such as in your office, or on a somewhat secluded beach.

This one’s quick and to the point; you want an orgasm and you want it now.

Type 6 – Kinky Sex
If you and your woman have been together for a while and trust each other, and are looking to spice things up, it may just be time to get kinky.

Get out the scarves and tie her hands behind her head or to the bedpost, and make her your slave. Or blindfold her and keep her guessing what you’ll do next. Get your hands on some edible body paints and make her body your canvas. Tease her with a feather. Or shock her system with ice cubes or candle wax. Spank her.

You can also get her to wear some sexy lingerie and do a little strip tease for you. She can be your naughty school girl, cowgirl, French maid; whatever turns you on.

keep it coming

As long as you and your woman have compatible sex drives and a sense of adventure when it comes to your sexual escapades, you should be able to lead a mutually fulfilling sex life and prevent the flame from dying. Just remember to switch it up and spice it up.

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10 FUNNY Body Connections: What Your Hand Says About Your Penis, And More

Your body parts are joined in ways you never imagined. For example, did you know the length of your index finger could secretly reveal your penis size? While most of these links sound strange, knowing about them could pay dividends down the line. Here are 10 crazy body connections that just might save your life.

1. What your voice says about your height: Researchers recently found that listeners can accurately determine the relative heights of speakers just by hearing them talk. Credit the frequency of "subglottal resonance," a sound produced in the lower airway of the lungs that gets progressively lower as height increases. Ever wonder why your tall buddies talk so low? Now you know.

2. What your eyes say about your brain: The small vessels behind your eyes could reveal how healthy your brain is, according to a recent report in Psychological Science. Researchers found that people with wider veins scored worse on IQ tests in middle age, which should give you another reason to get your peepers checked yearly.

3. What your skin says about your blood pressure: Wrinkles aren't just a sign of aging-they could also portend ticker trouble, a study says. When researchers separated people into groups based on cardiac disease risk and analyzed the youthfulness of their skin, those with the fewest wrinkles had lower blood pressure and lower heart disease risk.

4. What your hand says about your penis: We dare you to not look at your hand after reading this! Men whose index fingers are shorter than their ring fingers tend to have bigger penises, according to 2011 Korean research. That's because the testosterone guys get exposed to while they're still fetuses controls both penis and finger lengths, the researchers say.

5. What your fingers say about your cancer risk: A longer index finger might also put you at a lower risk of prostate cancer, according to a study in the British Journal of Cancer.

6. What your legs say about your erection: Suffering from restless leg syndrome (RLS)? You may have more serious problems than a case of the jimmy legs, finds a recent study from Harvard Medical School. Researchers found that men who had at least five RLS episodes each month were 50 percent more likely to develop erectile dysfunction than guys without fidgety limbs. Both conditions are linked to low levels of the feel-good chemical dopamine, which might be one potential explanation.

7. What your teeth say about your mind: A 2012 study suggested your ability to chew might predict your risk of dementia. But don't get too worried if you have trouble chomping: The researchers don't know if mental decline leads to poor dental care and less bite force, if difficulty chewing impacts the brain, or if it's simply just a random correlation.

8. What your pulse says about your heart: The flexibility of your aorta may soon be measured by checking the pulse in your finger, according to researchers. Your aorta is a major artery that, when stiff, can increase your risk of dying from heart attack or stroke. That could be good-and much more comfortable-news, since right now doctors have to check your pulse in the femoral artery deep in your groin to screen for aortic stiffness.

9. What your sleep says about your eyes: People with sleep apnea are almost twice as likely to develop glaucoma-an eye disease that can lead to blindness-within five years, finds research from Taiwan. When you aren't breathing at a normal rate, the loss of oxygen triggers damage to the optic nerves, or causes abnormal levels of gases in your blood-both of which could lead to glaucoma.

10. What your lips say about your memory: If you're one of the millions of people who get cold sores, that pesky outbreak on your lip could put you at an increased risk for Alzheimer's and dementia, according to a study. Researchers followed adults between the ages of 59 and 79 for eight years and found that those with a higher infectious burden-meaning they'd been exposed to a higher-risk virus, such as herpes simplex virus 1 and 2-were more likely to have worse cognition.

Signs He Wants You Only For Sex

If the thought that your relationships have nothing to do with love already hit you once or twice and you suspect that you are just being used for sex, this article is for you.

Signs that your man may needs you only for sex.

Have you ever met his friends?

If not that could be a very large red flag for you. If he is truly in the relationship because he is happy with you and is proud to be with you, there is no reason that he wouldn't want you to get acquainted with his friends.

Your relationships are one-sided

If you think back, can you remember a time when he did something for you or are you the one that is always cooking, cleaning, and buying him things but there is never the courtesy of reciprocation.

He says compliments only about your appearance

You like to hear that you are beautiful or smoking hot, but what about compliments to your personality of something that you do that is cute? If your guy only compliments your looks then you may want to start looking elsewhere.

He is never around when you need him a lot

When you really need support or someone to lean on and you are in a relationship you will usually go to your significant other. But what if he is never around? If he doesn't want to be there for the emotional happenings than he shouldn't be there for the bedroom happenings either.

You are only role-playing during sex

If the only thing you ever do in bed is role play then you just may be being used. If he is always trying to pretend that you are someone else other than yourself he may not really be liking your for who you truly are.

WOW! Sex Might Actually Make You Smarter

Forget mindfulness meditation, computerized working-memory training, and learning a musical instrument; all methods recently shown by scientists to increase intelligence. There could be an easier answer. It turns out that sex might actually make you smarter.

Researchers in United States and South Korea recently found that sexual activity in mice and rats improves mental performance and increases neurogenesis (the production of new neurons) in the hippocampus, where long-term memories are formed.

"Sexual interaction could be helpful," researchers wrote, "for buffering adult hippocampal neurogenesis and recognition memory function against the suppressive actions of chronic stress."

So growing brain cells through sex does appear to have some basis in scientific fact.

But there's some debate over whether fake sex - pornography - could be harmful. American neuroscientists recently argued that excessive porn viewing, like other addictions, can result in permanent "anatomical and pathological" changes to the brain.

Whether or not porn "addiction" literally damages the brain, even brief viewing of pornographic images does interfere with people's "working memory" - the ability to mentally juggle and pay attention to multiple items. A study published last October in the Journal of Sex Research tested the working memory of 28 healthy individuals when they were asked to keep track of neutral, negative, positive, or pornographic stimuli. "Results revealed worse working memory performance in the pornographic picture condition," researchers concluded.

One myth about sex - or perhaps it's just a joke? - is that "testosterone poisoning" makes young men stupid. Actually, a 2007 study measured the level of testosterone in the saliva of prepubertal boys, including some who were intellectually gifted, some who were average, and some who were mentally challenged. Boys of average intelligence had significantly higher testosterone levels than both mentally challenged and intellectually gifted boys, with the latter two groups showing no significant difference between each other.

But if having sex can make people smarter, the opposite is not true: being smarter does not mean you'll have more sex. Smarter teens, in fact, tend to delay their initiation of coital activities.

In old age, too, cognitive abilities affect one's chances of getting lucky. A study published just last month found that older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often a forerunner of Alzheimer's disease, were only about half as likely to have engaged recently in sexual activity as were their cognitively healthy peers. Of those with MCI, just 32.5 percent had recently engaged in sex, compared to 62.3 percent of those without MCI.

Perhaps, however, the dream of getting smarter through sex is just an alluring fantasy. Neuroscientists have reported that while many activities can increase the rate at which new brain cells are born, only effortful, successful learning increases their survival.

Sex To Bring Back The Spark In Your Marriage

Marriage without sex is wide-open to temptation. Don't kid yourselves that you can be 'best friends' and your marriage will last. Sooner or later, temptation will arise, either from a partner's co-worker, another member of the church choir or a neighbor.

The drive to have sex is powerful, and it will be satisfied, one way or another. When your relationship lasts for a while, your lovemaking will change. As you get closer, passion no longer grows automatically out of the excitement of the new and unknown.

Rather than allowing your energy to subside, you can allow your lovemaking to change and grow, deepening as your partnership does. These suggestions will help you create a variety of experiences together.

Quickies: These are ways you have sex when you don't really have time for a full, leisurely romantic evening. One of you giving oral sex before you leave for work, petting to climax in the car at a drive-in movie, using vibrators to have orgasms without a lot of foreplay late at night, taking a nap and having a "quickie" before rushing off to a party.

Sneaky Sex: This has the added excitement of "forbidden fruit" - having silent sex behind locked doors while the children are watching TV, sneaking lovemaking in your childhood bedroom while visiting your parents, visiting your partner at work and having quickie sex on the couch in a locked office.

Romantic Sex: This is the full-blown variety; candlelight, dinner, quiet talking, dressing up, perhaps a lovely hotel room, or a romantic dinner for two when you have time alone at home. Especially good for anniversaries, Valentine's day, or anytime your relationship needs a boost.

New Couple Sex: Recreate a scene from your dating days, as closely as possible - the time you met at church and couldn't wait to get home and make love, the flowers you used to bring home as a surprise, or saying all the silly, wildly in-love things you said then.

Make-up Sex: After you've had an argument or a struggle, and forgiven each other, lovemaking can be extra tender and memorable.

Comforting Sex: When one of you is sad or stressed, the other is especially caring and soothing, doing all your favorite things to comfort and relax you.

Relaxing Sex: This is the kind to do on a weekend morning, when you have no obligations, and can laze around, have breakfast in bed, and make love for as long as you want; no pressure, no hurry and no demands on each other.

Reassuring Sex This is affection and intimacy intended to reassure a partner who is temporarily insecure, or designed to reaffirm your mutual love and commitment to each other. It is often accompanied by many verbal declarations of love and explaining again why you are so important to each other.

Fantasy Sex: Act out all the silly, forbidden or exciting fantasies - nurse and patient, two little children "playing house", master or dominatrix and slave, stripper and customer, extraterrestrial alien and abductee, famous movie star and adoring fan, your two favorite characters from a soap opera, novel or movie, or anything else you can imagine. This is a great time for costumes, masks, sexual toys, leather outfits, or whatever enhancements you enjoy.

Secrets To A Happy Relationship

For a lot of people, the most important thing in the world is being in a relationship. There's security in it: you're loved, you have a partner, and you're no longer out there in the world, single, trying to make sense of the bizarre messages you get on dating sites. Being in a relationship is great! But it's also hard work, and being happy all the time takes a lot of patience and effort.

One of the largest studies of relationships ever has finally reported its findings. Conducted over a two-year period that encompassed 5,000 people of all relationship statuses, ages and sexual orientation, the research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, reveals some pretty interesting keys to keeping your relationship happy.

Let's break it down for you

Don't have kids: Once you're married the questions about when you're going to have a baby start. It's as if it's just the mandatory next step in this whole thing called life, and any mother will tell you it's the greatest thing in the entire world. However, couples that have chosen not to have kids feel most "satisfied" overall, and more valued by their partner. Although the study did find that the most miserable of the group are women who don't have a partner or child, and the happiest of everyone are mothers, this is about happiness in relationships.

Say "thank you": It might seem really insignificant, but when you thank someone, whether it's your partner or someone else, you're showing your appreciation. People like to feel appreciated. If you take two people with great manners and who make each other feel appreciated, you're looking at a relationship full of bliss.

Give compliments: People like to know that they look good or have a talent for something. Complimenting people makes you feel good, and gives them an ego boost. Happy people make for happy relationships.

Have some experience: The study found that those who had already done the long-term serious relationship thing were actually better at their next relationship. We learn from our past mistakes and bring it with us to our new experiences - how can that not be a recipe for greatness?

Don't be a middle-aged man, but do be a woman 34-years-old or younger: According to the study, the happiest men in relationships were those who were either younger or older; those guys in the middle weren't as cheery about their relationships. As for ladies, society doesn't make aging easy, so if you're under 34 now, make mental notes as to what makes you happy about your relationship and carry it with you into your later years.

Be in a same-sex relationship: Apparently, straight couples don't like to put in as much as work as gay couples, which leads to both components feeling less positive about their relationship. It was also found that straight couples are least likely to say, "I love you."

If you have kids, don't get married: Lastly, it was found that unmarried parents are a little bit happier than those who tie the knot. Just because you have a child with someone doesn't mean you have to walk down the aisle! Do what's right for you, and right for the happiness of your relationship, not what people tell you is "right."