Not that any of this is funny, but the funny thing is that OCD isn't rational. If it soothes your OCD to do something harmless, or even smart, like getting HIV tests every so often, then you ought to do it I think. It's not like it can hurt you and it's not like you'd be defying your husband by doing that.

My wife and I both have some minor OCD. She can't leave the house without checking that the stove is off, and cannot leave with the dryer running. She also has to bolt the door closed, even if I'm just walking down the hall to toss the garbage down the chute. None of these things is worth making a big deal about because they are harmless.

For me, I have OCD tendencies that give me something akin to an allergic reaction to cardboard boxes and newspapers. I absolutely cannot touch a newspaper. And cardboard boxes make my skin crawl. I hate them. When we got married and then had a baby, I dreaded getting gifts because they always arrived in filthy cardboard boxes. I carry the empty boxes to the dumpster like they're full of dirty diapers. Then I have to wash my hands, forearms, and face well to feel normal again. It's weird and annoying, but really not a big deal or harmful.

So...I'd say - give yourself a break. Being a germ-o-phobe isn't really a problem until you become a shut-in like Howard Hughes. If you get to that point, you probably want to seek professional help. But short of that, you're not crazy or irrational. Being careful to avoid germs is ultimately a good thing. When your husband says it's irrational, well, he's not wrong. He's just being a bit insensitive. I think it's fair to say 'hey, give me a break. I'm OCD about this. Better that I desperately want to avoid disease than have an obsessive need to run naked in the streets or bite the heads off live snakes.' That's the kind of extreme perspective that can permeate even the thickest of male skulls (being male, feel qualified to say this...).