[Question #10005] Unprotected oral
26 months ago
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Hello, I recently received an unprotected blow job from a stripper. I have no reason to believe she had any std’s except for that she asked for a room temperature glass of water (sore throat)?
I have no symptoms besides anxiety of infecting a partner. Is it possible to be asymptomatic of an std and still infect a partner? Should I get tested or am I just wasting time and resources?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
26 months ago
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Welcome to our forum. Thanks for your question as well as for your confidence in our service. I’ll be glad to comment. The exposure you described was very low risk, but not no risk. Let me tell you the reasons that I say this:
1. Most strippers/commercial sex workers do not have STI’s. As a generalization, and because of their work, they tend to be cautious and get checked regularly.
2. Amongst penetrative, sexual encounters, receipt of oral sex is unlikely to lead to infection. When it does, the infection occurring most often is Gonorrhea. Chlamydial infections of the throat are very rare.
3. Even when persons have oral gonorrhea ( or chlamydia) the infections are usually not transmitted through fellatio. Transmission occurs substantially less than 20% of the time, and probably a lower proportion than that. Data on the frequency of transmission are scarce..
3. You don’t say how recently the exposure was, however, most gonococcal infections become symptomatic within 3 to 5 days following an exposure. The absence of symptoms is for the strong evidence that you are not infected.
When you put all of these facts together, the likelihood that you were infected through the exposure you describe is very, very low (less than 1%). Whether or not you choose to have a urine test to rule out the possibility of infection is up to you. Personally, if it has been more than three or four days since your exposure, I would not be worried.
I hope this perspective is helpful to you. EWH.
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