[Question #10715] HPV and Oral sex

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20 months ago
Sorry to be back.  8 yrs ago I had condom.protected oral sex performed on me by a stripper.  My wife of 30 yrs is coming up for her pap test again, HPV is not automatically tested for in the part of Canada I am at.  So I am wondering from this encounter what are my risks of acquiring and passing HPV onto her?  Thank you for your patience 
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20 months ago
I should add she has had 2 negative papa since that time 
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
20 months ago
Welcome back, but I'm sorry you found it necessary.

Oral sex carries very low risk for HPV; your really needn't be worried about it. That event 8 years ago carried little or no risk for HPV, not much more risk than the hand-genital even you described in your previous thread. The policies about HPV testing in Canada are the same world wide:  HPV testing is never done in routine STD evaluation, only in women having Pap smears.

As for perhaps infecting your partner with HPV, it depends on your and her sexual lifestyles over the years -- never on any single exposure. Assuming you've had at least a few sex partners in your life, you can safely assume you have been infected with HPV and could still have a dormant infection that could reactivate. Same for your wife. Previously silent HPV shows up from time to time on women's Pap smears, even after 30 years or more. In the event she ever has an abnormal Pap (with or without HPV), it will not be on account of either your oral exposure 8 years ago or your more recent masturbation event.

Really, don't worry about HPV. Everybody gets it (at least 90% of all people). It's a normal, expected consequence of sexuality. You and your wife can deal with it if and when it shows up on a Pap smear or for other reasons, but even then it won't be a serious issue and would have no implications for your or her current sexual practices and exposures.

I hope these comments finally settle HPV issues for you! But let me know if anything still isn't clear.

HHH, MD
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20 months ago
Hello Dr.Handsfield,
Thank you so much for your timely and informative response. I very much appreciate the professionalism in it.  
You have made things most clear to me and provided me with immense reassurance.  
I will do my best to work on moving on and healing.

All the blessings of the holiday season to you 

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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
20 months ago
Thanks for the thanks and your kind comments. I'm glad to have helped. Happy holidays yourself. I'll keep this thread open another 24 hours in case other thoughts come to mind.---
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20 months ago
I will ask for completeness, any comments you can provide about HPV wart formation from these events would be enlightening.   Thank you 
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
20 months ago
Most HPV infections do not cause warts. When they do, warts typically appear anywhere from 2 months to a couple of years after being infected.

The chance of warts from the events you have described is zero for all practical purposes. Don't worry about it.
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