[Question #11725] Syphilis Symptoms

12 months ago

Hello, I hate to be back but here we are. I tested negative for syphilis 3 weeks post exposure (receiving oral on 4/6) with CIA, negative for Syphilis 5, 6, and 10 weeks post exposure RPR. However, I experienced all of the primary and secondary syphilis symptoms which led me to being tested multiple times. Two small sores on my shaft appeared around week 5 post exposure and I began having headaches, sore throat, and body aches from week 9-10 post exposure. I resumed regular sexual behaviors with my girlfriend around 5 weeks post exposure. Now, she’s having extremely painful throat, headaches, and body aches. I can’t help but think this is syphilis or another STD causing these symptoms for her. Please advise on what to do next. I’m going to get tested again on Aug 17 at PP for Syph. Should I do RPR? Or, request treponemal test to avoid prozone if that’s what’s happening in my case due to symptoms being so in line with Syphilis? Your advice is appreciated. Thanks.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

12 months ago

Welcome back. But I'm afraid you're putting two and two together and coming up with something other than four. Your negative test results are 100% proof that neither your symptoms nor your partner's are caused by syphilis -- and your symptoms don't suggest syphilis anyway. What makes you think they do -- they're not even close! No STD at all causes the combination of symptoms you describe. You and your partner almost certainly are sharing a viral upper respiratory infection like influenza, covid, or something similar. You could consider seeing a physician for diagnostic testing and treatment advice. But you can be confident these symptoms have absolutely nothing to do with the safe sexual exposure you had several weeks ago.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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12 months ago

Your last statement - "But you can be confident these symptoms have absolutely nothing to do with the safe sexual exposure you had several weeks ago" - is confusing as I'm not sure what exposure you are speaking of. I will provide the timeline below and see if you can provide any further guidance.

4/6 - Saran Wrap Protected Receipt of Oral Sex from Female at Massage Parlor

4/27 - Negative for all standard STD testing (CIA Syphilis test) - 3 weeks post exposure

5/11 - Negative Syphilis test (RPR) - 5 weeks post exposure and noticed two red spots on my shaft which are still there now which i noticed after resuming sex with my girlfriend.

5/18 - Negative Syphilis test (RPR) - 6 weeks post exposure

6/10 - Negative Syphilis test (RPR) - 10 weeks post exposure and began to have sore throat, headaches, and body aches.

7/30 - My girlfriend began to have the symptoms that I mentioned above, which is roughly 12 weeks after we began having sex again.

I'm also confused how these symptoms don't resemble Syphilis. Two sores on shaft five weeks post exposure. Sore throat, headaches, and body aches are associated with Secondary Syphilis which I began having 12 weeks post exposure and my girlfriend began having them 12 weeks after we began having sex again.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

12 months ago

"I'm not sure what exposure you are speaking of." Huh?? You have only described one exposure of concern.

"I'm also confused how these symptoms don't resemble Syphilis." What??? Syphilis is not at all typical as an explanation for headache, body aches, or sore throat -- and especially not that combination of symptoms, or the identical symptoms in two persons at the same time -- all of which of course ARE typical for respiratory viral infections. As for the "red spots" on your penile shaft, syphilis doesn't cause such a thing: if that were syphilis, they would have turned to open sores several weeks ago. Don't confuse my expertise with what you think you have learned from "Dr. Google". And I didn't need a reminder of the timeline!

You came here for our expert reassurance. I have given that, in no uncertain terms. Accept it or not, I don't care -- but this isn't a debate. Feel free to believe you have syphilis if you wish. But perhaps it will help you to know that in the 20 years of this and our preceding forum, with hundreds if not a couple thousand questions from people concerned they had acquired syphilis, not one has yet had confirmed syphilis. You will not be the first. If and when it happens, it will not be from a) a near-zero risk exposure, b) a person with false negative test results, or c) symptoms that don't fit the diagnosis.

Any further irrational or argumentative comments will result in immediate closure of this thread.

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12 months ago

I do apologize. My girlfriend was just tested for COVID and it came back positive. I guess that's reassuring? I will probably get retested on August 17th still for everything one last time but I understand your point of view that there's no chance I have Syphilis. Thanks.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

12 months ago

Apology accepted. But it's not simply my "point of view" you don't have syphilis. It's a scientific certainty. Don't have any more tests.

Please note the forum policy against repeat questions. This being your third, it will have to be your last; any further questions on these topics will receive no reply and the posting fee will not be refunded. This policy is based on compassion, not criticism, and is intended to reduce temptations to keep paying for questions with obvious answers. In addition, experience shows that continued answers tend to prolong users' anxieties rather than reducing them. Finally, such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's main purposes. Thanks for your understanding.

I do hope you will be able to move on without further worry. Best wishes.

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