[Question #11859] STD
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11 months ago
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Hi doctors
Recently i visited 2 massage parlours 3 days ago and today which ended in unprotected oral sex and sex using condoms. They said they were tested but its not exactly legal. Im feeling very anxious about STDs as i fear that i would have gotten infected. So far i have not noticed any symptoms but still anxious just thinking about it.
Are there any risks involved in this and what are the chances of getting anything?
Planning to get tested 10 days from
now for ease of mind.
Any inputs on this
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
11 months ago
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Welcome to the Forum. Thanks for your questions. I'll be glad to comment. Here in the Forum we encounter a number of common misunderstandings. One of them is that commercial sex workers, other than the very low cost CSWs one might occasionally meet "on the street" have high rates of STIs, including HIV. In fact, this is not the case, particularly for those who work by appointment of in commercial sex establishments. Such persons actually tend to get checked regularly and take precautions to keep them safe- after all STIs are not good for their health and are bad for business. Another misperception is that STIs are more common than they actually are. In fact. they are relatively uncommon. A 3rd misperception is that if exposed to an infected partner, infection is likely when, in fact, most single exposures to infected partners do not result in infection. For all of these reasons, I would classify the encounter you describe as low risk.
That is not to say that there was no risk. Your condom protected vaginal sex was virtually no risk as long as the condom was worn throughout the encounter and did not break as occurs about 1% of the time condoms are used. There is some risk of STI, particularly gonorrhea from receipt of oral sex although as noted above, that risk is low. The risk of chlamydia or syphilis is far, far lower, approaching zero and there has never been a case of HIV proven to have been acquired from receipt of oral sex. FYI, about 90% of cases of gonorrhea are symptomatic within 3-5 days of exposure.
Bottom line- your risk for any STI is low. If you wish to pursue testing, results of a urine test will be conclusive any time more than 3-5 days after your exposure. When you test, I anticipate that the test will show that you do not have gonorrhea (or chlamydia- the two infections are almost always tested for together) and when that happens, I would urge you to move forward without concern. Hope this perspective is helpful. EWH
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11 months ago
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Hello thank you for your reply.
Just some follow up questions.
1. Am at risk of other STDs other than the ones you mentioned?
2. If i do decide to get tested should i just test for gonorrhoea and chlamydia or a full test for most STD?
3. If i still show no symptoms now can i be considered all clear?
Thank you
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
11 months ago
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These questions are repetitive. The answers are not going to change.
1. I mentioned gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV and syphilis. I would not worry about other STIs from the combination of condom protected genital sex and unprotected oral sex.
---2. It's a matter of timing. As I also said, you can test for gonorrhea and chlamydia any time more than 3-5 days after the encounter and results will be conclusive. Testing for syphilis and HIV testing would not be concluvie until 4 and preferable 6 weeks after the contact. I see no need for testing for these infections from what you say but testing is always a personal choice.
3. Most STIs can be asymptomatic. As I've also already told you, your encounter was low risk- lower for syphilis, HIV and chlamydia than gonorrhea. Testing is a personal decision.
EWH