[Question #11907] Oral sex risk
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11 months ago
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I am a male and had unprotected oral sex with a female (giving and receiving)
1) What would you assign as my statistical risk for the oral sex cunnilingus risk for HPV, Gon or Chlam?
2) What are changes if I had no symptoms in 7 days that I have Gon or Chlam that she gave me something from the fellatio she performed?
1) What would you assign as my statistical risk for the oral sex cunnilingus risk for HPV, Gon or Chlam?
2) What are changes if I had no symptoms in 7 days that I have Gon or Chlam that she gave me something from the fellatio she performed?
3) If I have another partner and have not had symptoms, would you resume activities?
4) If I acquired oral Gon or Chlam, what are changes it would resolve on it's own? how long. Same if for genital despite not having symptoms.
Thank you so much. this forum is amazing and a great service to all
4) If I acquired oral Gon or Chlam, what are changes it would resolve on it's own? how long. Same if for genital despite not having symptoms.
Thank you so much. this forum is amazing and a great service to all
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
11 months ago
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Welcome to the forum. I'm happy to address these issues.
The statistical risks you ask about are difficult to estimate; it's complicated. But in general, the risk of any STD is a lot lower than you might imagine. At any point in time, the large majority of sexually active persons -- including female sex workers -- have no transmissible STD. And even when infected, most exposure do not result in the infection being transmitted to the partner. Further, oral sex in general is low risk. To your specific questions, as best I can respond:
1) Cunnilingus is almost the lowest risk of all sexual practices, with very low rates of all STDs for both the vaginal and oral partner. For any single exposure, even with a woman at particularly high risk of infection, the chance you would acquire HPV, gonorrhea or chlamydia by performing cunnilingus is probably under one chance in several thousand. Chlamydia in particular rarely takes hold in the throat. Gonorrhea can do so, but is very rare from cunnilijngus. Your risk of penile infection from receiving fellatio is higher, but still very low for all STDs and virtually zero for many (like chlamydia and HIV, for example). The main risks are gonorrhea (still under once in hundreds or thousands of events), herpes due to HSV1, and syphilis. For practical purposes, no risks at all for HPV, chlamydia, and HIV.
2) Absence of symptoms within 5 days is strong evidence against gonorrhea and herpes. For syphilis, 7 days is meaningless: the initial sore of syphilis (chancre) typically starts after 10-20 days.
3) For the most part, yes I would -- but it depends on the nature of the oral sex partner and her (or his) chance of being infected.
4) Gonorrhea and chlamydia are cleared by the immune system, typically within a few weeks -- sooner for oral than genital infection. But never count on this: before they clear, serious complications (with life lone consequences) are possible. If you think you had a high risk exposure, you need to be tested and, if infected, treated.
I hope these comments are helpful. If you'd like to say more about the sorts of partner(s) you would have for such events, I might be able to give more precise estimates.
HHH, MD
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11 months ago
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I was in the VIP room of a strip club. High end club She said she gets tested regularly but I doubt for oral std.
How worried about syphilis should I be ?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
11 months ago
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The large majority of syphilis in the US currently is in men having sex with men. If you're in certain geographic areas (like parts of Arizona, Texas, So. California) it's more common in women but still rare.
It is very rare to have oral gonorrhea or other STDs in absence of genital infection. Therefore, her negative genital testing very likely rules out oral infection.
It sounds like this was a very safe exposure. If somehow I were in your situation, in absence of symptoms within a few days, I would not be tested for anything and would continue unprotected sex with my wife without worry.
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11 months ago
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Thank you. One final question: so based on your response you do not consider hpv a risk from oral sex?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
11 months ago
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The level of HPV risk from oral sex has never been well studied. Probably there is some risk. However, having HPV -- genital, oral, or both -- is normal and expected in all sexually active people. Most infections never cause visible or sympomatic disease, and the events described did not materially increase your risk of having an oral HPV problem some day, or a genital HPV infection that could have been acquired by oral sex. Because HPV disease (warts, pre-cancer, etc) typically occurs years later, it almost never is possible to know when, from whom, or from what sex acts the infection was acquired. HPV is a normal, expected, unavoidable aspect of human sexuality. The main way to prevent HPV disease relies NOT to try to avoid HPV exposure, which is impossible, but by vaccination to prevent infection with the 9 HPV types that cause 90% of warts and cancers. Then otherwise forget it.
As you realize, that concludes this thread. I hope the discussion has been helpful. Best wishes and stay safe.
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