[Question #12573] HPV std risk from escort

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6 months ago

Hello, I'm 28 and in a 10 year + relationship with my GF, we've both been our first and only sex partner. I had two sexual encounters with escorts on seperate occassions in Oct. and Nov. of 2024, both times for prox 15 min, I've used protection for oral and vaginal. I got a full pannel std test 2,5 months after the last encounter, everything negative. On the 2nd encounter I came in contact with her vaginal fluids (strong smell) during sex, groin/testicle/pubic area. Escorts share the same risk of HPV as everybody else. HPV transmission is more likely to happen when two partners sleep together often - for examp. in a relationship. Both women were in their 30s, since they work escort they surely had hpv exposure in the past, no one can say if they had an active infection at the time of sex with me or not. If the infection was active they would most likely have passed it to me. It's very likely to aquire HPV if you had 3 or more sex partners in your life. For me this would be 2 since my GF and I have been exclusive. Altough 2 year plus incubation of HPV is rare, it seems that a lot of people write of these things happening to them in their relationships - positive test years later from one contact only. I assume that this information is unreliable. My question is, all things considered do I have a relatively high or low risk of getting it? Is the likelyhood of me passing it (if and when I'm active) to my girlfiend lower than me getting it in the first place? She got vaccinated as a teen, cancer risk low, will it even be detecteable? Is there any other std i should get tested for now - 1 year later, is the risk for all other std or bacteria over, should I worry at all?

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Edward W. Hook M.D.
6 months ago
Welcome to our Forum.  Thanks for your questions.  It is apparent from your post that you have sought information on HPV and most of what you say is correct.  It is likely that your commercial sex worker partner had HPV, or at least had  it at some time in the past (she could have had a prior HPV infection which was no longer active) .  HPV is transmitted through DIRECT contact, not with contact with genital fluids and even if one or both or your partners did have active HPV, not all exposures result in transmission of infection (transmission likely occurs in less than half of single exposures) and condoms further reduce the risk of having acquired HPV by more than 60%.  I would classify your risk of having acquired HPV and having active infection a year or two later as low but certainly not zero.  More exposures will, of course, increase your risk.  

Your girlfriend has an advantage as well having been vaccinated, a practice which reduces the risk of acquiring HPV due to the most common HPV types by more than 95% and is associated with reduced risk of developing HPV-related cancer.  As long as she gets her regular reproductive health checks as recommended her risk of HPV or HPV related cancer is very, very low.  

At this time I see no pressing need for testing for STIs from a medical/scientific perspective.  Testing however is a personal choice and many of or clients chose to test for the comfort that a negative test provides.  Should you choose to test, the important STIs to test for are gonorrhea, chlamydia , syphilis and HIV.  I urge you not to seek a blood test for herpes as these tests are all too often falsely positive.  

I hope that this information is helpful.  EWH
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