[Question #12863] Unprotected oral sex

4 months ago

Greetings, 3 days ago I received oral sex from a SW, blow job without a condom. I also had vaginal sex with her with a condom she insisted. I understand transmission in this manner is extremely low however my anxiety is getting the best of me and I am concerned. In your opinion is there a need to be tested, especially for gonorrhea or chlamydia? Should I wait if they’re are symptoms? The SW was adamant that she is always mindful about safety being a single mom, but the unprotected oral she performed is contrary to that and has me concerned. Thank you

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

4 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thank you for your confidence in our services.

This was a very safe encounter, with little risk for any STI. Oral sex in general is safe sex; not entirely risk free, but zero risk for many STI‘s (including HIV) and low risk for all. In addition, you describe a partner who is very unlikely to have any transmissible infections, especially involving her oral cavity. That your partner sometimes has unprotected oral sex is not contrary to her being sexually safe. Probably you were at higher risk (although still very low risk) from the condom protected vaginal sex than you were from unprotected oral.

Testing for HIV or other STIs generally isn’t necessary or advised after any single exposure and I do not recommend it for you now. However, I understand that some anxious persons are more reassured by negative tests than by professional opinion, no matter how expert. (We don’t take it personally!) if that applies to you, feel free to have a urine gonorrhea/chlamydia test, valid any time 4-5 days or more after exposure; and perhaps HIV and syphilis blood tests in a few weeks.

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

HHH, MD

---
---

4 months ago

Thank you for the reply. I didn’t realize that the protected vaginal sex was more of a risk than the unprotected oral sex. So in your opinion other than easing anxiety, you wouldn’t recommend getting tested based on this encounter? Also for the syphilis or hiv, how many weeks after possible exposure do you recommend testing?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

4 months ago

There almost always is skin-skin contact during condom-protected sex, as well as skin contact with partners' genital fluids. But saying that one is higher risk than the other is just educated guesswork; and in any case the risks are small either way. Maybe one carries an over all risk of one chance in thousands and the other one chance in double thousands.

I've already given you my advice about testing: re-read my comments above. It's entirely up to you.

The standard syphilis and HIV blood tests are conclusive after 6 weeks.

---

4 months ago

I see that makes sense very low risk on both. I reread your original reply about testing my apologies. I understand that not all STIs have symptoms and the ones that do they are not always present. In the cases of the ones that can have symptoms what are the typical time frames they usually present themselves? I know gonorrhea/chlamydia can have burning and discharge while syphilis and herpes can have sores. Thank you again I appreciate your time.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

4 months ago

Whole textbook chapters have been written about the main symptoms of the common STIs. All I can say within the limits of this forum are that urethral chlamydia and gonorrhea typically cause discharge from the penis and painful urination, sooner with gonorrhea (usually 2-5 days) and later and less severe for chlamydia (1-2 weeks). The chance of either herpes or syphilis is too low to warrant description here; you can easily find the information online, including photos of typical lesions.

That completes the two follow-up comments and replies included with each question and so ends this thread. Thanks for the thanks; I'm glad to have helped.

---