[Question #12944] Oral Sex Risk
 |
3 months ago
|
Hi doctors! I hope everyone is doing well. I am coming back with a question. So, on Monday, I had a fling with a new partner. A girl that I had met over a year, but we were just friends. Unprotected blowjob (she to me). I am male. We work together, and I was going through a separation issue with my partner but decided today to give it a new shot. There was no vaginal/Anal sex, only receiving the blowjob. My question is, I know that this is a low risk, but I want to keep my current partner safe.
I suggest doing a Chalaydia and Gonora test after 1 week.
Hiv and syphilis, well, should I test for them?
Herpes: Well, I tested negative in November for both Hsv1 and Hsv2 and have never had clinical symptoms. What would you recommend to me?
My partner didn't have any visible sores.
Thank you.
 |
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
3 months ago
|
Welcome back.
---
Looking back at your several previous threads and the details of this one, it is apparent you are way over-concerned about HIV and other STIs even when the risk is little or none. This question is more of the same. You describe an exposure with little or no risk for any STI; we always advise against testing for after any single exposure and I would not recommend any of the tests you suggest. Of course you are free to test anyway if this advice isn't sufficient to resolve your fears; reassurance alone can be a valid reason for testing. So feel free to do it if you wish. Gonrrhea/chlamydia testing is valid any time 4-5 days or more after exposure; syphilis and HIV blood tests after 6 weeks. I would strongly advise against HSV testing in this situation. The tests themselves are too unreliable to be routinely recommended.
I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
------
|
3 months ago
|
Hi Dr. Handsfield, Thank you for your quick reply.I appreciate you answer and well, will just go over some things just to make things clear on my end, Also, to make sure I take care of my current partner due to the risk 6 days ago.. (Not with the new one of this question in the forum)
It was only oral sex that I received, no other contact, and did not see any visible blister or wounds around the outside of the mouth. Although it was a really rough bj with teeth and stuff.
- HIV - No real risk here so no need for testing correct?
- Gonorea /Chlamydia would be symptomatic, by now (either way i set up an urine test for tomorrow at 7 days), as of now no pain or discharge.
- Syphilis - Really rare in this case since it is more common on male to male action. So as long as i do not develop a Chancres in lets says in 20 days no test is also fine?
- HSV 2 is not really a risk here
- HSV 1 if i do. not develop symptoms in the next 10 days I should not worry?
Summarize it, if i do not develop symptoms in 14 days after exposure, would you think it would be ok to have unprotected sex iwth My current partner? or should at least wait out the six weeks for HIV/Syphilis as well the gono and chlam?
Thank you for your help!
|
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
3 months ago
|
1,3. Correct, zero risk or close to it. I wouldn't test for either HIV or syphilis if I were in your situation.
---
2. Gonorrhea would be symptomatic, but not necessarily chlamydia. Here too, from a personal standpoint I would not feel a need for testing, but would understand entirely if you decide to do so.
4. Also correct.
5. And so is this statement. The chance of genital HSV1 from any single unprotected oral sex exposure probably averages under one chance in thousands.
And I agree with your approach to resuming sex with your regular partner. Good plan.
------
|
3 months ago
|
Hi Dr. Handsfield, Thank you for your feedback.
This is my final follow-up. I won’t test for HIV or syphilis since the risk was minimal. I tested negative for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea at 7 days. For genital HSV-1, I'm at 10 days without symptoms.
Why do doctors recommend waiting at least two weeks for Gono/Chlamydia tests? My penis feels irritated, but everything looks normal, possibly due to anxiety. If I want to wait to have sex with my original partner, should I wait 14 or 20 days, assuming no pain, discharge, or sores? I also have no symptoms of flu, like fever or swollen lymph nodes. Thanks again for your help. Kind regards.
|
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
3 months ago
|
Good question about discrepant advice on timing of gonorrhea/chlamydia testing. The answer is simple. When the current nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) were developed and first tested, the time to conclusive testing could not be known, and the test manufacturers and the researchers studying them often decided to study persons who were at least two weeks beyond the last possible exposure. So when the tests worked and agency approval was sought to market them -- from the FDA in the US and counterpart agencies in other countries -- they said testing is known to have such and such reliability 2 weeks after exposure. This doesn't mean that earlier testing wouldn't work well, only that it had not yet been formally studied. Even as new data evolved -- and as clinical experience taught that the tests were valid after shorter times, it is administratively inconvenient and very costly to do additional studies required by FDA and its counterparts to approve a change in the labeling requirements. So 2 weeks remains the official standard, even though it is now clear that only 2-3 days is sufficient for gonorrhea and 4-5 days for chlamydia. These intervals also are supported by biological knowledge about how fast these organisms grow. (Because gon and chl testing almost always are automatically done together, on this forum we advise waiting 4-5 days to test for either gonorrhea or chlamydia.)
In closing, I note this is your eighth forum question, with most of them revealing the same mostly unrealistic fears and anxieties. You previously have been advised about the forum policy against repeated questions on the same topic, especially when driven largely by anxiety. This time the warning will stick: future questions along these lines will be subject to deletion without reply and without refund of the posting fee. ASHA is not keen on collecting payment when the answer is repeated and predictable, and such questions have reduced educational value for other users, one of the forum's goals. Thank you for your understanding.
I do hope this discussion has been helpful and allows you to move on without further worry. Best wishes and stay safe.
---