On Jan 7, I had an encounter with a female masseuse. There was no intercourse or oral sex — only genital-to-breast contact: I rubbed my penis between her breasts and received a handjob. She was topless but wore underwear and pants. I did not notice any visible lesions on her breasts or hands, but I worry I may have missed something.

I tested negative (RPR/VDRL for syphilis and HIV) at 4, 7, and 16 weeks post-exposure. However, at 10 weeks (March 17), I took antibiotics for just one day — two tablets, each containing 500mg amoxicillin + 125mg clavulanic acid (total 1000mg/250mg), for a sore throat — and I’ve been concerned that this could have interfered with my 16-week syphilis test result.

I had unprotected sex with my wife on Jan 19. She tested negative (RPR/VDRL for syphilis and HIV) 39 days later. Her most recent lab showed AST (SGOT) of 45 U/L and Fibrosis-4 score of 1.96, compared to AST of 19 U/L three months prior. She has been taking atorvastatin 20mg daily for the past 3 months. Norcolut for one month. She was not fasting before that blood draw.

I had only ever taken two tablets of amoxicillin — is it still possible I was infected and cured, or can I safely conclude I was never infected in the first place?

Thank you.

Dr. Handsfield,

Just wanted to say a warm thank you for your latest reply — it really helped me finally breathe easy.

When all of this started, I honestly knew so little about STIs — I hadn’t even heard of chlamydia before, and barely understood HPV or syphilis. That lack of knowledge caused months, even a year of fear and guilt after the bad decisions.

Your clear, reassuring explanations (and also Dr. Hook and Terri) helped me make sense of everything, and let go of a lot of anxiety and worry.

I’ve learned so much thanks to all of you. Wishing you and the whole team and all clients here good health and happiness.

Much appreciated!!!

Sorry to ask again. I know this may not be necessary. But for peace of mind.

1. Even if I had been infected with syphilis from the January 7 encounter, the two tablets of amoxicillin (1000mg total) I took 10 weeks later would not have treated or cleared the infection — and would not have suppressed the antibody response necessary for my 16-week RPR/VDRL test to detect it, had I been infected.

   
   I just want to confirm this very late, low-dose antibiotic course could not have cured me and prevented antibody development. I want to be sure I was never infected in the first place, rather than unknowingly cured.
   (I had several times of protected sex with my wife after my negative 7-week test, and I’ve been worried that I might have transmitted to her during that time before being unknowingly cured)

2. When you said, “your syphilis blood test confirms you were not infected,” may I confirm that this conclusion includes — and is specifically based on — my negative 16-week test result?

3. I want to be completely sure that my 16-week test result is valid and fully reliable.

Thank you again for your patience and reassurance — it truly helps.