[Question #13723] Inquiry regarding whether my relationship is HPV-transmitting or not

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1 months ago
Hello Doctor, my only experience was unprotected oral sex, and I don't know the other person's oral health. Will this experience transmit HPV to my penis, or is it non-transmissible? Will I pass the virus to my future wife because of this experience? Am I 100% HPV-free from this encounter, Doctor? What do you think, Doctor, based on your extensive medical experience? I'm afraid of the unknown and of cancer.
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1 months ago
To clarify, the oral sex lasted two minutes, and I only received the vaccine three weeks after the oral sex. I don't know if the vaccine will prevent the infection from spreading to other basal cells or not.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
1 months ago
Welcome. Thank you for your confidence in our services.

Oral sex is low risk for all STIs -- and zero for some. The chance of HPV is especially low:  oral HPV infections are far less common than genital. Your partner's oral health makes no difference in HPV risk. I've never had a patient with genital warts or other HPV infection whose only possible exposure was oral sex. That doesn't mean the chance is zero, but it's very low. And as for cancer, it seems you misunderstand the risk from HPV. Even with the high risk HPV types that can cause cancer, the large majority of infections never develop to cancer. Penile cancer in particular is very rare; this really should not be a concern at all. It also seems you're searching online in far more detail than you should:  I'm not aware of special concern about basal cells and HPV. With unprotected exposure there is no way to avoid exposure of basal cells or any other skin cell but it probably doesn't matter anyway.

Vaccination against HPV after exposure probably has no effect on the chance of infection or later cancer. However, you can assume you will be at greater risk of HPV in the future, since up to 90% of all persons acquire genital HPV. (However, this obviously varies with sexual experience:  if you have no further sexual exposures, you will not be at risk. But if and when you have vaginal or anal sex in the future, especially if you have more than one partner, you can expect to acquire genital HPV -- and the vaccine will provide 100% protection against the 9 types of HPV that cause 90% of warts and cancers.

All things considered, it is very unlikely you have acquired genital HPV from your recent oral sex exposure. Continue with at least one more dose of HPV vaccine to solidify your HPV protection in the future. And do not worry about this single exposure.

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

HHH, MD
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1 months ago
1- Yes, my only exposure was oral sex, but I had shaved my pubic hair two hours before the encounter, and I don't know if I caused microscopic scratches and made it easier for the HPV to enter.

2- I shared a passionate kiss with the person for about ten seconds. The kiss wasn't forceful; our mouths were slightly parted around the lips, and there was barely any tongue contact—I don't even know if my tongue touched his or not. I don't know if this kiss could transmit the hpv and cause oral cancer.

3- We had a naked hug without penetration or friction, and I think our genitals touched slightly. Can the hpv be transmitted this way?

These are all the details of my relationship, and it was very superficial. Based on your extensive medical experience, how would you assess the transmission of the virus? Thank you, Doctor, for your understanding and response. I apologize for the length of this message.
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
1 months ago
There's no need to apologize. However, it is apparent you are WAY over worried about HPV given your zero risk non-exposure events.

1. There is an incredible amount of nonsense online about microscopic skin wounds, as might occur with shaving, and STI risk. It's almost entirely BS. There is little or no known increased risk.

2. Kissing, no matter how prolonged or "passionate", does not spread HPV, HIV, or other STIs -- or at least too rarely to worry about.

3. No, HPV cannot be transmitted by such contact.
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1 months ago
Thank you very much, Doctor. I felt it was my duty to tell my future wife that I might have contracted HPV as a result of that one oral sex in my entire life, because I didn't want to make a huge mistake against my wife. I was completely ignorant of the matter because there was no blood test available, and this is what confused me. I have all the appreciation and respect for you, Doctor, and I wish you all the best and a happy life.
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1 months ago
Dear Dr. Hunter, please bear with me a little longer. I need your guidance. For three days, I've been reading about people in my situation on this forum and found varying answers regarding HPV transmission from the mouth to the penis through oral sex. The answers were: zero risk, possible risk, rare, minimal, and expected risk. This has left me confused and uncertain. Is it so virtually nonexistent that the last thing on my mind is contracting HPV from oral sex, like HIV and hepatitis, to the point where I can confidently assume I haven't been infected? Or is it a low risk, but a considerable and observable one? Your answer to this question would be a complete cure for me, allowing me to move forward forever thanks to you. I wish you a happy life, and I hope my question will benefit everyone.
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1 months ago
I am a man, and the person who performed oral sex on my penis was also a man, not a woman. Does this make a difference?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
1 months ago
Sorry for the longer than usual delay in responding to these follow-up questions.

As you now understand, you had no duty to inform your future wife about that exposure or your concerns about HPV. 

You're splitting hairs in interpreting other replies on this forum about HPV risks from oral sex. Of course nobody can say the risk is zero; it's difficult if not impossible to prove a negative. Many if not all our replies that state "zero risk" should be interpreted as their being little or no proved risk, or that such transmission is rare enough it can be considered zero for all practical purposes. Every reply on this forum is carefully crafted to respond to the particular question asked and the user's situation; you cannot expect all such replies to equally valid for all other similar questions.

It is likely that oral sex is not zero risk for HPV transmission. However, I have never seen nor heard of a case; and yes, after only one such event you can "confidently assume [you] haven't been infected." Also, be aware that HPV sometimes shows up with no sexual exposure at all -- that is, some infections seem not to be sexually acquired. In any case, if you happen to have HPV diagnosed someday in the future, probably you will have no way of knowing how or from whom you were infected.

The sex of your oral sex partner makes no difference in the chance you acquired HPV.
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