[Question #1512] Unprotected oral, handjob and fingering.

93 months ago

Doctor,

1) I had two encounters with the same local woman in Barbados (status unknown) and want to understand my exposure, if any to HIV/STDs. The first night was 16 days ago in which I received unprotected oral sex, I did not climax in her mouth but did afterwards through masturbation, she did however suck for a few minutes and then give me a handjob. The reason nothing else probably happened that night was that she said she was on her period; there was however no blood on the bed sheets the next day, and I think my hand to vaginal contact was minimal if any, she actually left her knickers on all night.

2) The second encounter was three days later. On this occasion she sucked me very very briefly, maybe for 10 seconds, before we agreed to foreplay in which she gave me a three separate hand-jobs throughout the night / following morning and I fingered her on two of these occasions. There was absolutely no penetration at any point and although we both climaxed it was only through hand touching. She did squirt a little and was very wet and I did ejaculated on her stomach. From memory there were no open cuts and her dental hygiene appeared very good (I actually commented on how amazing her teeth were).

3) Having read many forums I believe this to be fairly low risk but as I am in a committed relationship with somebody else I do have lot of guilt over these encounters and would hate to compound that further by passing something on her. I have had a lump in my throat for the last few days and back pain, could this be a sign of something? I am due to travel home on the 22nd December but am flying back out for work soon after; could I take a rapid finger prick test three weeks post exposure, or would this be too soon to give any conclusive results?

Thanks.

Edward W. Hook M.D.

93 months ago

Welcome to our Forum. I'll be pleased to comment. I agree, the activities you describe were low risk and at this time, if you are without symptoms as appears to be the case, there is no reason for concern or for abstinence from unprotected sex with your regular partners.

To elaborate:

1. Most people do not have STIs, even those with multiple partners.

2. There is no risk for STI from mutual masturbation or from getting your partner's genital secretions on your hands.

3. There was no risk for HIV from ANY of the activities you describe.

4. From receipt of oral sex, people occasional get either gonorrhea or non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). Both are typically symptomatic within a week at the outside. The likelihood that you have either of these is far less than a fraction of 1%.

I see no need for STI testing of any sort, including for HIV from the events that you have described. EWH

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93 months ago

Thanks doctor. As I mentioned I have a sore throat and bad back and this morning a little bit of a blocked nose, from reading stuff on the Internet (probably a bad idea granted) it suggests that this could be a sign of std/ hiv. In your years of experience do you think the aniexty could be causing this (especially the lump in my throat) rather than anything else? It seems to come and go depending on how much I think about these incidents. I have zero symptoms around my penis and groin.

Would your advice to me be to man up and keep it in my pants, but ultimately to move on and forget about it?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

93 months ago

Your suggestion for the way forward brought a smile to my face. Those are not the words I would choose but I do agree that you need to forget about your dalliance and move forward without concern. I also agree that going to the internet is a bad idea- much of what is said there is stated out of context, misinterpreted or sometimes just plain wrong. I should also add that nasal congestion is not part of the symptoms which characterize recently acquired HIV. It sounds like you caught a cold in your travels. EWH
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93 months ago

Ok thanks doc, what about the throat you didn't comment on that question? Is that a symptom or could it just be anxiety?

out of curiosity would the chances of infection rise given that the first episode took place whilst she was on here period?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

93 months ago

The sore throat of recently acquired HIV is quite severe. When it occurs, it is accompanied by high fevers, severe muscle aches and sometimes a bit or diarrhea or a generalized skin rash. Further, you did not have vaginal or rectal sex with her and there has never been a case of HIV proven to be acquired from receipt of oral sex or mutual masturbation -not one! Finally, there are no studies which suggest the fact that an infected partner is having her period increase the risk of infection at all and many studies have looked. Like I said earlier, there is no reason for concern based on what you have told me. If you wish to prove this to yourself, get a 4th generation (combination HIV antigen/antibody) test at 4 weeks after your last exposure. I have every confidence that it will be negative. At 4 weeks the results will be definitive.

Forum guidelines permit up to three replies per question. You are welcome to comment further but this will be my final reply and the thread will be closed later today. EWH

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93 months ago

Ok thanks doctor. I'd also like to take the opportunity to comment on what a good service I think you and the team offer, I think it was money well spent as it calmed me. Regards