[Question #1680] STDs & Hiv worries..

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91 months ago
Dear Doctor,

First , im Sorry for my english, im a native french speaking and didn't study english so forgive me for my mistakes.
I write you today because even if i read a lot of your answers to peoples that are in the same situation as me, im still worried and need some peace of mind(or not).
In the last 2 years, i had sex with several CWS (about 5) here in switzerland (they were coming from different countries) . They were not "high Class" escort but average CWS (that i believe have many customers).
All the times the sex was protected (oral and genital) i french kissed 2 of those girls though...

BUT there was an exception ... with one of thoses girls(spanish girl) i had unprotected oral, I gived her a cunnilingus for about 1 minute. 
I licked her clitoris with my tongue, didn't got to the lips area and didn't  insert my tongue in her vagina. 

That was 1 year ago. 

However, i started to feel guilty of what i did since i made some research on the internet and read that was a risk of STDs and Hiv transmission trough oral sex and also that genital sex even with condom it's not sure 100%..  that's make me freaked out. (im specially worry about syphilis and HIV)

So, doctor do you think i need to worry about it? Because i read that most of the times STds dont have symptoms(i did not so i started thinking too much about it)

I didnt saw anything like a sore or whatever on the the girl's vagina or any others girls body but it was very dark rooms and can't really remember..(1 year already).

PS : Im also a carrier of genital herpes for a few years akready i've been tested before those risks..

Sorry for the long message but it was difficult to make it shorter.And im scare because i called the HIV hotline in my home country and they clearly told me that was a risk of infection..





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Edward W. Hook M.D.
91 months ago

Welcome to our Forum and thanks for a question.  As you point out, this is a frequent concern.  I hope that the comments that I make will reassure and help you.  The exposures that you describe were virtually no risk for HIV and very, very low risk for syphilis.  If I were you I would not be worried at all.

First condoms.  Studies of condoms for HIV prevent show that as long as condoms are used throughout sex and do not break (condoms do break, about 1% of the time) they provide close to complete protection.  In large studies there are sometimes infections which occur but the same studies also show that study participants, who can only be followed based on their own reports of whether or not they used them, sometime do not report their failure to use condoms correctly (perhaps they are embarrassed that they did not use a condom) and there is no way to prove that they did or did not.  Since most people (even CSWs) do not have HIV, since most exposures to infected partners do not lead to infection, and since condoms work well, I would urge you not to worry about the possibility that a condom did not protect you if used throughout sex.  They remain the single best way to prevent acquisition of STIs.

Secondly, oral sex is very, very low risk.  Although there are a very, very small number of instances in which HIV appears to have been acquired by persons performing oral sex on a male (i.e. fellatio) there are no cases of HIV which have been proven to be acquired from either receipt of unprotected oral sex or from cunnilingus.  Thus that you performed cunnilingus briefly on a CSW would not worry me that you acquired HIV.

Thus, I feel you have nothing to worry about.  If you wish to prove this to yourself, at this time a simple blood test for HIV (and syphilis) if you wish will prove that you were not infected.  In my opinion however, your risk is so low that there is little need for testing other than for reassurance.  I hope my comments will help to reassure you.  EWH

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91 months ago

I will do a blood test just to be totally worries free but until then do you think that I can go forward without worrying about  the results of the test because it will be negative anyway  ?

Thank you doctor , it reassure me a little , because i now met someone that i really love and everything's going very well in our relationship so i dont want to broke everything because the stupids things i did in the past..

(ps:she know about my herpes)

Thank you Doctor.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
91 months ago
Yes, I think that you can move forward without concern with your current partner, assuming with confidence that when you do test that your test will be negative.  EWH---
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91 months ago
Thank you Doctor .

You can now close the thread. 

Have a great day.