[Question #3562] Advice needed..
89 months ago
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Thank you in advance for providing your expertise and advice! It is certainly appreciated.
I recently started dating someone and we waited a month before we were intimate. On Friday night (4/6), we had sex 3 times. While having sex the first time, the condos accidentally broke and my partner got about 2 strokes in before we realized the condom broke. He immediately got off and replaced the condom with a new one. I was at the end of my period and spotting. I did perform oral on him the same night as well and did not see any unusual bumps or sores. Everything was clean to the eye. I did ask him about his past sexual experiences and he said he was checked a year ago & everything came back clean. He also said that he has used condoms consistently after that as well.
I’m worried that i could have contracted chlamydia, gonorrhea, hsv 2 or maybe even HIV. What is the likelihood that I contracted any of these during this single incident?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
89 months ago
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Welcome back to our Forum. Your question is similar to one that I addressed for you about two months ago. After reading this reply, I suggest that you review that one as well.
Congratulations on your practice of safe sex. It will be quite helpful in reducing your risk for STI. Unfortunately, condoms do break about 1% of the time they are used. Even so, the encounter you describe was quite low risk for STI. I suspect that your partner is unlikely to have an STI. further, even if he did, most single exposures to infected partners will not result in transmission of infection. The most immediate way to determine your risk for STI is for you both to go get tested as I suggested to you in an earlier post. If he is not infected, then you are not at risk. By both of you getting tested you can have confidence in each other. Getting testing will not change whether or not one of you is infected, it will just allow you to be sure (I suspect you will both find that you are not infected). If you do go get tested however, as I have mentioned before, I recommend against getting tested for HSV as the tests have problems with both false positive and falsely negative results.
EWH
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89 months ago
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I am so sorry to be a bother Dr. Hook. I know that i have a little bit of health anxiety, and am very anxious since i have never had unprotected sex before and am nervous that the condom broke.
I noticed that i am still spotting slightly and the odor is different than when am i not on my period. I don’t know if this is because I’m getting off of my period and the old blood mixed with fluids present a different smell. I do not have any itching or anything like that yet.
Questions-
1. What are the chances of contracting hsv 2 from this incident? As i stated, the condom broke and we realized after a couple strokes that it was broken and immediately replaced the condom. I do not recall him having any bumps or lesions.
2. What are the chances of contracting HIV from this incident? I was at the end of my period and still was bleeding a little. Should i be worried?
3. What are the chances of contracting chlamydia or gonorrhea from this incident?
4. I am not on birth control. Should i get the day after pill? Or am i really overthinking this? He had not came yet, but had precum.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
89 months ago
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It's not a bother and I understand your anxiety. The encounter however was relatively low risk for several reasons:
1. You do not say much about your partner but my guess is that he is not likely to have an STI. Most people do not and, if your partner does not have an STI, you will not get one either.
2. Even if he did have an STI, most direct, unprotected exposures to infected partners do not lead to infection. In your case that your partner did not ejaculate and the brevity of the exposure also make this low risk.
Regarding your specific questions:
1. What are the chances of contracting hsv 2 from this incident? As i stated, the condom broke and we realized after a couple strokes that it was broken and immediately replaced the condom. I do not recall him having any bumps or lesions.
Very low. did you ask him if he has herpes? Even if he did, without lesions, the likelihood that you caught herpes from your condom mishap is low. In the absence of lesions we estimate that IF he had HSV, your risk of infection would be less than 1 in 10,000.
2. What are the chances of contracting HIV from this incident? I was at the end of my period and still was bleeding a little. Should i be worried?
That your period was not quite over does not change things. Assuming he was low risk for HIV, your risk is virtually non-existent.
3. What are the chances of contracting chlamydia or gonorrhea from this incident?
See above. It is unlikely that he had gonorrhea or chlamydia. If he did, following a single exposure your risk for infection is about 1 in 5 (20%) given the circumstances of your exposure.
4. I am not on birth control. Should i get the day after pill? Or am i really overthinking this? He had not came yet, but had precum.
Persons can become infected with exposure to pre-ejaculate. OTOH, give that your period was just ending, this is not likely to be a fertile time of month for you Risk of pregnancy is low but not zero. Decisions about the morning after pill are a personal choice.
You did not comment on my suggestion that you both get tested. I think this would alleviate much of your concern. EWH
89 months ago
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Thank you for your patience Dr. Hook.
My partner was checked a year ago and i just had an STD test prior to him- everything came back negative.
I went to the gyno today because i thought i had a possible odor yesterday and was still spotting. Today it seemed as if the odor wasn’t as noticeable but i went to the gyno anyway. She said she would not swab for chlamydia or Gonorrhea because it’s only been 5 days and it takes 2 weeks to have reliable results. She did however, swab my cervix for yeast or BV. She did a thorough visual exam, externally and internally, and said she did not see anything abnormal- no lesions, no bumps or anything. She said my cervix looked healthy, and that my vagina walls looked good as well. She did not smell any odor, and said it looks like i have a little white discharge but that it looks normal for the most part. She did a swab for YI and BV just to make sure.
Questions:
1. Would the gyno have been able to see possible signs/symptoms of chlamydia or gonorrhea when she examined my cervix after 4-5 days of exposure? For example, puss or abnormal discharge that comes along with those STD’s.
2. Do you think i should be worried about an STD from this incident?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
89 months ago
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Sorry to contradict your GYN but now, five days after the exposures you describe, tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia would be reliable. That said, the events you describe sound very low risk and are not something for you to continue to worry about.
In answer to your specific questions.
---1. Would the gyno have been able to see possible signs/symptoms of chlamydia or gonorrhea when she examined my cervix after 4-5 days of exposure? For example, puss or abnormal discharge that comes along with those STD’s.
In some cases yes but these infections can also be asymptomatic. Thus testing is needed to be completely sure. Having said that, I want to reiterate what I said before- this was a very low risk event. I urge you not ot worry.
2. Do you think i should be worried about an STD from this incident?
No, I do not.
I hope my answers have been helpful and a comfort to you. As you have now received three responses, this thread will be closed later this evening. EWH