Hi there,

Welcome to the Forum.  I'll be glad to comment.  You do not provide any information regarding your age or past STI screening making it had to comment.  My guess is that this was a low risk event with no direct health consequences.  I presume you are considerable older now and have had reproductive health screening.  Any details you might provide would help me to comment.  EWH
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This would have been about 10 years ago (I'm 22 now), and, because I'm still a virgin, I haven't been tested for any STIs. I had forgotten about doing this for a while, so I wasn't concerned about it. It was just something stupid that I remember doing, and I got really paranoid recently. Also, I can't really remember having any significant health problems in the time that has passed since then. My period has been lighter lately, but I visited my family doctor and he said it was probably just due to weight gain. Additionally, my hair seems thinner lately and I seemed to have repetitive strain-type issues in my hands and back, but I doubt any of those things are related to an undiagnosed STD. 

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Thanks for answering my questions and being really non-judgmental! I really do appreciate it, but I just have a couple more questions. I’m sorry if these seem like they’re anxiety-driven.

 

Could you elaborate on my risk being “virtually zero”?

 

Since it has been around 10 years since this event, is it safe to assume that, if I had caught something (like HIV or syphilis), I would know about it by now? Could an STI go undetected for 10 years, or would I have been sick enough that it would have been detected by now? (Although I’m sure my doctor is right when he says that my lighter periods are probably just due to weight gain, the nervous person in me does worry that it and my other symptoms are some kind of undiagnosed STI ruining my uterus and my fertility. While I’m undecided about children, I would feel really terrible if I had taken the opportunity away from myself because of something as stupid as this.)

 

Also, I know my experience isn’t exactly like this, but isn’t this kind of like sharing sex toys? There seems to be conflicting information on the Internet about being able to contract STDs from sharing sex toys. Is it just a conservative guess by saying it is possible? Some websites say it is possible, while others say STDs begin to die very rapidly once they’re outside the body, so transmission in this way is very unlikely (even if there is a theoretical risk). Has anyone ever caught an STD by sharing sex toys? How likely is it that an STI could be transferred through sex toys? What about the sailor who got gonorrhea from using another sailor’s sex doll?

 

My question from here is: I understand that it is unlikely the woman whose tampon applicator it was had any STDs, but if she had been positive, could something have been transferred this way? Obviously, I’m not sure how much time had elapsed between the woman using it and me inserting it into my own vagina. I’m pretty sure the blood was dry, but would it have been a bigger risk if the blood had still been wet?

 

Although this is not what happened, could something have been transferred if this woman had put it in her vagina, handed it to me, and then I directly put it in mine? Do all STDs begin to die instantly once they leave the body, regardless of whether or not the fluids are still wet? Does it matter if the applicator was plastic or cardboard? (I think it was plastic, but it was a long time ago.)

 

Is there any version of this scenario in which I could have gotten something, or is this virtually impossible given the circumstances I’ve described? Am I overthinking this? Am I worrying about this too much?

 

Was I ever at risk for something like HPV? I know there’s a recent study where researchers found HPV on sex toys after a certain amount of time had elapsed.

 

Or is a regular bacterial infection more likely than an STI?

 

I guess I’m just worried that I ruined my life by doing something this stupid. I just feel like I’ve ruined my life before it even started. Also, since I still live with them, I hate the idea of having to tell my parents about this because I know they’d be really disappointed in me.

 

I’m just very worried that I got something from this (especially something that cannot be cured). It just seems like it would be rather embarrassing to have to admit this if I do choose to get tested and the results come back positive for something, especially HIV.

 

I should have mentioned this yesterday: while I’ve never had a full STI panel done, I have been tested for herpes, hepatitis B and C, and have also had other blood work done over the last few years—would an indication of any other STIs show up on any of these tests, or do specific tests have to be done? I believe one test was looking for thyroid issues/vitamin deficiencies and the other was looking for something that might be the cause behind the repetitive strain issues.

 

Since I believe this is my last chance to comment on this thread, I’d like to thank you again for taking the time to read and respond to my questions. I really do appreciate it. 

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