[Question #695] Oral on Woman

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103 months ago
In Mid February I performed Oral on a woman for about 10 seconds, and there was also some mutual masturbation.  After the encounter, I immediately freaked out that I might catch an STD.  I did the internet thing, and thought I had caught everything.  On the exact 10th day afterwards, I found STDcheck.com and bought test panel for everything, including the HIV RNA test.  Everything came back negative, except for HSV1 which I've had since I can remember.   At about 4 weeks after the encounter, I took 1g ZMAX given to me by a friend.  
Now about 8 weeks after the encounter, I've had a pain in my throat on the left side, which feels like its on m tonsil or deep inside.  It doesn't hurt to swallow to eat or drink.  My left side groin glands let me know that they are there with some aches, but aren't swollen.  I'm having bad anxiety that I have an STD.
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103 months ago
I forgot to mention, last week when the throat pain started, it felt like the onsite of a cold sore feeling, itchy at first, then burned.  I took my prescribed valtrex since then, and the pain has gotten much better after about a week.  The groin thing worries me.
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103 months ago
One last thing, I went to my Doctor this week about my throat, Doc looked and couldn't see anything.  Told me to gargle salt water.  Last thing, I promise.  Thanks!
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
103 months ago

Welcome to the Forum.  I'll try to help.  As you have already learned, the "internet thing" is a bad idea.  While the internet is a great source of information, it is also a great place for mis-information and to be exposed to information taken out of context.  I'll provide you with scientifically based information.

The activities that you describe are virtually no risk. First, most people, even those who have lots of partners, do not have STIs.  When people do have STIs, even with unprotected genital-genital sex, only a small proportion of exposures lead to infection.  As for the exposures you describe there is virtually no realistic risk.  Without a doubt, mutual masturbation does not put you at any risk for STD acquisition.  It is considered safe sex, even when partners get each others' genital secretions on one another.  In addition, performing oral sex on a woman who is infected is a very low risk activity.  From an anatomical perspective, it would difficult for a person's mouth to come into contact with the infected site (the cervix) for gonorrhea and chlamydia.  From a personal perspective, while I agree that such transmission is theoretically possible, the fact is that in 30+ years of practice, I have never seen an instance in which a person has acquired an STI from performing cunnilingus, nor has Dr. Handsfield, nor have I read or heard at a scientific presentation of an instance when someone acquired a traditional STI from cunnilingus.  I would not be worried and had you asked if you needed to be tested, my recommendation would have been that it was not needed.

When you add this to your negative tests and your recent ingestion of azithromycin, there is simply no realistic reason to be concerned about having gotten an STI from the exposure you have described.

As for your symptoms, I am confident that neither the discomfort you are experiencing in your throat, nor the discomfort you are experiencing in your groin are related to the exposure you have described,  I see no reason for concern and no reason for testing.  I hope my comments and this information is helpful to you.   EWH   

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103 months ago
Thank you for answer, and thank you for being some prompt!
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
103 months ago
My pleasure.  Take care, stay safe.  EWH
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