[Question #7818] Cunniligus Risk
52 months ago
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Dear Doctors,
Thank you for everything you do. I am a male in my mid 30's. I have practice safe sex all my life. Last night I had an encounter with a 25 year old woman that I do not know. I met her in a bar. After several drinks we went back to my hotel room. I was unable to get an erection because I was very intoxicated so I gave her oral sex for about 20 minutes and I proceed to finger her and we called it at night. This morning I worry about my encounter because this is not me, so I am wondering what are the risk for HIV, HSV2, and other STIs from this encounter. I get tested regularly and my last test were all negative. I usually do not do this type of things with the random people but the drinks got the best of me and I am a little worry.
Regards
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
52 months ago
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Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services.
Cunnilingus is very safe from an STI standpoint: not zero risk, but far lower than for vaginal or anal sex. There has never been a reported case of HIV acquired by cunnilingus (or to my knowledge, even a suspected case); and the frequency of oral gonorrhea and chlamydia is no higher in persons who do or do not perform cunnilingus on their partenrs compared to those who never do so. Conceivably HSV2 and syphilis could be acquired, but also very low chance. Syphilis and HIV remain very rare in even the most sexually active females in the US, so the odds your partner had either of these is very low.
All in all, low enough risk that I would not recommend testing for anything. However, if you remain concerned and would be less worried if tested and negative, you could consider a throat swab for gonorrhea/chlamydia testing (valid any time more than 3-4 days after exposure; and blood tests for HIV and syphilis at 6 weeks. You also could consider speaking with your partner, if you know how to contact her, and suggest that both of you be tested for all four of these infections. (You may find she is just as concerned about her STI risk as you are.) If both are negative at this time, you wouldn't have to wait the 6 weeks for conclusive HIV and syphilis testing. Having said all that, if somehow I were in your situation, I wouldn't do any of this and would continue unprotected sex with my wife without worry of infecting her.
I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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52 months ago
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Dear Dr Handsfield,
Thank you for your reply and you have easy my worries. I will follow your advise and move on.
Take care,
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
52 months ago
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Thanks for the thanks; I'm glad to have helped. I'll leave the thread open a few days in case additional questions or concerns come to mind.
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