[Question #7829] HPV HSV worry

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52 months ago
Hello experts
I recently had an encounter with another male(I am a male). Only mutual masturbation and rubbing of genitals (penis to penis) together. I am unsure how long it occurred for but now I am extremely worried about catching HSV and HPV. What are the risk of acquiring HSV and HPV? 
Thank you
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
52 months ago
Welcome. Thanks for your confidence in our services.

This was an exceedingly low risk event for both HPV and HSV. Neither is easly or frequently transmitted by genital contact without penetration, or by hand-genital contact. Nobody can say the risk is zero, but undoubtedly very low chance. If you do not develop typical asymptoms of either virus (genital blisters/sores within several days, warts over the next several months), you can safely assume you were not infected.

Of course you already have (or have had) genital HPV, assuming you have otherwise been sexually active. If this was your first and only sexual encounter, you probably aren't infected yet, but you will be:  almost all sexually active persons acquire genital HPV, often several times. It's an unavoidable, expected consequence of being sexual. This is why HPV prevention (pap smears for women, vaccination for everybody) are reommended for all persons, not only those at high risk for other STIs. I would therefore encourage you to be vaccinated against HPV, which will prevent infection with the 9 HPV types that cause ~90% of warts and cancers. And then do not worry at all about HPV.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD
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52 months ago
Hello Dr Handsfield
Thank you for your response
It's been one month and I don't think I have noticed anything. Have you ever seen HPV/HSV transmitted in this way before or do you think I should be okay? Sorry I am just quite stressed about this situation.


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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
52 months ago
To my recollection, in 40+ years in the STD business, I don't recall any patients with either HSV or HPV whose only possible exposure was similar to yours. That doesn't mean it can't happen, but if it does, it is very rare. It's really nothing you should be worried about. These replies are intended to relieve your worry and stress about it, but there's nothing more I can do. Most people in your situation, with this sort of reasoned, science-based reassurance, would stop worrying entirely and go about their lives as normal. I hope you are able to do that.---
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52 months ago
Thank you very much Dr Handsfield!
Kind of unrelated but do STD's like HSV and HPV have to be rubbed into the skin rather than getting it from just skin to skin contact for a while . So if there was skin to skin contact but no rubbing, even if the skin to skin contact was for like 10 minutes, is it still able to be transmitted this way. Also what exactly is the difference between frottage and apposition.
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52 months ago
small side note: I meant if there was skin to skin contact with no movement, just the skins are touching but both people are stationary. 
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
52 months ago
In general, yes:  transmission of the skin-to-skin STDs (HPV, HSV, syphilis) is much more likely with increased friction:  in general these organisms must be massaged into the exposed surface. That's not to say that simple contact without friction is entirely risk free -- probably there is a spectrum from low risk for simple contact and progressively higher with more vigorous and/or prolonged contact, up to and including overt abrasion. (In herpes studies in animals, it is difficult to establish infection unless the animal's skinis actually abraded in presence of the virus.)

That there was limited rubbing/friction probably reduces your risk. On the other hand, 10 minutes might have carried more transmission chance than a shorter duration. But still your risk was low:  there seems no particular reason to suppose your partner has a currently active, transmissible HSV or HPV infection. In other words, it isn't just transmission risk that matters here, but the combination of infeciton likelihood in the partner plus transmission risk. All things consdiered, I still consider that you had a zero risk exposure for all practical purposes and should stop obsessing about it!

Frottage generally is consisered to include any body rubbing, and would include (for example) cheek or arm against torso. Apposition usually uusally is genital -- in fact, I neer use it wihout specifying genital apposition (without penetration), or genital-anal apposition.

That completes the two follow-up exchanges included with each question and so ends this thread. I hope the discussion was useful and has helped you move on without further worry. Best wishes and stay safe.
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