[Question #7837] Std scare please help

Avatar photo
34 months ago
Hello, I am a 35 year old male 

I recently saw a sex worker. I received a handjob unprotected. The provider washed there hands first but they did undress afterwards. They didn’t touch themselves I don’t think but I am wondering what my STD risk is. I am most worried about genital wart, and herpes. Please let me know if I should get tested and how much risk is involved. I am very worried and can’t stop thinking about it. Thank you for all help.

Avatar photo
34 months ago
Sorry something else I wanted to add. I had the worker slap me in the naked penis and scrotum a few times. I’m not sure if this raises my risk. Though they washed there hand and I didn’t see them touching there own genitals I am worried maybe when they undressed either the herpes or Governor virus may have been on there hands. I was trying to take precautions but I’m not sure that I did enough.   Let me know if I should avoid sex until I get tested and how long I should wait. Thank you
Avatar photo
34 months ago
Oh and I think this person uses drugs
Avatar photo
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
34 months ago
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services.

One of several regular and common themes on this forum is that hand-genital contact -- which includes vaginal or anal fingering -- is not risky for any STD. That includes those infections transmitted primarily by skin-to-skin contact, i.e. herpes, HPV and syphilis. T'he slapping business should not raise the risk either. I see no need for testing. You'll never be at risk for any STD unless and until there is direct genital-genital, genital-anal, or genital oral contact. Please don't be worried. If you have a regular sex partner, you can continue all your usual sexual practices without putting that person at risk.

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

HHH, MD
---
Avatar photo
34 months ago
Hi Dr,

Thanks you so much for your response. This give me a lot of relief that you seem very confident I did not get an std. 
one thing I wanted to mention is that I got a stomach ache last night and was sweating a lot while I was sleeping. I’m not sure if that changes anything.
I was mainly worried about maybe when she undressed she could have touched some of there own secretions. 
I’m not trying to make you repeat yourself but I was reading online that job and herpes can be transmitted in a handjob. Also cause she was slapping the area I thought that might be a way for the infection to get into me easily. I very much trust your opinion.
also could you recommend avoiding this type of activity in the future…say if I did this same type thing again would it start to raise my risks. I guess for now I will assume I did not get job or herpes from this encounter. I have been in a sex relationship with my current partner for many years and I worry that if warts were to show up it would end the relationship. Thank you for all your time. This Service is amazing 
Avatar photo
34 months ago
Sorry to post multiple times but I have read through your response about 10-15 times and I may be nit picking but it sounds like you are not every confident that the slapping thing didn’t risk my risk. I’m not trying to be annoying but do you happen to know any cars where someone got a std in my past recent encounter. Thanks Dr
Avatar photo
34 months ago
One other thing (sorry) do you think the fact that she washed her hands was eliminated after she took her clothes off. Thanks
Avatar photo
34 months ago
I promise last question. I just tired to schedule a appointment to get the job vaccine. The fastest appointment I could get will be 1 week after the encounter. I was wondering if the vaccine will work at all on this particular exposure. Thank you so much
Avatar photo
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
34 months ago
Stomach ache is not a symptom of any STD.

You can find all sorts of outlandish infromation on the web, including claims that HSV can be transmitted by hand-genital contact. Do not believe everything you see. In searching health issues, I strgonly advise you to not even look at online sites unless they are professionally run or moderated, like this one; or sites by academic medical centers, public health agencies, and so on. If you do that, you will see less nonsense about herpes or anything else.

Because this kind of sexual contact is risk free for STDs, there is no reason to avoid it. But if it makes you anxious, of course it makes sense to find other sorts of sexual satisfaction.

Yes, you are nit-picking. I did not suggest that slapping somehow has an STD risk. It does not. It makes no difference whether or not your partner washed her hands.

What vaccine are you speaking about? The only vaccines for STDs protect against human papillomavirus (HPV) and the hepaitits B virus (HBV). They have no effect on an infection someone already has, but they are highly effective in preventing future infections. If you're speaking of CVOID-19 vaccine, you should take it. No vaccine's effectiveness can be cahnged by the situations you have described.
---
Avatar photo
34 months ago
Thank you so much Dr. Handsfield.  I must say this service is amazing. Hearing your opinion on this truly gives me a sense of relief. I really need to stop reading stuff online. 

I forgot to re read the vaccine part but I was talking about the hpv vaccine. I did schedule a appointment next me to get it and I was sort of asking if it would give me any protection from the encounter with the rough handjob from a sex worker I just had,  but if there’s really no risk that part doesn’t matter. Unless you think there is  maybe a chance I got hpv

I was diagnosed with ocd and anxiety about 11 years ago and briefly was on medication but managed it after that. I just thought I would ask if you think maybe some meds for that or therapy is maybe what I need. 
 
I guess I just need to move on and worry and something else. I do enjoy handjobs and my worry is mostly getting an std cause I would feel so so terrible to give it to my partner. And the obvious other reasons. 

I will admit I have been under a lot of stress recently and maybe that’s why, but I guess it’s time to except I did not get a STD from this

Thanks so much Dr





Avatar photo
34 months ago
Sorry last part. Would making the other person wear gloves be with it. In other words if they wear gloves during a handjob does it drop risk. Or is it not even worth the amount that it changes. Thank you Dr
Avatar photo
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
34 months ago
It isn't really known if the HPV vaccine prevents HPV from taking hold if given soon after exposure. But this really isn't relevant to your situation, since there was no chance of catching HPV from the event described. So my advice is to go ahed with vaccination as planned, to protect you against future exposures if and when you are sexually active (meaning vaginal or anal intercourse).

That you have OCD has been pretty obvious from the overall tone and the details of the questions you have asked! Had you not mentioned it, I was going to include a suggestion that you seek professional care for it. I'm glad to hear you're in care. But don't delude yourself about HPV:  Assuming you have been sexually active in the past with persons other than your regular partner, and that s/he has also had past partnerships, HPV could show up in either of you at any time -- such as an abnormal Pap smear. That's because at least 90% of all humans catch genital HPV at least once -- its a normal, expected, unavoidable aspect of being sexually active. Don't get me wrong:  HPV immunization is never wrong. But it will protect you only against future exposures with 9 types of HPV -- not counting any of those types you already have had.

That completes the two follow-up comments and replies included with each question, and so ends this thread. I hope the discussion has been helpful. 
---