Hey there. I had an unprotected encounter 2 nights ago and am worried about it. I was under the influence of a lot of alcohol and don’t remember all the exact details but I know I must have been rough on my penis. I woke up the next day with brush burn I guess on my penis and it was sensitive. It’s the morning of the second day (32 hours ish since encounter) and I noticed some clear discharge when I woke up. I looked in my urethra and see a  red mark inside .. almost like a popped blood vessel. Nothing burns and it’s not an open wound. just wondering if this sounds like I may have caught something or if all this is just a result from being too rough/going too long etc.  this is the first encounter I’ve had since a full negative panel… feeling rather guilty and irresponsible, and would like to hear your opinion. Thanks so much as always.

Welcome to the Forum.  I was on the site when your question arrived so you are getting a reply a bit quicker than is the norm.  Follow ups may take longer.  ---

Thanks for the fast reply.  It was a bit more than typical, but my awareness is definitely heightened. My main worry is herpes. Are the chances of being infected from one night very low? She said she is clean but I don’t know her THAT well. I’m trying not to be paranoid, and I’ve read that being infected by anything from a single encounter is pretty low, but I’m just concerned that we went for so long and we’re rough enough to give me brush burn and injured my urethra a bit (does that red mark concern you at all or is it likely mild trauma?). Thanks again. 

In looking back at your mini previous interactions with Terri, Dr. Handsfield, and myself, I see that you’re concerned about acquisition of herpes is a recurring theme.  Nothing you’ve described suggests that you acquired herpes from the encounter you describe. I certainly see no reason for testing and no reason for concern. Statistically, your risk of acquiring herpes if your partner happen to have the infection and was asymptomatic at the time it’s certainly less than 1 in 1000 and probably far lower. EWH---

Thanks doctor.. it is a concern of mine. I appreciate you giving me some statistics. I have no symptoms about 55 hours post encounter.  It’s just that I don’t know this person very well and am assuming the worst. I appreciate your candidness. 

And yeah I have no reason to believe she’s infected , but I don’t remember the encounter very well so, I didn’t look for any symptoms or anything. I get your point though

Statistics are hard to come by.  We know that the likelihood that a partner has genital herpes increases with more partners but we also know that less than half of people with more than 20 lifetime partners have HSV-2.  We also know that like most STI's, only a small proportion of unprotected exposures to an infected partner result in transmission of infection ((certainly less than 10% when exposure to an infectious lesion and less than 1/10th of 1% when a partner is infected but does not have lesions present.  We also know that if you acquired genital herpes, if you are going to develop symptoms, you will almost certainly do so within 10 days of exposure.  ---

Thanks doctor hook. Even when I’m in a monogamous relationship I have these worries (unless I see paper work from my partner etc.) it’s something I need to deal with, perhaps counseling for ocd about sexual health. Thanks for your detailed answer though. This service is an invaluable resource