STD Risk & Diagnosis

Dear Doctor, please help me assess my STD risk I am having very nervous and anxious time. I have had 5 instances of potential exposure in my life. All in last 40 days and described as below -

1. Body massage and Blowjob (with condom on)  with a sex worker. (5 Oct - Singapore)
2. Body massage and Blowjob (with condom on) with a sex worker. (22 Oct - Singapore)
3. Body massage and Blowjob (with condom on), ejaculation after removing condom, no oral contact after condom removal, with a sex worker. (6-Nov Phuket,Thailand)
4. Body massage and Handjob without a condom with a sex worker. (6-Nov Phuket,Thailand)
5. Body massage and Handjob without a condom with a sex worker. (6-Nov, Phuket, Thailand)

I am not very worried about HIV. I do not think there is reasonable risk to be worried about it. Is this assumption right?  I think most vaible risk would be from HSV and/or HPV. STDs that can be contracted by skin to skin contact.

a) How many days should i wait to get a through STD test done? How many days should pass for a negative test result (fingers crossed) for HSV-2 antibodies to be reliable. Could you also advice the same for other STDs.

b) Is it possible to contract HSV-2 while receiving protected oral sex? How common are such cases? Is HSV type 1 infection in genital area less severe than HSV type 2 infection.  

c) Is if ok to say that if i do not develop blisters and/or sores during first 5-10 days of exposure, there is a very strong chance i did not contract Herpes?

Thank you for your time and counsel.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I honestly don't think you have risk here.  All of your oral sex encounters were protected with condoms as I read this, and masturbation without a condom does not present a risk to you.  You did very well practicing safe sex in these situations.  

Have you ever in your life had a cold sore?  If yes, then you are already positive for HSV 1 and would be very unlikely to get it in a new location.  It is highly unlikely to ACQUIRE HSV 2 genitally from receiving oral sex because when HSV 2 occurs orally, it is active very infrequently.

In your case, I would not recommend testing at all.  I think if things are as you describe, you are fine.  If you develop symptoms, obviously check them out, but otherwise, I wouldn't bother testing.  And it isn't very often that I don't recommend testing to reassure people, but in your case, I really don't think it is necessary.

TErri

[hello_123]

Thank you for your response Terri. Could you please help answer part c) of my question as below -

Is if ok to say that if i do not develop blisters and/or sores during first 5-10 days of exposure, there is a very strong chance i did not contract Herpes?

These few weeks are spent very nervously hunting for symptoms and any changes in the body. I wish for them to pass quickly.

[hello_123]

One more follow up question - Does scrotum licking add to incremental risk ?

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I would say if you have no visual symptoms within 5-10 day after possible exposure, that herpes is unlikely.  Scrotum licking adds little risk.

Terri

[hello_123]

Terri,

I read that I need to wait 6-8weeks for a blood test to be conclusive for HSV diagnosis. How many days after exposure do i need to wait for a PCR test to be conclusive ?

Thank you.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

The two tests are completely different and they can't be compared for time to accuracy.  They are looking for two totally different things, and there is no time limit for PCR like there is for antibody testing.  For antibody testing, I would wait 16 weeks for greatest accuracy.

Terri