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Could this be syphilis or another STD?
Approximately, 6 and one-half weeks ago, I had what I think would be considered a low risk exposure. I was at a strip club in Albuquerque, NM and one of the dancers (who was white) vigorously rubbed her vagina on my open mouth for approximately 5-10 seconds. She also french kissed me and I sucked on her nipples. That was the extent of my sexual contact with her. Approximately 2 weeks ago, I noticed a small sore (that looked like a canker sore) on my lower gingiva. The sore is not round (more of an irregular shape) and is yellow/white in color (not red). What really worries me about the sore is that it is painless. I have had canker sores and they usually are quite painful. The sore has still not gone away. My questions are:
What are the risks from my exposure for syphilis, HIV (even though I know that is a different forum) or another STD?
Does this sore sound at all like syphilis?
Should I get tested? If so, will 6 and one-half weeks from exposure be long enough for the results to be conclusive?
Thank you for the service that you provide on this forum!
What are the risks from my exposure for syphilis, HIV (even though I know that is a different forum) or another STD?
Does this sore sound at all like syphilis?
Should I get tested? If so, will 6 and one-half weeks from exposure be long enough for the results to be conclusive?
Thank you for the service that you provide on this forum!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum.
The chance this is syphilis is virtually zero. You don't say where you are, but in most industrialized countries syphilis remains rare except in selected populations and geographic pockets. In the US, there are only around 20,000 new cases per year, two thirds of those are in gay men, and most of the remainder are in disadvantaged minority populations. Therefore, the chance the stripper had syphilis was very low. Second, even if she had it, transmission by oral genital contact is uncommon -- it occurs, but you would have to have been very unlucky. For practical purposes, you were at no significant risk for any STD. (Nipple sucking of course is no risk for any STD.) Finally, although it is true that syphilitic chancres usually are painless, the opposite is not true: i.e., the vast majority of painless lesions are not due to syphilis. The only thing in your story that fits with syphilis is the timing, with onset several weeks after exposure.
All things considered, it is almost impossible this is syphilis, even though the timing of onset is about right. Almost certainly something else is the cause of the sore on your gum. That said, since you are worried, you probably should be tested, to help settle your anxieties about it. Enough time has passed for reliable testing. So consider visiting your local health department STD clinic, or your primary care provider, for a blood test. You can expect negative results.
And if the sore persists, and your primary doctor or STD clinic doesn't have a clear explanation, see your dentist for proper evaluation of the gum problem.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
The chance this is syphilis is virtually zero. You don't say where you are, but in most industrialized countries syphilis remains rare except in selected populations and geographic pockets. In the US, there are only around 20,000 new cases per year, two thirds of those are in gay men, and most of the remainder are in disadvantaged minority populations. Therefore, the chance the stripper had syphilis was very low. Second, even if she had it, transmission by oral genital contact is uncommon -- it occurs, but you would have to have been very unlucky. For practical purposes, you were at no significant risk for any STD. (Nipple sucking of course is no risk for any STD.) Finally, although it is true that syphilitic chancres usually are painless, the opposite is not true: i.e., the vast majority of painless lesions are not due to syphilis. The only thing in your story that fits with syphilis is the timing, with onset several weeks after exposure.
All things considered, it is almost impossible this is syphilis, even though the timing of onset is about right. Almost certainly something else is the cause of the sore on your gum. That said, since you are worried, you probably should be tested, to help settle your anxieties about it. Enough time has passed for reliable testing. So consider visiting your local health department STD clinic, or your primary care provider, for a blood test. You can expect negative results.
And if the sore persists, and your primary doctor or STD clinic doesn't have a clear explanation, see your dentist for proper evaluation of the gum problem.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
No. It is no STD, period.
Doctor, I know that you said that the last post would be the end of the thread, but if you would be so kind as to answer one more question for me I would greatly appreciate it. Would HPV be a possibility? Is there any possibility of this? Thanks.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Yes, the results are equally valid for HIV (which is absolutely impossible to catch from the kind of exposure you describe; you didn't need HIV testing).
That's all for this thread.
That's all for this thread.
Went ahead and got tested two days ago and got the results back today. As you expected, I tested negative for HIV, Syphilis, HSV-1 and HSV-2. You stated that the tests would be conclusive after 6 and one-half weeks. Would this include HIV? Thanks.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
One of the syphilis pockets in the US is among poor Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in the border areas of the southwest. If the stripper is Latina, that elevates the possibility she has syphilis. But also read the rest of my reply: even if she had syphilis, the chance this explains your oral sore is low. However, you should have the syphilis blood test, and any non-healing sore anywhere on the body should be professionally evaluated.
I did actually mention that the exposure occurred in New Mexico. Does that increase the risk at all?
Thank you Doctor. I truly appreciate it.
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
