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Concerned about std's and herpes from oral sex
5 days ago I engaged in unprotected oral sex with a girl I later found out was an adult performer (porn star). I performed oral sex on her, and she performed oral sex on me. There was no other sexual contact. From reading this forum, I am aware the risk for most std's are quite low from this encounter, but I am worried about herpes. What are the odds of me getting herpes on my mouth (from going down on her) or on my genitals (from her going down on me) ? She did not have any visible sores on either her mouth or genitals. I have been tested in the past, and I was always negative for both strains of herpes.
I am super anxious right now, so of course I am noticing every little ache and pain, but I have not experienced any definitive herpes symptoms as of yet.
I am super anxious right now, so of course I am noticing every little ache and pain, but I have not experienced any definitive herpes symptoms as of yet.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.
Porn stars have been studied and found to be at quite high risk for having various STDs. Still, at any point in time most probably are not infected; and even if she was, STDs in general are not transmitted with high efficiency and most exposure don't result in any infection.
Oral sex is quite safe from an STD standpoint -- not completely free of risk, but much safer than unprotected vaginal or anal sex. Some STDs are virtually never transmitted from mouth to penis and are not a concern in exposures like yours (HIV, hepatitis, herpes due to HSV-2, HPV, chlamydia); others are slightly higher risk (syphilis, HSV-1, gonorrhea, nongoncoccal urethritis [NGU]) but still very unlikely after any single exposure. Infection of your oral area by cunnilingus is probably even lower risk for all these infections.
My advice at this point is to sit tight for a while. If you within 2 weeks of the exposure you have had no symptoms like oral or genital sores, urethral discharge, or sore throat, you can be even more confident you weren't infected. Of course, absence of symptoms isn't 100% assurance, so you could visit an STD clinic or your private care provider for routine gonorrhea and chlamydia testing (any time more) and, after 6 weeks, blood tests for syphilis and HIV. However, I don't recommend HSV testing in the absence of symptoms.
In the meantime, stay mellow. This really was not a high risk event and it is very unlikely you caught herpes or anything else.
Regards-- HHH, MD
Porn stars have been studied and found to be at quite high risk for having various STDs. Still, at any point in time most probably are not infected; and even if she was, STDs in general are not transmitted with high efficiency and most exposure don't result in any infection.
Oral sex is quite safe from an STD standpoint -- not completely free of risk, but much safer than unprotected vaginal or anal sex. Some STDs are virtually never transmitted from mouth to penis and are not a concern in exposures like yours (HIV, hepatitis, herpes due to HSV-2, HPV, chlamydia); others are slightly higher risk (syphilis, HSV-1, gonorrhea, nongoncoccal urethritis [NGU]) but still very unlikely after any single exposure. Infection of your oral area by cunnilingus is probably even lower risk for all these infections.
My advice at this point is to sit tight for a while. If you within 2 weeks of the exposure you have had no symptoms like oral or genital sores, urethral discharge, or sore throat, you can be even more confident you weren't infected. Of course, absence of symptoms isn't 100% assurance, so you could visit an STD clinic or your private care provider for routine gonorrhea and chlamydia testing (any time more) and, after 6 weeks, blood tests for syphilis and HIV. However, I don't recommend HSV testing in the absence of symptoms.
In the meantime, stay mellow. This really was not a high risk event and it is very unlikely you caught herpes or anything else.
Regards-- HHH, MD
Thank you very much, I feel much better. I truly appreciate you taking the time to answer!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Much closer to 1 in 1,000, and probably a lot lower than that.
Thank you for your answer Dr, I appreciate it. In the interest of my peace of mind, is there any way to attach some odds to my risk? Are we taking 10% or less, or closer to the 1 in 1000 range?
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.
