STDs and cunnilingus

Hi Doctor,

I know from looking at other posts on this forum that generally speaking, cunnilingus is a pretty low-risk way of acquiring an std, but i had a specific question:

a few days ago, i preformed very light oral sex on a woman (i am a man). the oral sex lasted for perhaps 10 seconds and only involved me licking the clitorous with the tip of my tongue, no instertion of the tongue into the vagina etc.

later on that evening, i noticed the start of a canker sore on the inside of my mouth inside/below the lower lip. it was the beginnings of a canker sore (and i think i'd even noticed it earlier in the day, i get canker sores every now and again).  I'm not concerned that the sore is an indication of me picking something up, rather, i was wondering if it made the brief cunnilingus more risky? a lot of what i have read online states that sores etc increase your risk etc.

i know that the woman i was intimate with is sexually active but practices safe sex (uses condoms for sex not oral)  and also recently had an hiv test (in may). should i be concerned about the fact that i had the start of a canker sore (which didn't come in contact with her vagina) and had preformed brief/light cunnilingus?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

There are no data to answer your question directly.  It stands to reason that an open sore in the mouth might increase the risk of catching an infection involving your partner's genitals.  But doubling the risk from near zero still means near zero.  Don't lose any sleep over this event.  The greater risk here is for her, not you--especially if your canker sore in fact were an atypical case of herpes, a syphilitic chancre, etc.  (Not that I think it is....)

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[commonbe]

i wanted to add that i did not notice anything unusual about her vagina, and she wasn't mensturating.

[commonbe]

sorry about yet another comment, i wanted to add that the canker sore wasn't even open and hadn't yet even become a shallow indentation. it was simply a whitish tiny swelling that over the next couple of days turned into a canker sore. does that increase my risk of picking something up?

[commonbe]

Hi Doctor:

This is my last comment, i swear! Specifically, I am concerned about the risk of contracting HIV.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I assumed HIV was on your mind when I first responded.  Forget it, you're not at risk, even if your partner were HIV positive (which she clearly is not).  I don't recommend you get tested for it.

HHH, MD