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Some Question on Gonorrhoea
Dear Doctor,
Thank you for taking the time to consider & respond.
I am a 41 year old straight man. I had a extramarital affair in March/April this year with a woman. Our relationship comprised oral and penetrative sex without protection on 1 occasion & unprotected oral sex and protected penetrative sex on a second occasion. The woman bleed after the second encounter despite the fact she has been sterilised and was not menstruating.
Shortly after our last meeting I noticed bumps in the pubic region and on my testicles which I took to be HPV.
After a period of anxiety I went and had a full sexual health screening at a clinic in London this week.
The doctor attending dismissed the bumps as HPV diagnosing moluscums. I have today been diagnosed with Gonorrhoea of the throat/mouth. I received an injection in my buttock and am advised this will resolve the issues with 72hours.
I have 3 questions for you please:-
1. Could I have transmitted gonorrhoea to my wife’s genitals through oral sex? I have told her of my infections and am keen she is tested and inoculated if positive, she thinks the risk of oral to genital transmission are low.
2. There is a lot made of co-infection & HIV, etc. Does this apply where one has oral rather than genital Gonorrhoea? As part of the screening I have been tested for HIV (Elisa test) which was negative. It is over 3 months from the last (protected) exposure, I am confident I am not HIV+, but wonder if the Gonorrhoea is hiding a HIV+ status?
3. How long will Gonorrhoea exist in ones mouth untreated? The Doctor said it could be years.
4. I was told that the 1 jab is enough. I have read that Gonorrhoea is now antibiotic resistant. What is your view?
5 If my wife remains adamant she will not attending a clinic and in the event I had infected her (which of course we do not know) are there any serious long term risks of leaving it untreated?
Yours sincerely
Tom
Thank you for taking the time to consider & respond.
I am a 41 year old straight man. I had a extramarital affair in March/April this year with a woman. Our relationship comprised oral and penetrative sex without protection on 1 occasion & unprotected oral sex and protected penetrative sex on a second occasion. The woman bleed after the second encounter despite the fact she has been sterilised and was not menstruating.
Shortly after our last meeting I noticed bumps in the pubic region and on my testicles which I took to be HPV.
After a period of anxiety I went and had a full sexual health screening at a clinic in London this week.
The doctor attending dismissed the bumps as HPV diagnosing moluscums. I have today been diagnosed with Gonorrhoea of the throat/mouth. I received an injection in my buttock and am advised this will resolve the issues with 72hours.
I have 3 questions for you please:-
1. Could I have transmitted gonorrhoea to my wife’s genitals through oral sex? I have told her of my infections and am keen she is tested and inoculated if positive, she thinks the risk of oral to genital transmission are low.
2. There is a lot made of co-infection & HIV, etc. Does this apply where one has oral rather than genital Gonorrhoea? As part of the screening I have been tested for HIV (Elisa test) which was negative. It is over 3 months from the last (protected) exposure, I am confident I am not HIV+, but wonder if the Gonorrhoea is hiding a HIV+ status?
3. How long will Gonorrhoea exist in ones mouth untreated? The Doctor said it could be years.
4. I was told that the 1 jab is enough. I have read that Gonorrhoea is now antibiotic resistant. What is your view?
5 If my wife remains adamant she will not attending a clinic and in the event I had infected her (which of course we do not know) are there any serious long term risks of leaving it untreated?
Yours sincerely
Tom
A related discussion, please guide me what is in me was started.
Dear Doctor Handsfield,
Many thanks for the response, all the best.
Kind regards
Tom
Many thanks for the response, all the best.
Kind regards
Tom
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Yes, your MC could have been acquired from your neices.
Dear Dr Handsfield,
I am most grateful for you comments, they are reassuring. For completeness, I would pick up on the points you have raised over the unclear comments contained in my original question:-
Shortly - Two months.
Sterilised - Probably, she only commented that she "had been fixed"
Age - 40ish
MC - I have not had sexual contact with any one other than my wife and this lady for over 5 years. However, two of my nieces have MC on their bodies. We were on holiday together in April, at which time there was physical contact of a non-sexual nature (and expressly not in the genital region). Could such casual contact cause infection which is spread to my genital region subsequently?
I am not homophobic, but at the same time man-on-man sex is not my thing. The Doctor I saw made the same comment.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
Tom
I am most grateful for you comments, they are reassuring. For completeness, I would pick up on the points you have raised over the unclear comments contained in my original question:-
Shortly - Two months.
Sterilised - Probably, she only commented that she "had been fixed"
Age - 40ish
MC - I have not had sexual contact with any one other than my wife and this lady for over 5 years. However, two of my nieces have MC on their bodies. We were on holiday together in April, at which time there was physical contact of a non-sexual nature (and expressly not in the genital region). Could such casual contact cause infection which is spread to my genital region subsequently?
I am not homophobic, but at the same time man-on-man sex is not my thing. The Doctor I saw made the same comment.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
Tom
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
General comment: You don't say what "shortly" means, but it probably takes at least a couple of weeks for molluscum to show up. Also, from your comment about your partner being "sterilized" (hysterectomy?), most likely she is close to your age--and genital area MC is mostly a disease of youth, typically teens and 20s. So I have to suspect your MC was acquired elsewhere.
Interesting too that you have oral gonorrhea, which is uncommonly acquired from cunnilingus. In general it is uncommon in heterosexual men--but presumably you would have said if you had been having sex with other men.
1) Transmission of oral gonorrhea to a woman by cunnlingus also is rare. But it's possible. If you had sex with your wife after your extramarital event but before you were treated, your wife should be examined and treated.
2) No medical illness (except things like advanced cancer) changes the result of HIV test results. Your negative result is reliable.
3) Most gonorrhea of the throat clears up without treatment within 2-3 months. The research study on which that is based had only 15-20 people, as I recall--so there could be some cases that go longer. But almost no gonorrhea lasts for "years".
4) Depends on what antibiotic you received. If it was standard (old fashioned) penicillin, it might not work. If you received ceftriaxone, the most commonly recommended injection therapy for gonorrhea, you have no worries. If you were evaluated and treated at a London GUM clinic, you can be sure they know what they were doing. If a GP or other non-GUM doc, you might call or visit your local GUM clinic to be sure of expert care and advice.
5) Gonorrhea can cause serious problems, including pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to surgery, tubal infections, and infertility; and on rare occasions it gets into the bloodstream and causes dangerous (once in a while, life threatening) problems.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Interesting too that you have oral gonorrhea, which is uncommonly acquired from cunnilingus. In general it is uncommon in heterosexual men--but presumably you would have said if you had been having sex with other men.
1) Transmission of oral gonorrhea to a woman by cunnlingus also is rare. But it's possible. If you had sex with your wife after your extramarital event but before you were treated, your wife should be examined and treated.
2) No medical illness (except things like advanced cancer) changes the result of HIV test results. Your negative result is reliable.
3) Most gonorrhea of the throat clears up without treatment within 2-3 months. The research study on which that is based had only 15-20 people, as I recall--so there could be some cases that go longer. But almost no gonorrhea lasts for "years".
4) Depends on what antibiotic you received. If it was standard (old fashioned) penicillin, it might not work. If you received ceftriaxone, the most commonly recommended injection therapy for gonorrhea, you have no worries. If you were evaluated and treated at a London GUM clinic, you can be sure they know what they were doing. If a GP or other non-GUM doc, you might call or visit your local GUM clinic to be sure of expert care and advice.
5) Gonorrhea can cause serious problems, including pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to surgery, tubal infections, and infertility; and on rare occasions it gets into the bloodstream and causes dangerous (once in a while, life threatening) problems.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
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.
