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Chances of catching something
I performed unprotected oral sex on another man last week. Actually, it was protected at first but then we took the condom off. There was also unprotected penis-to-penis contact. I saw no sores anywhere on his penis or scrotum, and he assured me that he has always been safe and has never had an STD of any kind. Also, he did not ejaculate in my mouth.
What are the chances that I could've caught something? And how soon can I reliably get tested to find out?
What are the chances that I could've caught something? And how soon can I reliably get tested to find out?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum.
In general, oral sex is safe sex. Not totally free of STD risk, but much lower risk than vaginal or anal sex. You could get oral gonorrhea, herpes, or syphilis -- that's pretty much it. His belief he has no STDs lowers the already low risk still further, but there is no way to know for certain unless he gets retested. HIV is a theoretical risk, but average chance is in the range of 1 in 10,000 if your partner has HIV -- which probably he does not. Penis-to-penis contact is not likely to transmit anything, although I cannot say it is totally risk free.
All things considered, the STD/HIV risk is sufficiently low that you really don't need testing in the absence of symptoms. However, that's the only way to know for certain. You could visit your local health department STD clinic, or your personal health care provider, to be examined and tested. If you do it, you can expect negative results.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
In general, oral sex is safe sex. Not totally free of STD risk, but much lower risk than vaginal or anal sex. You could get oral gonorrhea, herpes, or syphilis -- that's pretty much it. His belief he has no STDs lowers the already low risk still further, but there is no way to know for certain unless he gets retested. HIV is a theoretical risk, but average chance is in the range of 1 in 10,000 if your partner has HIV -- which probably he does not. Penis-to-penis contact is not likely to transmit anything, although I cannot say it is totally risk free.
All things considered, the STD/HIV risk is sufficiently low that you really don't need testing in the absence of symptoms. However, that's the only way to know for certain. You could visit your local health department STD clinic, or your personal health care provider, to be examined and tested. If you do it, you can expect negative results.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Sorry, one more thing: I haven't seen any symptoms or anything out of the ordinary at this point. This is more of a preemptive question.
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.
