Confused about Oral STDS

[MBKTR86]

Greetings Doctors:
I'll get right to the point. About 8 weeks ago I had a one time unprotected sexual encounter with another male (give and receive oral). I do not know him, nor could I contact him. I performed brief oral sex on him (<30 sec) and he did not ejaculate. I have been screened for STD's (awaiting results, but not too worried) but when I asked my doctor about oral Gonorrhea and Chlamydia, she stated that the throat just isn't a place where those infections really thrive and that testing wasn't really necessary.
I think my anxiety got the best of me so I am going back to firmly request an oral swab to be sure. However results will take three weeks. My questions are 1.) How likely is it for a person to acquire an oral Gonorrhea or Chlamydia infection? and 2.) Is it safe to perform oral sex on my GF while I await the results of this test? My doctor says it is safe and that she and her clinical team came to the general conclusion that they would never see these oral cases and testing wasn't necessary (it is a University health clinic), but I am unsure...what do you think?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Actually, you are correct that these infections can clear themselves spontaneously.  Having said that, the scenario you suggest is most improbable.  As I said and continue to emphasize, your chances of giving your GF infection through oral sex are vanishingly low. EWH

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I agree with much of what your doctor has told you.  Oral sex is an inefficient way to transmit STDs.  Of the bacterial STDs only gonorrhea and nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) are transmitted through oral sex; chlamydia is not and without an obvious sore or lesion on your partner’s mouth, the chances of syphilis and herpes is likewise tiny.   If you had gotten gonorrhea or NGU you would have most likely developed symptoms of urethritis (penile infection).  Even if your partner had an STD (any STD and it is likely he did not), most exposures do not lead to infection.

Regarding your throat. Likewise infections are rare but occasionally gonorrhea can occur.  (As I mentioned above, oral infection with chlamydia is almost unheard of).  When these infections occur they can be asymptomatic however.  Your probability of infection is very low but getting testing is a reasonable precaution.

I'm surprised to hear that result will take 3 weeks to come back- they are typically available in more like 3 days.  Your risk of giving your GF infection by performing oral sex on her is virtually non-existent.  Hope this helps. EWH

[MBKTR86]

Understood. Thanks for all of your help Doctor. You have a really great service here, and I appreciate your time and patience. :-D

[MBKTR86]

Thanks, Dr. Hook. That information was very helpful :-)

Just a quick follow-up question: On the off-chance that I did acquire an infection in my throat, there is no way that my body could have cleared that infection without the help of antibiotics, right? I just want to be 100% sure when I get my results (I expect them to be negative...this is all just a precaution) that I didn't have the infection in my throat, pass it on to my GF via oral sex, and then test negative because my body has cleared the infection in the mean time.

Sounds silly, I'm sure...but just curious so I can be confident in the results of my tests.