Mutual Masturbation, Herpes, STDs...

[cy_auda]

Hi Doctors,
I am a gay male (27y/o), uncircumcised.  Around 3 days ago (Sept 2 midnight) in a gay sauna I had mutual masturbation with a guy I didn't know (a stranger), inside a dark room.  By mutual masturbation, I meant one touching one's penis and then touching another's penis, using the same hand.   When I touched his base and shaft of his penis, it was somehow slick and wet.  I didn't know what it could possibly be - I am thinking towards the worst to assume that it could be his semen (coz I saw him fooling with other guys right before me).   During this encounter, he touched his penis and then touched mine instantly using the same hand.  I did the same to him as well.  I ejaculated in the end.  Then I had a shower and left the sauna.

(1) Am I at risk of any STDs (including genital herpes, genital warts(HPV), HIV and others) assuming that somehow his genital secretion (pre-*** or even worse his semen) got onto my penis area during mutual masturbation by either direct contact or genital-hand-genital or genital-genital (naked frottage) route?  Is semen more infectious than pre-*** (being that semen contains more viral loads than pre-***)?  
(2) How long would it take for me to develop classical symptoms of herpes?  From reading through the forum, it's around 14-21 days.  Could my mind be at peace after day 14?  Should I need further blood test for confirmation then?
(3) How much is the chance of people getting infected with genital herpes or genital warts but not showing any symptoms?  If I improve my immune system by whatever means during this period, would the symptoms not show up or be less severe?
(4) Does post-exposure cleansing help reduce the extent of genital herpes/genital warts infection?

I am sort of panic stricken.  My fear now is HIV,HepC, herpes and warts, coz they are not curable.

Thanks a lot.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

This information doesn't change my opinion or advice.  It is possible to feel lymph nodes in half of all people who are carefully examined; by itself, it is not abnormal.  It is not possible you have inflamed lymph nodes in the groin from the event described, in the absence of outwardly visible sores or inflammation on the penis.  And nodes in the groin, by itself, is not possibly due to HIV.

You'll have to ask the doctor about why he suggested a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug like Voltaren.  My guess is he was trying to reassure you, perhaps as a placebo effect.  

[cy_auda]

Thanks doctor.  One week on, no classical symptoms of genital herpes and warts in my penis; no fever; no pain.  But I have some slight swollen lymph nodes at my groins (confirmed by a doctor I saw).  The doctor said to take med first (Voltaren 25mg for 3 days (2 pills, 3 times a day)) before doing any lab.

Would it be related to my encounters on 2nd Sept?  Anti-retroviral syndrome of any sort??  

Thanks.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the forum.  However, my replies will be brief since the identical questions have been asked so often.  (See the advice in the Disclaimer message at the top of the forum.)  I just tried entering "hand-genital" and then "mutual masturbation" into this forum's search window.  They came up with over 250 and over 300 threads, respectively.

The main take-home messages from all those threads, and to your own questions, is that you had safe sex (mutual masturbation is the safest of all genital sexual practices) -- congratulations for not doing anything risky at the sauna.

1) In theory, HSV or HPV could be transmitted by hand-genital contact.  But it's very rare, especially for HSV; in my 30+ years in the STD business, I have never seen (or even heard of) a case of genital herpes in someone who had not had vaginal, anal, or oral sex; and I have never seen or heard of such an HPV case either. The answer is the same even if semen or pre-ejaculate fluid is used as lubricant.

2,3) Irrelevant, since you won't get infected from this event.  The usual incubation period for herpes (to onset of symptoms) is 3-5 days, rarely up to 3 weeks.  Asymptomatic HSV infections occur mostly in persons not aware of an exposure and not on the lookout for symptoms; given your anxieties about it, you probably would know if you were infected.  Most HPV infections are asymptomatic and you would never know you were infected.

4) Cleaning after sex might have a slight effect in reducing the chance of infection, but probably not much.  If infection occurs, it's probalby no more or less extensive on account of washing after exposure.

I recommend against seeing a health care provider or getting tested for anything.  If a test turned up positive, it wouldn't be from this exposure.  Don't waste your money.

For more infomation, use the search function for the phrases I suggested above.

Regards-- HHH, MD