Unprotected Oral Sex, Protected Vaginal - STDs?

[jaden35]

Hi, I'm a man in an otherwise monogamous relationship w/ a female, but about 6 weeks ago in a very intoxicated sate, I had a 1 time unprotected oral sex, protected vaginal sex encounter with w/ a female prostitute at a mens club in Brazil. The Club is well known to be one of the best in Brazil and the girls at the Club are known to be clean according to my friends who live & frequent the place. I'm not sure how strict they are w/ testing the girls, but it did seem that the girl was prepared w/ condoms and I even presented her w/ a condom and she choose to select from one of her own condoms and seemed to take care in correctly putting it on me.

I have no real visible signs or symptoms other than what I assume to be psychological, but my partner recently had a very painful period and some bloating and nausea that lasted for a few days after her period was over. Should I be worried that she may have caught an STD from me? Would this have caused any of her recent symptoms? I've read STDs can lead to PID in women & this could cause painful stomach issues etc. Prior to this encounter my partner & I went through a whole series of STD tests as we are going through some fertility treatment, everything was clear, but now i'm really worried that I may have put her at risk of an STD.

What STDs should I be worried about and do you suggest that I go and get tested before continuing to have sex w/ my partner?  I've read through a lot of the posts here and from what i've seen, it's not so easy to get an STD from the unprotected Oral sex & the fact that I don't have any real symptoms at this point makes it less likely, but according to numerous articles i've read on the web, often there are no symptoms so I would not even know if I was infected & therefore the only real way to know would be to get tested. Knowing my situation, do you suggest I get tested? What are the chances that I caught an STD from this encounter? Very worried about all of this.

Thanks for your help! P.S.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

That history provides a pretty obvious explanation for your wife's symptoms and reduces the concern she might have PID.

Thanks for the thanks.

[jaden35]

Thanks Dr. Hunter,

I should have added that my wife has a few small cysts and it's also possible that she now has endometriosis that may have been caused by a complication due to a leep procedure she had to deal with HPV. She's had some similar painful periods in the recent past so maybe this is all connected? She seems to be fine now and I really appreciate your detailed feedback on my situation.

Thanks Again, this is a really great resource you provide.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the STD forum.  I'm happy to confirm your self-assessment that the risks for STD from your Brazil exposure are nil; and assuming this is your and your partner's only potential STD risk, there is no chance that her symptoms are due to STD.

"...from what i've seen, it's not so easy to get an STD from the unprotected Oral sex & the fact that I don't have any real symptoms at this point makes it less likely...."  Exactly right.

"...[but] often there are no symptoms so I would not even know if I was infected & therefore the only real way to know would be to get tested."  Yes and no.  Absence of symptoms is pretty good evidence against most new STDs.  Not perfect, but a strong clue.  The only risk was from oral -- and oral sex is safe sex; not totally safe, but with quite low overall risk. And almost all STDs acquired by fellatio cause obvious symptoms, either discharge from the penis (gonorrhea, nongonococcal urethritis), or herpes or syphilis (penile sores).

The details of your sexual exposure -- for example, how the condom was or was not put in place -- don't make any difference that I can see.

Pain during menstruation, nausea, and "bloating" (abdominal pain?) could be due to PID -- but also to any number of other conditions.  If she has sexually acquired PID, it is unlikely to have any connection to your adventures at the Brazil club.  But for reassurance, you might want to visit your primary care provider (or a local STD clinic) for testing, especially for gonorrhea.  (There's nothing else from oral sex that would cause PID.)

As for sex with your partner, she might want to avoid it until the cause of her symptoms is sorted out.  But otherwise I see no harm.  Of course I can't guarantee someone like you isn't infected.  But f I were in your situation, knowing what I know, I would continue unprotected sex with my wife with no worries.

I hope this helps.  Best wishes--  HHH, MD