Aa
Syphilis Testing Question
Hello Drs. I have a question about Syphilis testing. I recently received unprotected oral sex with a co-worker while at a company event. About 6 days later I had a crazy urge to urinate, at least like 20 times. So, two days laters I went to the Dr. and received an STD screening and urine analysis. Everything came back negative, thank god Its been five weeks since the incident and I have an on and off urge to pee and a on and off discomfort at the base of my urthera. I have not had any blisters, sores, discharge or common signs of STDs, but this urge to pee is driving me insane. My doctor gave me another urinalysis screening, but that was negative. I have an appointment with a specialist next week to see what is the deal and I have also received no antibotics.
I spoke to my co-worker she said she has had not sores in her mouth of any kind.
So my questions are:
1. Do I need testing for Syphilis again. I noticed online they said to test again three months later. If I came up negative after five days of the event, is my test reliable?
2. What are my chances of HIV?
3. Is my other long term girlfriend safe? The event happened while she was on a work trip, but we had sex since her return
4. Are my test reliable since my STD and urinalysis since the sample was taken only 50 minutes after i last urinated?
5. Do you think I need any medication?
I spoke to my co-worker she said she has had not sores in her mouth of any kind.
So my questions are:
1. Do I need testing for Syphilis again. I noticed online they said to test again three months later. If I came up negative after five days of the event, is my test reliable?
2. What are my chances of HIV?
3. Is my other long term girlfriend safe? The event happened while she was on a work trip, but we had sex since her return
4. Are my test reliable since my STD and urinalysis since the sample was taken only 50 minutes after i last urinated?
5. Do you think I need any medication?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.
You don't have syphilis. It's a very rare STD these days except in men having sex with men, and in some heterosexuals in very socially disadvantaged settings and minority populations. And rarely transmitted by oral sex. And would never cause symptoms like yours. That said, it takes 6 weeks for syphilis blood tests to become positive -- so if you'd like the extra reassurance of a negative test result, do it 6 weeks after the exposure.
I'm happy to hear you're not too worked up about your symptoms. It's nice they're improving and I'm confident they will continue to clear up entirely. They are typical for genitally focused anxiety, and that interpretation is supported by your negative tests for STDs. What sort of specialist are you lined up to see? I'm not sure it's necessary. I'm confident you have no infection of any kind from the oral sex event. To your specific questions:
1) Your negative test at 5 days is meaningless. See above about possible additional testing at 6 weeks.
2) HIV is rarely if ever transmitted by oral sex. No worries.
3) Your regular partner isn't at risk for anything.
4) Your urine test results are reliable regardless of time since urination. Despite official advice to wait for 1-2 hours, in reality it makes no difference.
5) I see no need for antibiotics or any other medications.
I hope these comments have been helpful. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You don't have syphilis. It's a very rare STD these days except in men having sex with men, and in some heterosexuals in very socially disadvantaged settings and minority populations. And rarely transmitted by oral sex. And would never cause symptoms like yours. That said, it takes 6 weeks for syphilis blood tests to become positive -- so if you'd like the extra reassurance of a negative test result, do it 6 weeks after the exposure.
I'm happy to hear you're not too worked up about your symptoms. It's nice they're improving and I'm confident they will continue to clear up entirely. They are typical for genitally focused anxiety, and that interpretation is supported by your negative tests for STDs. What sort of specialist are you lined up to see? I'm not sure it's necessary. I'm confident you have no infection of any kind from the oral sex event. To your specific questions:
1) Your negative test at 5 days is meaningless. See above about possible additional testing at 6 weeks.
2) HIV is rarely if ever transmitted by oral sex. No worries.
3) Your regular partner isn't at risk for anything.
4) Your urine test results are reliable regardless of time since urination. Despite official advice to wait for 1-2 hours, in reality it makes no difference.
5) I see no need for antibiotics or any other medications.
I hope these comments have been helpful. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
No worries Doctor. Thanks, I just want to make sure i am being safe. Best of luck in your practices.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The reason for gonorrhea/chlamydia retesting at 3 months is not pertinent here -- it is recommended only for people who tested positive and were treated for known infection. Even there, 3 months testing is mostly to pick up reinfection. By that time, the majority of people will have resumed sex and therefore are at risk for reinfection. For detecting treatment failure, however, testing at 6 weeks is fine.
It's time for you to move on without worry about these events. You had no STD at all and certainly don't hvae any persisting STD ifnection.
That will end this thread. Best wishes.
It's time for you to move on without worry about these events. You had no STD at all and certainly don't hvae any persisting STD ifnection.
That will end this thread. Best wishes.
Just a follow up. I got a test for reassurance and everything came out negative. Thanks for giving me the confidence to get through. CDC reccomends re-testing for Gon/Chy three months after exposure. I have already had two tests, one at 2 weeks and 6 weeks post exposure, do you suggest a third test or forget it?
I really want to thank you guys so much for this service or I would have had no clue what to do. I hope the best in your continued practice.
I really want to thank you guys so much for this service or I would have had no clue what to do. I hope the best in your continued practice.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Is that a typo? Do you mean HSV-1?
Your symptoms could not be caused by HSV-1, and absence of herpes lesions or sores is pretty reliable evidence you didn't catch HSV-1. I recommend you not be tested for it. Even if positive, it wouldn't mean anything, since half of all adults have positive blood tests anyway.
I remain convinced your symptoms are entirely emotional in origin. You definitely have no STD, and that's the only topic for this forum. So that will end this thread. I won't have any other comments or advice. Do your best to move on without worry.
Your symptoms could not be caused by HSV-1, and absence of herpes lesions or sores is pretty reliable evidence you didn't catch HSV-1. I recommend you not be tested for it. Even if positive, it wouldn't mean anything, since half of all adults have positive blood tests anyway.
I remain convinced your symptoms are entirely emotional in origin. You definitely have no STD, and that's the only topic for this forum. So that will end this thread. I won't have any other comments or advice. Do your best to move on without worry.
So doctor it has been 8 days since my last post. My syptoms are getting a little better, but not much. If my syptoms dont improve in the next week or two do you suggest testing for HPV1? Its frustrating to have syptoms this long. While I know your opinion, I just dont want to ignore any real potential medical problems.
So can I assume I am safe of HPV1 is I dont have any lessions?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Here's a thread with a quite detailed discussion STD/HIV risks with oral sex:
www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/risk-assessment/show/1999445
www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/risk-assessment/show/1999445
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
"Genitally focused anxiety" is my own made-up term, but any clinician in the STD business will tell you they see this sort of thing all the time in men who have had a sexual exposure they worry about or regret. As the name implies, anxiety itself is the presumed cause. The mechanism is increased tension in pelvic and bladder muscles -- the same as worry or stress causing tension headaches, in which the pain comes from tension in head muscles. (Makes sense when you think about it that way, yes?)
For more information, google "chronic pelvic pain syndrome" and start reading with the excellent Wikipedia article. As that name implies, CPPS is a long-term problem, and not necessarily associated with sexual anxieties. But I suspect you'll see parallels with your symptoms -- various combinations or urinary urgency and frequency, genital tingling, pains in the lower abdomen and testicles, and so on -- because the pain mechanism probably is the same in both disorders. If you follow through with your urology appointment, consdider printing out these comments and see what he or she thinks about it. (You could delete the "disaster" comment above, however. That was a little too strong!)
The three main STDs transmitted oral to penis are herpes (due to HSV-1); nongonococcal urethritis (NGU, which often may be due to entirely normal oral bacteria that are harmless in the genital tract, despite the symptoms); and gonorrhea, the least common of these three. All these probably occur following less than 1 in a thousand oral sex events. Others -- chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis -- are very rarely if ever transmitted by oral sex. Maybe HPV sometimes, but this is unclear -- conflicting reports and no clear consensus among experts.
For more information, google "chronic pelvic pain syndrome" and start reading with the excellent Wikipedia article. As that name implies, CPPS is a long-term problem, and not necessarily associated with sexual anxieties. But I suspect you'll see parallels with your symptoms -- various combinations or urinary urgency and frequency, genital tingling, pains in the lower abdomen and testicles, and so on -- because the pain mechanism probably is the same in both disorders. If you follow through with your urology appointment, consdider printing out these comments and see what he or she thinks about it. (You could delete the "disaster" comment above, however. That was a little too strong!)
The three main STDs transmitted oral to penis are herpes (due to HSV-1); nongonococcal urethritis (NGU, which often may be due to entirely normal oral bacteria that are harmless in the genital tract, despite the symptoms); and gonorrhea, the least common of these three. All these probably occur following less than 1 in a thousand oral sex events. Others -- chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis -- are very rarely if ever transmitted by oral sex. Maybe HPV sometimes, but this is unclear -- conflicting reports and no clear consensus among experts.
Well the doc wants me to seea urologist. But if you think this all caused by worry, I will hold off. So out of curiosity:
What causes genital focused anxiety? Seems strange I keep having to pee out of fear.
What is the common std transmitted orally?
That said, thanks for your answers to my questions. I feel better already.
What causes genital focused anxiety? Seems strange I keep having to pee out of fear.
What is the common std transmitted orally?
That said, thanks for your answers to my questions. I feel better already.
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.
