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confused about ngu
I'm a 53 year old male, who separated from my wife a year ago. Immediately upon separating, I visited a seedy strip club, and had a stripper (probably a prostitute) perform oral on me for about a minute, not to completion. It's very possible this same stripper may have performed oral on someone else right before me. Fearing that I may have gotten infected with the infected semen of someone else, via the oral given by the stripper, I got tested at one of the confidential services advertised online six months after the stripper encounter. All tests (chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HSV I, HSV II, HIV, syphilis) came back negative.
Months later, after feeling occasional pain at the tip of my penis, and getting online, and reading about NGU, I began to wonder if I could have NGU, since my tests never included NGU months earlier, and honestly had never even heard of NGU. I wonder now if maybe I could have missed earlier symptoms, like discharge I never noticed, etc. My first question, then, is could discharge from NGU be so mild, and the burning pain while urinating be so mild, as to NOT be noticed at all months ago, and then the symptoms stopped, but I'm still capable of spreading NGU to my wife now, nearly a year later? I haven't had any sexual relations since the episode with the stripper over a year ago, and I want to resume relations with my wife. Secondly, having read that NGU can be asymptomatic, is it possible I could be asymptomatic for over a year?
Finally, my third question. Since NGU is usually caused by the chlamydia bacteria, does my negative test for chlamydia taken earlier mean that I could not have NGU, or that I could not have the type of NGU caused by that particular bacteria? I know from reading posts on here that it's been said that NGU caused by oral sex cannot cause harm to future sexual partners, but I don't want to do anything to risk my relationship with my wife that I value more now than ever before.
Thx!
Months later, after feeling occasional pain at the tip of my penis, and getting online, and reading about NGU, I began to wonder if I could have NGU, since my tests never included NGU months earlier, and honestly had never even heard of NGU. I wonder now if maybe I could have missed earlier symptoms, like discharge I never noticed, etc. My first question, then, is could discharge from NGU be so mild, and the burning pain while urinating be so mild, as to NOT be noticed at all months ago, and then the symptoms stopped, but I'm still capable of spreading NGU to my wife now, nearly a year later? I haven't had any sexual relations since the episode with the stripper over a year ago, and I want to resume relations with my wife. Secondly, having read that NGU can be asymptomatic, is it possible I could be asymptomatic for over a year?
Finally, my third question. Since NGU is usually caused by the chlamydia bacteria, does my negative test for chlamydia taken earlier mean that I could not have NGU, or that I could not have the type of NGU caused by that particular bacteria? I know from reading posts on here that it's been said that NGU caused by oral sex cannot cause harm to future sexual partners, but I don't want to do anything to risk my relationship with my wife that I value more now than ever before.
Thx!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your mind is continuing to develop somewhat twisted "what if" scenarios. I have tried to reassure you but you keep find reasons not to accept the reassurance. Professional counseling may be in order to get past your obvious serious anxiety about all this; repeated statements of fact and scientific judgment obviously will not solve the problem. So that will end this thread.
Thank you so much for your response. I am going to work hard at trying to forget about all this, including the discomfort described above that I seem to feel everyday. I value your expertise, and now just need to convince myself that all is OK, and work on rebuilding my relationship with my wife. I love her so much, and don't want to do anything that could harm her.
Final question: Does the fact that I waited six months after my encounter to get tested affect your thoughts at all? Just not that knowledgeable on STD testing windows, or the possibility that I could have waited too long to get tested.
Thanks. I'll await your response, but will not be following up any more. I really appreciate what you're trying to do for me. Take care.
Final question: Does the fact that I waited six months after my encounter to get tested affect your thoughts at all? Just not that knowledgeable on STD testing windows, or the possibility that I could have waited too long to get tested.
Thanks. I'll await your response, but will not be following up any more. I really appreciate what you're trying to do for me. Take care.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The symptoms you describe are not typical for NGU, for which the primary symptom is discharge of cloudy mucus from the penis. Scant clear discharge generally is not abnormal. Your symptoms are, however, very typical for many older men (45 and up) related to bladder and prostate problems. Or they might be primarily the result of genitally focused anxiety -- and it is clear you are experiencing exaggerated anxiety over a sexual exposure you regret.
My advice is to see your primary care provider about these symptoms. Trust me on this: there simply is no realistic likelihood you have NGU or any other STD. Please try to stop worrying about it.
My advice is to see your primary care provider about these symptoms. Trust me on this: there simply is no realistic likelihood you have NGU or any other STD. Please try to stop worrying about it.
Thank you so much for the quick reply. You guys provide such a good service, because as you know, there is a ton of conficting data, reports and articles out there online.
If I could follow up with a couple questions, that would be great.
1.) You mentioned NGU symptoms normally start within a couple of weeks. What I am concerned about is that I possibly missed recognizing the symptoms back then. Could these symptoms (discharge and pain while urinating) have been so mild that I missed them? Or are they typically significant enough that I couldn't have missed seeing something, or feeling something, irregular? For instance, would there have been underwear stains that would have been impossible to miss?
2) You addressed asymptomatic NGU in your response, but I had a few questions about some symptoms I have been feeling the last six months. I tried to get these in my initial question, but I exceeded the character limit. The following started being felt five months AFTER the stripper encounter, and have been felt intermittently over the last six months.
I have increased urinary frequency, daytime and nighttime, sometimes within a half hour from the last trip to the bathroom. I have intermittent pain at the tip of my penis, almost where it feels like the skin's been irritated and is tender. I have noticed (since I've been examining myself every few hours the last few weeks) some clear fluid that will escape the penis if I squeeze it. It's not always there, but I may see it a couple times a week. This fluid has never had any color to it at all. I have had regular on-going abdominal discomfort, which is there and dull most of the day (kind of like a stomach ache), but more prominent when first waking up. It seems to lessen upon my first bowel movement of the day, but never goes away fully. Finally, none of these symptoms are felt if I'm emersed in something else. For instance, when eating, I never notice a thing. When enjoying an evening with friends, it appears to be gone. I know you've mentioned on here about how anxiety can exaggerate feelings being felt, so my question is if my symptoms WERE being caused by NGU, or any other STD, would they seem to go away if mentally involved in other things, or would they be so prominent, I'd feel them all the time.
I really appreciate you taking the time for these follow up questions, but rest assured, answers to these will help me immensely. Again, thank you.
If I could follow up with a couple questions, that would be great.
1.) You mentioned NGU symptoms normally start within a couple of weeks. What I am concerned about is that I possibly missed recognizing the symptoms back then. Could these symptoms (discharge and pain while urinating) have been so mild that I missed them? Or are they typically significant enough that I couldn't have missed seeing something, or feeling something, irregular? For instance, would there have been underwear stains that would have been impossible to miss?
2) You addressed asymptomatic NGU in your response, but I had a few questions about some symptoms I have been feeling the last six months. I tried to get these in my initial question, but I exceeded the character limit. The following started being felt five months AFTER the stripper encounter, and have been felt intermittently over the last six months.
I have increased urinary frequency, daytime and nighttime, sometimes within a half hour from the last trip to the bathroom. I have intermittent pain at the tip of my penis, almost where it feels like the skin's been irritated and is tender. I have noticed (since I've been examining myself every few hours the last few weeks) some clear fluid that will escape the penis if I squeeze it. It's not always there, but I may see it a couple times a week. This fluid has never had any color to it at all. I have had regular on-going abdominal discomfort, which is there and dull most of the day (kind of like a stomach ache), but more prominent when first waking up. It seems to lessen upon my first bowel movement of the day, but never goes away fully. Finally, none of these symptoms are felt if I'm emersed in something else. For instance, when eating, I never notice a thing. When enjoying an evening with friends, it appears to be gone. I know you've mentioned on here about how anxiety can exaggerate feelings being felt, so my question is if my symptoms WERE being caused by NGU, or any other STD, would they seem to go away if mentally involved in other things, or would they be so prominent, I'd feel them all the time.
I really appreciate you taking the time for these follow up questions, but rest assured, answers to these will help me immensely. Again, thank you.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. Bottom line: it is exceedingly unlikely you have NGU and you should not be at all worried about it.
Although oral sex can result in NGU, it is infrequent; and with the very brief exposure you describe, the chance is even lower. NGU symptoms generally start within a couple of weeks. Asymptomatic NGU has not been studied, but it's not believed to be a common problem. In my STD clinic, we do not test asymptomatic men for NGU. Further, NGU clears up on its own without treatment, probably within a couple of months -- so even if you had it, probably it is now gone. Nonchlamydial NGU is generally considered harmless, and you correctly understand that NGU from oral sex probably is also harmless for affected men's sex partners. Finally, chlamydia is rarely if ever transmitted by oral sex; combining that fact with your negative test, you can be certain you don't have a chlamydial infection. (By the way, it isn't true that NGU is "usually" caused by chlamydia. About one third of cases are chlamydial -- but almost never in cases acquired by oral exposure.)
I think those comments answer all three of your questions. You should not hesitate to resume unprotected sex with your wife. Best wishes in repairing your relationship.
Regards-- HHH, MD
Although oral sex can result in NGU, it is infrequent; and with the very brief exposure you describe, the chance is even lower. NGU symptoms generally start within a couple of weeks. Asymptomatic NGU has not been studied, but it's not believed to be a common problem. In my STD clinic, we do not test asymptomatic men for NGU. Further, NGU clears up on its own without treatment, probably within a couple of months -- so even if you had it, probably it is now gone. Nonchlamydial NGU is generally considered harmless, and you correctly understand that NGU from oral sex probably is also harmless for affected men's sex partners. Finally, chlamydia is rarely if ever transmitted by oral sex; combining that fact with your negative test, you can be certain you don't have a chlamydial infection. (By the way, it isn't true that NGU is "usually" caused by chlamydia. About one third of cases are chlamydial -- but almost never in cases acquired by oral exposure.)
I think those comments answer all three of your questions. You should not hesitate to resume unprotected sex with your wife. Best wishes in repairing your relationship.
Regards-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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