oral sex

[operation1]

Hi doctor, i am a 20 year old male. i have been with my girlfriend who is 19yrs old for 2 months and she has been giving me unprotected oral sex (i haven't been in a sexual relationship of any kind before and am not currently having sex with this girl). yesterday, she gave me unprotected oral sex twice and she swallowed. she rang me today and told me that she went to the doctor with a very sore throat and was prescribed antibiotics. she had severe tonsillitis (hospitalised/septic) about 5/6 months ago. she has probably had unprotected oral sex with 5 previous boyfriends. she tells me that she has had no symptoms of STIs and i understand that oral sex is relatively safe. I am worried that her tonsillitis may have been caused by an oral STI such as herpes (i am esp. paranoid about viral STIs) and thus i would have been exposed the nite before she had an obvious sore throat. if the tonsillitis was caused by strep., could this still cause a genital infection and how long would it take for symptoms to develop? also if it is an oral STI, could i have contracted it by kissing her and now also have an oral STI? what is your opinion of my risk in this situation? i have never had any explicit STI symptoms. thanks very much for your time

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Sounds like a pimple or folliculitis, not herpes.  I repeat you cannot possibly have an STD, which is the only topic suitable for this forum.  Not all genital area skin problems are due to STD.  See a health care provider if you need further reassurance.

[operation1]

sorry doctor, just wanted to add, about 3 days later i noticed a fairly large red bump at the base of my penis, it is sore when i push down on it, i squeezed it and some blood came out, it was in an area that i shaved, is it most likely to be folliculitis? perhaps my gf had asymptomatic herpes? does this change your opinion at all? sorry again to add this on

[operation1]

thanks very much

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Almost impossible. STDs rarely cause sore thrsloat; most oral STD infections ate asymptmstic.  99% of sore throats are due to garden variety cold viruses, not STDs, even in sexually active people.

Simply no cause for concern here.  Let it go.

[operation1]

ok thanks, just to clarify could her tonsillitis be caused by an STD caught from a previous relationship and therefore am i at risk if she gave me oral sex the nite before she had an obvious sore throat?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

It is really not possible that any STD is responible for your partner's illness.  Since you have never had sex with anyone else, you can't have an STS.  If you had caught genital herpes from your partner by oral sex, that would mean she alreagy is infected, and people with a particular type of HSV (the virus that causes herpes are immune from catching it again.

Almost certainly your partner just has a cold virus or possibly strep throat.  Whatever she has, she didn't catch by performing oral sex on you.

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