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STDs (Expert Forum)
HPV, syphillis etc question
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
This forum does not cover AIDS/HIV issues. This forum is for questions and support regarding STD issues such as: Chlamydia, Crabs (pubic lice scabies), Gonorrhea, Hepatitis (viral), Herpes, HPV, Molluscum Contagiosum, PID, Rectal Infections, Syphilis, Trichomonas, Warts, Yeast Infection.
IMPORTANT
This forum is limited to questions about STDs other than HIV/AIDS. For questions about HIV prevention, or if you have general questions about safe sex (e.g., condoms, how to protect yourself from HIV and STDs), please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum
Some of the most common types of questions concern the risk of HIV or STD after a particular sexual exposure, and about symptoms that might or might not be due to HIV. If your question is along these lines, please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum.
This forum is limited to questions about STDs other than HIV/AIDS. For questions about HIV prevention, or if you have general questions about safe sex (e.g., condoms, how to protect yourself from HIV and STDs), please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum
Some of the most common types of questions concern the risk of HIV or STD after a particular sexual exposure, and about symptoms that might or might not be due to HIV. If your question is along these lines, please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum.
HPV, syphillis etc question
by muddyminute, Jul 07, 2008 05:35AM
Hi doctor
I'm a bisexsual man, extremely particular about safe sex to the extent that I usually only masturbate with men, which I understand to be completely safe for most things, though I did get HPV wart from somewhere (I wrote to you about it last year) -anyway, had wart removed. Two things concern me today, one related to various STDs, the other about syphillis. Here goes.
1) Syphillis question. I had a bump at the very base of my penis a while back. It looked and felt like a pimple, frankly,so I've been holding back on testing. I squeezed, it became quite infected, couple of weeks later released a significant amount of pus and went away. I've looked at pictures of syphyllis chancres on the net and don't think it is that but am nevertheless concerned as I know there's a minute risk for syphills through mutrual maturbation. Does this sound like I should be worried?
2) General question - I strayed from my usual extreme safe route and received oral sex from male sex worker recently (long story). Anyway, he seemed to be quite cautious about STDs as he went to rinse his mouth shortly after my orgasm. I understand this to be fairly low risk behaviour for everything except gonorhea, but afterwards checked my penis and noticed a new HPV wart at its base (top of scrotum). This is obviously a recurrence from before, which is fine, I'm having it removed tomorrow, but can't find information about whether the presence of the wart (which was definitely in his mouth at some stage has now increased my chances for HIV or other STDS? If not, then am I right to only est for gonnorrhea after this?
Thanks for once again indulging my paranoia.
MM
I'm a bisexsual man, extremely particular about safe sex to the extent that I usually only masturbate with men, which I understand to be completely safe for most things, though I did get HPV wart from somewhere (I wrote to you about it last year) -anyway, had wart removed. Two things concern me today, one related to various STDs, the other about syphillis. Here goes.
1) Syphillis question. I had a bump at the very base of my penis a while back. It looked and felt like a pimple, frankly,so I've been holding back on testing. I squeezed, it became quite infected, couple of weeks later released a significant amount of pus and went away. I've looked at pictures of syphyllis chancres on the net and don't think it is that but am nevertheless concerned as I know there's a minute risk for syphills through mutrual maturbation. Does this sound like I should be worried?
2) General question - I strayed from my usual extreme safe route and received oral sex from male sex worker recently (long story). Anyway, he seemed to be quite cautious about STDs as he went to rinse his mouth shortly after my orgasm. I understand this to be fairly low risk behaviour for everything except gonorhea, but afterwards checked my penis and noticed a new HPV wart at its base (top of scrotum). This is obviously a recurrence from before, which is fine, I'm having it removed tomorrow, but can't find information about whether the presence of the wart (which was definitely in his mouth at some stage has now increased my chances for HIV or other STDS? If not, then am I right to only est for gonnorrhea after this?
Thanks for once again indulging my paranoia.
MM
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jul 07, 2008 08:35AM
, Jul 07, 2008 08:35AM
As we discussed in your thread a year ago, you continue an unusually safe sexual lifestyle compared with most sexually active persons, perhaps especially among gay men. Since you participate almost exclusively in non-penetrative sex, there is little STD risk except HPV. While oral sex isn't quite that safe, it is still a relatively low risk activity, as you clearly understand. To the specific questions:
1) The lesion you describe sounds like a pimple, not a chancre -- both by location and by the description itself. Before a scab develops, almost any open sore on the skin, due to any cause, can resemble a syphilitic chancre. But if you're nervous about it, wait about 6 weeks from onset of the pimple and have a syphilis blood test. You can expect a negative result.
2) From you description, I cannot tell how reliable your self-diagnosis of a recurrent wart is. Bumpy but normal tissue can mimic warts. You relly shouldn't treat it yourself without professional diagnosis. In any case, HPV infections -- whether overt warts or asymptomatic -- are not believed to increase the risk of HIV or other STDs. As you likely know, most STDs in fact increase the risk of HIV if exposed, but multiple research studies have failed to find any such association with HPV, probably because HPV infections are not associated with inflammation and rarely result in breaks in the skin or mucous membranes.
Asymptomatic urethral gonorrhea is rare; if you caught gonorrhea, you can expect a urethral discharge and uncomfortable urination. Absent those symptoms, testing really isn't necessary. But if you remain nervous, a urine test could be done.
Regards-- HHH, MD
1) The lesion you describe sounds like a pimple, not a chancre -- both by location and by the description itself. Before a scab develops, almost any open sore on the skin, due to any cause, can resemble a syphilitic chancre. But if you're nervous about it, wait about 6 weeks from onset of the pimple and have a syphilis blood test. You can expect a negative result.
2) From you description, I cannot tell how reliable your self-diagnosis of a recurrent wart is. Bumpy but normal tissue can mimic warts. You relly shouldn't treat it yourself without professional diagnosis. In any case, HPV infections -- whether overt warts or asymptomatic -- are not believed to increase the risk of HIV or other STDs. As you likely know, most STDs in fact increase the risk of HIV if exposed, but multiple research studies have failed to find any such association with HPV, probably because HPV infections are not associated with inflammation and rarely result in breaks in the skin or mucous membranes.
Asymptomatic urethral gonorrhea is rare; if you caught gonorrhea, you can expect a urethral discharge and uncomfortable urination. Absent those symptoms, testing really isn't necessary. But if you remain nervous, a urine test could be done.
Regards-- HHH, MD
