What are the real STD risks, if any, for a man if a woman performs oral sex on him without a condom? What can he catch from her that she might not know she has, even if she doesn’t have obvious sores, or she lies about knowing…. NEXT: Is there anything she could pass to him and neither of them know…..that he could then pass to someone else IF he had any sexual encounter with a second woman unprotected? What are the REAL risks to him, and then me, as the unprotected second woman? Let’s just get this all cleared up from the professionals once and for all.
Yes, let’s.
First, these infections have all been documented as transmitted from a person performing oral sex without barrier protection on a penis:
Viral infections:
- Human Papilloma Virus (HPV),
- Herpes Simplex type 1 and 2,
- Hepatitis A, B, and C,
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
- Mycoplasma genitalium
Non-Viral infections:
- Chlamydia,
- Gonorrhea,
- Syphilis,
- Strep B
- Chancroid (Hemophylis dycreii)
There are more, but that’s just the quick list.
But which one’s of those are transmitted by people with vaginas who don’t think they’re infected and have never had any lesions or drainage or smell???
All of them.
You mean, as the second unprotected person, I am exposed potentially to *ALL* of those infections–even if my partner doesn’t have any lesions?!?!?
Yes, you are, as any future partner is. Does he know he’s infected? Probably not, not unless he is tested, and even then most professionals rely on 2-3 negative tests, because sample collection and laboratory tests are NEVER 100% accurate. Most people do not know that they have sexually transmitted infections, because most infections have no symptoms. Period.
Sexually transmitted infections are at EPIDEMIC proportions in the United States. Our willingness to believe that we can diagnose infections by giving a visual scan (“Nope. Looks good to me.”) pushes this unnecessary and dangerous infection transmission ever onwards. Being closed to the possibility of infection *increases* your risk because you aren’t going to protect yourself from something you don’t think *you’re* going to get.
Well, which ones of those are transmitted from partners having oral sex with an unprotected vulvas?
All of them. This infection transmission stuff isn’t determined by gender–the microbes don’t care about your gender. Sure, people with vaginas are more likely to be diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis after oral sex, but that has more to do with the nature of the sensitive vulvar gardens/natural flora than infection transmission, per se.
So, let’s just get this all cleared up by the medical professionals once and for all.
I couldn’t agree more. You are at risk of becoming infected by a partner who is having unprotected oral sex with someone else. All of the listed viruses and bacteria live comfortably in the mouth and throat just as much as they do in the genitals. Getting tested before or after any unprotected exposure, using barriers when you don’t want to be exposed yourself, and selectively choosing partners and behaviors are your routes to remaining infection free. If the mouth and throat are the area of contact, make sure to tell your health care provider to test your throat (unless the collection is urine or blood).
If you don’t want to be infected by this partner, you can re-design your relationship so that after testing (if he’s already been exposed), you two decide what exposures you’re willing to have. If he wants contact that you don’t want to be exposed to, you have to protect yourself from him either with barriers and lube (to keep the barriers from breaking), or protect yourself by not being intimate with him. If he has oral sex with another person (his mouth), you are at risk for infection just by kissing him.
Start taking care of yourself. No one can do that for you, except you.