A service provided by the BC Centre for Disease Control
In the years since SmartSexResource launched, we have developed a library of questions asked by you, and answered by our expert sexual health nurses.
Our answered questions library cover a broad range of sexual health topics and common questions we hear at our clinics.
Hi
Gonorrhea, chlamydia and HIV are not passed this way.
It is possible, but not common, to pass the sexually transmitted infections (STI) that are spread through skin-to-skin contact. Those are herpes, genital warts and syphilis.
In general hand – genital contact is low risk for most STI. It is one of the safer ways you can have sexual contact.
Like you have suggested hand washing is a good idea.
Have a look at our “talk about it” web page it gives some suggestions on talking to partners about sex and STI testing.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi
Without all of your medical information and test results, it is difficult to answer some of your questions. For example, it is not possible to tell you what the 4.77 value means because interpretation of results depends on what type of test you had.
There are some things to know when using blood tests to diagnose HSV.
Depending on the test, there is a small chance of false positive and negative results.
A positive blood test tells you that HSV is probably in your body, but it does not tell you where it is in your body. Since many people have no symptoms, there is no way to know if they have HSV on the mouth, genitals, fingers or another part of the body.
In your case, a positive result tells you that you have the virus in your body, but it does not tell you whether the sores on your pubic area are HSV 2. The positive test result may be from a previous contact with HSV in another area of your body. For this reason, the BC Centre for Disease Control lab recommends swabbing the sore as the best way to test for HSV.
After the first outbreak of genital herpes, future outbreaks can appear anywhere in the `boxer shorts” area. This means HSV that first appears on the penis or labia, could come back in that area or in other areas such as the pubic area or bum.
I recommend you go back the health care provider who did the test and ask for more information. If you still have the sores on your pubic area, you could also ask your health care provider to swab the sores.
Have a look out our HSV page for more information. You can also check out the links at the bottom of that page for more information.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful
Hi
Sexually transmitted infections (STI) like gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes simplex virus (HSV) and genital warts (Human papillomavirus) are easily passed when a man receives oral sex without a condom (bbbj).
HIV is not passed to the person receiving oral sex. On the other hand, the person who is performing oral sex could get HIV. Generally, oral sex is not a common way to pass HIV.
While it is possible to get some STIs from oral sex, it always depends on whether the person giving you the bbbj has an STI in their throat.
Often people are not aware they have an STI, because they don’t get symptoms or see changes in their body. That is why we recommend regular testing (3 – 6 months) for people who have new partners, or if they or their partners have more than one partner.
We can test for gonorrhea and chlamydia with a urine test and most results are accurate after 2 weeks.
Condoms are a good way to prevent most STIs that you could get from a bbbj.
Check out STI at a Glance to find out when to get tested.
You can also use our clinic finder if you need help finding a place to go for testing.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
Hi
The standard HIV blood test we use in BC is 95% accurate after 6 weeks, but it can take up to 3 months to become positive.
You can takea a look at our STI at a glance chart for information on STI testing and how long to wait before getting a test.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi
Given that you had a negative rapid HIV test at 12 weeks, there is no need for any further testing.
If you want to read more about window periods for STI/HIV you can check out our chart “STI’s At A Glance”.
As for your chances of getting an infection during the blood draw or finger prick, that should never happen in Canada. Healthcare providers follow strict regulations and needles are used one time only. After they are used one time, they are disposed of in a special container.
In addition, the lancet used for the rapid test is designed in such a way that it can only be used once.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi
The test you may be talking about is the NAAT test. The window period is shorter than standard HIV antibody testing. It is 90% accurate 10 – 12 days after sexual contact.
This test is available for men and trans people in a few clinics in Vancouver, as part of a study. The aim of this study is to find people when they first get HIV. For the first 2 months after someone gets HIV, it is easy to pass on because there is a high amount of virus in the body.
The clinics that offer HIV NAAT testing :
Bute clinic: always drop – in, with no appointments.
HIM: drop in and appointments, but appointments will guarantee you a time to be seen.
Provincial STI Clinic: mainly by appointment, but you MAY be seen if you drop in.
You can find more details about these clinics in our Clinic Finder.
Please leave a comment to let us know if that answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi
Both a family doctor and an STI clinic are reliable places to go for testing. A family doctor is able to order the same tests that you would get at an STI clinic.
The important thing would be to choose a place where you are comfortable talking about your sexual history. This helps your health care provider decide what tests are best for you.
You might want to print out and take along our STI checklist when you go for testing. You can review it with your health care provider to decide what tests you need.
Please leave a comment to let us know if that answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi.
In men, we mostly diagnose HPV, when we see the warts. If we don’t see them, we don’t test for HPV on the skin.
We do know that about 90% of people will “clear” the virus within 2 years. That may mean that the virus is completely cleared from your body, or it may mean that the wart virus stays in the cells, but is dormant. The warts may never show up again, but they can also return at some future time.
Pregnancy and some illnesses can cause HPV to return, but sometimes they come back for no obvious reason.
Click here if you want more info on HPV.
Please leave a comment to let us know if that answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
Hi.
It’s great that you have been using condoms. When they are used correctly and they don’t break or fall off they offer good protection for many STIs.
There are some STIs, including warts, syphilis and herpes that are passed through skin to skin contact. Since condoms do not cover all skin areas, it is possible for these STIS to be passed with Russian (from behind) and ball licking.
Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and HIV are not passed with covered oral sex. Warts (HPV), herpes and syphilis are not commonly passed this way.
Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and HIV are not commonly passed with covered vaginal or anal sex. It is possible to pass warts, herpes and syphilis this way.
Viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C, could be passed when blood comes in contact with mucous membrane (rectum, urethra, vagina), open skin or sores. Blood contact with unbroken skin is not considered a risk for HIV or Hepatitis B and C. It was a good idea to wash the blood off right away.
Many times people have no symptoms, so not seeing sores does not always mean a person does not have an STI.
If you are not getting routine testing, it may be a good idea to get tested. Check out our clinic finder for a STI clinic in BC.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your questions or if you need more info.
Health Nurse
For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.
The most common STIs passed with condomless oral sex are gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia and human papillomavirus (HPV).
Herpes can be passed from the mouth or genitals to a partner’s mouth or genitals.
The chances of getting HIV is considered low. If you had a throat infection, bleeding gums or sores in your mouth, your chances of getting HIV may increase.
Have a look at our ‘Oral sex’ and ‘My chances’ pages for more information.
