Answered Questions

Unfortunately, the only way to know if you have an STD (or not) is to get tested.

Like you mentioned, some STDs don’t create any symptoms, and it’s not possible to tell if someone has an STD based on the presence or absence of symptoms.

Further, there is no timeframe by which we can say a person would have either cleared, or become aware of having, an STD. We know that some STDs like Syphilis and Chlamydia can live in the body for years without creating symptoms… In the case of syphilis this can even be 20-30 years!

That said, condoms protect against most STDs, so the chance of getting an STD from protected sex is much lower than that of unprotected sex. However, some STDs (like Syphilis) are passed through skin-to-skin contact, which can occur even when using a condom.

If you’re concerned that you have been exposed to an STD we would recommend getting tested. Testing can be easy and confidential, and can be done with your regular family doctor, at a walk-in clinic, or at an STD Clinic. For a list of STD clinics near you check out our Clinic Finder page.

Hope this helps. Please feel free to comment below or submit another question as needed.

Health Nurse

You’re correct that once someone has been exposed to HSV type 1 or 2 it’s unlikely for them to develop a new infection on a different part of the body. Once someone is exposed to HSV type 1 or 2 they will usually develop antibodies to that type and those antibodies provide good protection from having the same type of HSV being passed to a different part of the body.

The only exception is in the first 4 months after initial exposure. It takes up to 4 months for most people to develop antibodies, and if your partner was only diagnosed with HSV 1 or 2 in the past 4 months he may still be susceptible. However, if he was diagnosed more than 4 months ago, then he will have antibodies that will provide good protection.

One other thing I want to clarify: Have both you and your partner had your HSV 1 and 2 typed? That is, when you were given those diagnoses was it through a swab or blood test? Some people assume that HSV 1 is only on the mouth, and that HSV 2 is only on the genitals, but that is not true. A person can have can have the same type (1 or 2) on both their mouth and genitals, so you can’t just assume that because someone has HSV in two places that they’ve been exposed to both types. It would be good to clarify with your partner… If he just assumes he’s had both HSV 1 and 2 because of the locations of his outbreaks, he could just have type 1 or type 2 in both places (and still be susceptible to the other type).

Lastly I just wanted to say, despite herpes being one of the most common STIs (we estimate that 89% of Canadians have type 1 or 2 or both), we still see lots of stress and confusion around HSV. Unfortunately not everyone has been able to get a good education regarding herpes, and different peoples’ reactions to hearing their partner has herpes can reflect the education the person has gotten (or not gotten) about the virus. You may find that some people are not bothered by herpes at all, whereas other people will need more education. Hopefully you and your partner can find some understanding.

For more in-depth information on HSV take a look at our Patient Guide to Herpes.

Please feel free to comment below or submit another question as needed.

Hope this helps.

Health Nurse

To be on the safe side we recommend that you do not have sex until:

– one week after your 1-day treatment; or
– your 7-day treatment is complete, and
– your sex partner(s) have also been treated, even if their test results are negative.

Chlamydia is passed between people through unprotected oral, anal or vaginal sex. The bacteria can be found in semen, vaginal fluids, and rectal fluids.

Condoms work well at preventing chlamydia, but if condoms are not used correctly for example having some genital to genital contact before putting the condom on or if someone had oral sex without a condom, it could be possible to pass chlamydia to someone else or get it back from an untreated partner. Chlamydia usually does not show any symptoms so it can be difficult to know if you have it back again unless you do another test.

If you did have sex with a condom during the 7 day period it would be best to talk about your personal situation with the person who did the test for you. In some situations they will recommend that you and your partner(s) get re-treated or they may suggest that you come back for a follow up test in 4weeks.

Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.

Health Nurse

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If you have genital warts it means you have been exposed to at least one strain of HPV. At the clinic level, we have no tests available to see what strains of HPV you have been exposed to in the past. So, we don’t know how beneficial the vaccine would be. The good thing is that the new HPV vaccine protects people from multiple strains of HPV and it is unlikely that you have been exposed to all the types it protects against.

Given this we see no harm in getting the HPV vaccine, it is just difficult to know how much additional benefit it will provide you. If you are interested in the vaccine I would suggest visiting your family doctor or a health care center to discuss your specific situation to see if it would be good for you.

Also have a look at ImmunizeBC HPV vaccine info page for additional information on the vaccine.

Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.

Health Nurse

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Condoms offer good protection against chlamydia, but if you do have sex before you finish your antibiotics it would be good to do a test of cure in 6 weeks just to make sure it is gone.

Chlamydia can be a tricky one as it is really common, usually shows no symptoms and can be in penis, vagina, throat and rectum. It can pass with oral sex as well, so if having oral sex would be good to use condoms until you finish your antibiotics.

Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.

Health Nurse

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The chart is a pretty general, simplified tool so I can see how it might not help to explain the nuances of the different types of sex in the different areas we can have sex. It might be helpful to think of how STIs (sexually transmitted infections) are passed; for the STIs mentioned above, that can be skin-to-skin contact (syphilis, HPV and herpes) and sharing of fluids (semen, vaginal fluids).

Both of these kinds of oral sex involve skin-to-skin contact. The chart shows that with skin-to-skin contact, syphilis HPV and herpes are easily passed. The transmission of chlamydia and gonorrhea is possible for both mouth on penis or mouth on vulva sex however; the chances are greater for mouth on penis sex. This would be because there is a greater chance of semen rather than vaginal secretions being in contact with that area, or more specifically, the throat. There tends to be more direct, deeper contact between the penis and throat versus the vagina or vaginal secretions and the throat. Mouth to penis sex also tends to be more vigorous in terms of contact inside the mouth and throat.

And to answer the other part of your question; which way is the infection being passed? Well, it can be both ways. But again, the chart is meant to be a simple tool so it doesn’t capture the difference in risk to giver or receiver. It is possible to be infected with chlamydia or gonorrhea in the throat. The chart is describing the type of sex (mouth on penis/vulva/vagina), and not exactly where the infection would occur (for instance, throat or urethra).

On the chart, you can also see that using a barrier significantly reduces your chance of giving or receiving any infections for both kinds of sex.

Thanks again for your question.
Health Nurse.

You just need to be careful if using the condom for oral and then using the same condom for vaginal or anal sex. Having the condom around the teeth with oral sex could increase the chance of the condom being damaged. If there is any concerns just change to a new condom if vaginal or anal sex will take place.

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Health Nurse

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Hepatitis A is passed by the fecal oral route which means to get Hepatitis A you need to get some of the poo (faeces) from someone with Hepatitis A into your mouth. This can happen with certain sexual practices like rimming (mouth to anus), drinking tap water in countries were the water/sewer systems are not the best. No one ever keeps Hepatitis A in their body. It just comes and goes. There is a good vaccine for Hepatitis A. Most people do not get tested for Hepatitis A, if they are at risk to hepatitis A they usually just get the vaccine.
More information on Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A Vaccine information

Hepatitis B can be passed via blood and other body fluids. The most common way it is passed is from sex, sharing something that could have someone else’s blood on it like a needle or passed from mother to child at birth. There is a good vaccine available to protect people against hepatitis B. We find that most people born in BC in 1980 or later got the Hepatitis B vaccine as an infant or at school. There is no need for testing if you are vaccinated against hepatitis B. If you never got the hepatitis B vaccine you can either get the vaccine or if something has happened in your life; like being born in a country that has a lot of hepatitis B, being poked by a needle, etc… It might be worthwhile doing a hepatitis B test as the virus can stay in the body of some people and your health would need to be monitored by a doctor.
More information On Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B Vaccine information.

Hepatitis C is mainly in the blood and most commonly passed by sharing injecting drug equipment; it can also pass with sharing snorting equipment. It can pass by sex but the chance is low. Currently there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. We would offer Hepatitis C testing to anyone who has shared drug equipment that could pass blood like needles, snorting straws etc… We don’t offer hepatitis C testing as part of an STI checkup unless the person’s partner has Hepatitis C. We are offering an annual hepatitis C test for men who have sex with men as we have seen some hepatitis C pass from sex, but we are not sure how common it is for this to happen. Common for people not to get symptoms with hepatitis C, there is treatment available for hepatitis C.
More information on Hepatitis C

The next time you go for your routine test I would just discuss this with the health provider you see. They would be able to recommend what tests and vaccines would be good to get. If you feel you could be at risk for one of the hepatitis but don’t feel comfortable talking about your situation you could always request the test.

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Health Nurse

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Sometimes the Health Initiative for Men (HIM) clinics are given extra HPV vaccine from the health authority which allows them to give it to men that are over 26. They can also discuss your personal situation and give you some suggestions on what could work for you e.g. do you have extended health.

I would recommend contacting the HIM health centres appointment line on 604-488-1001 ext 227 and speaking to the person there.

For further information on the HPV vaccine and who can get it for free have a look at the ImmunizeBC HPV page.

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.

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is when you take HIV medication after being exposed to HIV. To be effective, the treatment needs to be started within 72 hours of exposure to HIV and taken correctly over the next 28 days.

Health initiative for men (HIM) has a good web page on PEP with information on how it works and where you can get it.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is when you take HIV medication on a daily basis before you are exposed to HIV to reduce your chance of getting HIV.

Health initiative for men (HIM) has a good web page on PrEP with information on how it works and how to get it in BC.

Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.

Health Nurse