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
It would be good to go for a follow up STI test. The tests you get depend on what happened at the clinic.
Gonorrhea and chlamydia are two STI that can cause burning when you pee. Most gonorrhea tests would show a positive result by 7 days. Most chlamydia would show up in a test by 2 weeks but sometimes this can take as long as 6 weeks.
Sometimes if you go to the clinic with symptoms of an STI they will give you treatment to cover gonorrhea and chlamydia. If this happened to you there is no need for further testing for these, just wait a week for the antibiotics to work. If they did not give you antibiotics I would recommend going back and repeating the test at 6 weeks.
With the blood tests e.g. syphilis, HIV etc… we find that most of these results are accurate by 6 weeks but can take up to 3 months for a final result. You could repeat the blood test at 6 weeks or wait and get them done at 3 months. Really depends on your individual situation.
In regard to when it would be safe to have sex again it really depends on what your initial test results at the clinic show and how your symptoms are going. I would recommend talking with the clinic that did the testing for you.
As most STI do not show symptoms it can be hard to know if you are putting someone else at risk until you get your final results from your STI testing. This can take up to 3 months for most blood tests. While waiting for these test results I would just recommend having sex in a way that would reduce your chance of passing something on. Have a look at our “Know your chances” web page, it provides information on your chances of getting or passing an STI depending on how you are having sex.
Also have a look at our “STIs at a glance” chart, it provides information on what symptoms to look for and how long you need to wait before getting tested (window period).
In regard to HIV risk, HIV is not commonly passed with the sex you described.
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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Hi
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) symptoms happen when there is an overgrowth of normal organisms in the vagina. The usual symptoms are a change in the normal odor or amount of vaginal fluid.
It is not usually considered sexually transmitted, but studies indicate that when two women are having sex, and one has BV, then there is a higher chance that her partner will also have BV. This suggests that sexual exchange of vaginal fluids is a possible way for BV to be passed between women.
We recommend that female partners of women who have BV get assessed or tested and treated if needed.
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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Hi
Most often, there is no need to wash inside your vagina because the vagina is a self cleaning part of your body. All women will have some vaginal fluids which are called normal vaginal discharge. This fluid is the body’s way of keeping a healthy balance in the vagina. Soaps and douching can upset this balance and even create problems.
Normal vaginal fluids can be clear, white, yellowish, thin and stretchy or thick. They tend to change over a menstrual cycle and at different times in your life. There may be an increase at puberty, during sex or when you are ovulating (releasing an egg from the ovary). There is usually less fluid after menopause or right before or after your menstrual period.
STIs can sometimes create changes in the vaginal fluid such as itchiness, odor or a change in colour or amount. If you notice a change from what is normal for you, then it is a good idea to get checked out. Click here for more information about symptoms of STIs.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information. You can also chat with a nurse when we are online.
Health Nurse
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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.
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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.
The risk for getting or passing HIV when you give a blow job is very low, but there are some things that could increase the chances. These include bleeding gums,sores in your mouth or a sore throat.
It is hard to say whether getting dental work would increase the risk for HIV. It may depend on the health of your gums, the kind of dental work you had and the amount of time between seeing the dentist and the blow job.
There is a higher chances of getting or passing other STIs with blow jobs including gonorrhea, chlamydia or syphilis. Herpes and HPV can also be passed from mouth to genitals and vice versa.
If you are getting or giving blow jobs, it is a good idea to get routine testing. Often STIs have no noticeable symptoms and the only way you know you have one is to get tested.
Check out our clinic finder, if you need a place for regular testing.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more info.
Health Nurse