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 there,
If you are concerned about a change in your vaginal discharge, either because it looks, feels or smells differently, it would be a good idea to get checked by a health care provider.
Sometimes these changes are part of your normal hormonal cycle, sometimes they are related to an STI, or sometimes they can be because of a yeast infection or an imbalalance of your normal vaginal bacteria.
One common reason for changes to the odour of discharge is something called Bacterial Vaginosis (BV). Information on BV can be found here: https://smartsexresource.com/topics/bacterial-vaginosis-bv
Hope this helps.
HealthNurse
Using a condom during sex is a great way to protect yourself from STIs.
You are right however that with skin to skin contact there is always a risk of getting infections that are transmitted this way.
Getting genital herpes or syphilis is often more complicated than just having direct skin to skin contact as it involves many different factors like at what stage of the infection the person is at who has the infection (do they even have an infection or are they currently having an outbreak or sores), the immunity of the person who may get the infection (are they already immune, are they healthy, are they immunocompromised), the time, timing and nature of the contact… to name some examples.
If you are sexually active, it’s always a good idea to get tested. If you have symptoms you should get tested right away, and if you do not have symptoms you should get tested routinely at least every 3-4 months or so if you have new or different partners.
More information about “my chances” can be found here: https://smartsexresource.com/about-stis/my-chances
HealthNurse
Hi there,
Thanks for writing.
Gonorrhea is curable with antibiotics. Did you get treatment for it? You should have been given treatment from the place where you got your gonorrhea test. If you have not returned to pick-up the medication since getting your results, then I would recommend going to get the treatment.
The antibiotics are very easy to take, and the infection will be gone in seven days following treatment.
We do not generally hear about people having symptoms such as sore throat which gonorrhea. Even when we find gonorrhea in the throat through a swab test, it is almost always asymptomatic.
If you’ve been treated for gonorrhea, and continue to have symptoms of a sore throat, then I would recommend going to see another healthcare provider in-person. Many common infections can create a sore throat, for example strep throat and staph infections.
Lastly, we would not expect gonorrhea to live for year in the throat. The tissues in the throat are not the preferred tissues for gonorrhea, and it tends to be quite transient in that part of the body. I wouldn’t assume you’ve had it for a year.
Hope this helps!
Please feel free to submit another question as needed.
Health Nurse
Hi,
Thanks for your question.
Were you tested for herpes at the time you tested positive for chlamydia and gonorrhea? Because they should have done a swab on your genital sores, and if they had a positive result from the swab they would have told you. It’s very likely that it wasn’t herpes.
As far as your past symptoms of the sores… we don’t usually think of sores associated with chlamydia and gonorrhea, however those infections can cause increased discharge, and that discharge can irritate the genital tissues and cause skin breakdown. Skin breakdown can feel like small cuts or tears in the skin, which can be painful and sting. Any painful sore will be suspected to be herpes, which is likely why the nurse said that.
The fact that you haven’t had any repeat sores show up, makes it even less likely that it was herpes.
Since you weren’t given an official herpes diagnosis based on your testing, I would assume it was not herpes.
Herpes can be scary to think about, but I hope you can feel better about this now.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions, or need more information.
Health Nurse
Hi
It’s not possible for someone to say that someone has HIV because of a low percentage of lymphocytes and the symptoms you described, as this can be caused by other medical conditions and is not specific to just HIV. But I could see why someone would be concerned especially after a sexual risk that could have passed HIV.
A HIV test is really specific for HIV and since you did the test at 3 months it would be very accurate. Given this I would say that it is not HIV that is causing this problem for you and a HIV PCR test would not be helpful.
I would talk with the health professional who ordered the test for you. It would be good for you to have a conversation with them about your blood test results and the symptoms you are having. Hopefully they would be able to give you some idea of what could be causing the problem or do further investigations to see what could be going on.
Health Nurse
Hi
We don’t see HIV passing with the type of sex you have described; condoms provide great protection against HIV.
The symptoms you have listed are common symptoms that can be caused by many different conditions and are not specific to having HIV. It’s great that you went for a HIV test as that is the only way to find out if HIV was passed.
A negative HIV combo test (antigen/antibody) at 39 days is really good as that is 95% accurate at that time period. I would recommend a final test at 3 months to make sure for peace of mind, but given a negative test at 39 days and using a condom for vaginal sex I would not expect any surprises. There is no need to do a viral load test.
It’s common that people can develop symptoms with anxiety/stress. It’s also possible for stress to also lower the immune system and to make it easier to get other medical conditions that can cause various symptoms. If concerned about your current symptoms it may be worth visiting a clinic to discuss these symptoms or to get a general check-up.
Also have a look at our worry page it has some helpful hints on how to reduce worry/stress.
Let us know if this does not answer your question or if you have any further questions or concerns.
Health Nurse
Hi,
Thanks for writing.
The short answer is: No, you shouldn’t worry. From the encounter you describe it sounds unlikely you would have passed herpes to your partner.
The longer answer is: Genital herpes is not generally transmitted to hands. Herpes prefers the tissues around the mouth and genitals, and we do not see herpes on transferred to people’s hands.
If your partner touched their genitals to your genitals, or their mouth to you genitals, then herpes can be passed that way. We call that direct skin-to-skin contact. Herpes is not passed through in-direct contact (ie. hands, towels, etc.)
It’s very possible that the touching you received from your partner triggered the vesicles to appear. However, this doesn’t mean that you passed herpes to your partner.
Lastly, I wanted to acknowledge that it can be difficult for many people to navigate sexual consent. It’s great to hear you were communicating with your partner about your sexual needs, and not wanting to have sex. I’m sorry to hear that there was pressure on you to do more. You are entitled to your own body and your own boundaries. Sometimes pressure to have sex is called “coercive sex”. If you want any more information about these issues, check out these links:
Hope this helps. Please let us know if this answers your question, or if you need any more information.
Health Nurse
Hi,
Thanks for your question.
It’s difficult to give you an exact answer without seeing your symptoms in person, but I can give you some general information.
Skin changes on the genitals can be caused by many things. Common fungal infections can cause skin breakdown (aka skin tear) and white build-up around the head of penis. Fungal infections are treated with anti-fungal creams like Canestan.
Sexually transmitted ifnections can also cause skin changes. Syphilis can cause swelling and sores on the penis, and mollusucm contagiosum can cause itchy, white bumps.
I would recommend going to see a healthcare professional in person. You can go to your family doctor, a walk-in clinic, or an STI clinic. Check out our Clinic Fidner tool for an STI clinic near you. Whether it’s a fungal infection or an STI they can help you get the right treatment.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question, or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
Hi,
Thanks for writing.
That can be difficult to hear that your partner is having unprotected sex with other people. It’s great that you both got tested after.
In terms of the bacterial vaginosis, it’s unlikely to be affected by your partner’s activities. Bacterial vaginosis is not sexually transmitted, or passed between partners. Bacterial vaginosis is an overgrowth of normal vaginal bacteria (so it’s not “bad” bacteria), and it’s your own bacteria (so it didn’t come from anyone else).
It’s common for women get bacterial vaginosis whether they are sexually active or not. Many women will get bacterial vaginosis frequently for a few years, and then it can settle down and not come back. Sometimes women who have multiple sexual partners can get bacterial vaginosis more often, as they are being directly exposed to different people’s bacteria. You would not be exposed to other people’s bacteria through your partner (normal bacteria can’t be passed indirectly, only STIs can be passed indirectly).
Lastly, just a reminder than it can take up to 3 months for STIs to show-up in testing. If you only got tested a few weeks after your partner had other partner’s, it would be good to get re-tested after 3 months just to be sure.
Hope this helps. Please feel free to comment below or submit another question as needed.
Health Nurse
Hi,
Thanks for writing.
Having a partner who is uncircumcised does not increase your risk for bacterial vaginosis (BV).
BV is not sexually transmitted, or passed between partners. Bacterial vaginosis is an overgrowth of normal vaginal bacteria (so it’s not “bad” bacteria), and it’s your own bacteria (so it didn’t come from anyone else).
BV can be very frustrating for many people. The vagina is prone to change, and changes in vaginal pH can lead to BV. It’s common to get BV frequently for a few years, and then not get it again.
BV is treated with antibiotics. There is also some research that shows a natural supplement called Boric Acid can be used to prevent BV. Boric acid is not antibiotics, but it can help to stabilize the vaginal pH, if you find you are having a frequent BV. For more information on Boric Acid please contact a compounding pharmacy near you, or contact Finlandia Pharmacy in Vancouver.
Hope this helps. Please feel free to comment below or submit another question as needed.
Health Nurse