Answered Questions

If your boyfriend has an STI then you need to take medication too. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the STI, but it means there is 50% chance you could have it.

Even if you’re not having any symptoms, we still recommend taking the medication for the STI. Not everyone develops symptoms.

It would be best for you to go to the clinic where your boyfriend tested, and tell them you need the medication too. You can get a test done at that time to see if you have the infection, but it’s still best to take the meds before you get your test results back.

After you take the medication you need to abstain from sex for 7 days. (If you or your boyfriend have had sex in the 7 days after he took the meds, then you both need to get the meds).

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Health Nurse

The sex you described wouldn’t pass an STI to your urethra or urinary tract as it was covered by a condom. If you go to a clinic just describe the symptoms you are having and ask for an STI test. They would probably be able to do a urine dip stick in the clinic to see if there are any indicators of something being abnormal and then send the urine for STI testing. The health professional you see would also be able to send you for additional test if needed for example if they think the prostate may be responsible for the symptoms.

Let us know if you have any more questions or concerns.

HN

A condom would really reduce the chance of something passing, but it also depends if any other type of sex happened, for example oral sex is common and most people do not use condoms and it is possible for STI to pass this way.

If your still with your boyfriend I would recommend that he goes for STI testing.

If you are not having sex with him anymore I would recommend that you go to a clinic and tell them when you last had sex with him and ask when you should be tested. Generally, most STI like gonorrhea and chlamydia will show up on a urine or swab test after 2 weeks if they were passed to someone and STI like HIV and syphilis will show up on a blood test usually by 6 weeks.

Let us know if you have any more questions or concerns.

HN

Without doing an assessment in person it’s hard to give you a specific answer, but I can give you some general information.

If you used a condom (and there wasn’t any penetration before the condom went on, and it was still intact when you withdrew) then we would say the chance of getting an STI is very low.

Did you receive unprotected oral the same night? It’s possible to get an STI from the back of someone’s throat… Or, did you have any unprotected sex in the last 3-6 months? Sometimes it can take a while for STIs to show up but we only notice it after new encounter…

If you had unprotected oral or other recent unprotected sex, then there’s still a possibility your symptoms are caused by an STI. Not all STIs cause discharge or pain when we pee.

If you haven’t had any unprotected oral or other recent sex, I would say the chance you have some soft tissue/ nerve damage seems likely. Friction injuries are quiet common, and usually resolve on their own. Our doctor says to compare it to an ankle sprain—for some people it can take 6 weeks for things to feel normal again.

It’s not a bad idea to have taken the Azithromycin and Cefixime, and I’m glad you were able to access that. Did the medication help with the pain? If you feel better after the meds we can assume there was an STI component to your symptoms.

If your pain is persisting after taking the meds, I would continue to monitor it. Likely it will resolve on its own in a few more weeks. However, if your pain worsens, or you notice new swelling, or pain in your scrotum (testes), then I would recommend going to see a health care professional right away.

Please let us know if this answers your question or if you need any additional information.

Health Nurse

Without seeing the red bumps in-person, it’s very difficult to give an exact answer but I will give you some general information.

There are lots of different things that can appear on the skin, and they are not always related to sexually transmitted infections. For example, you mentioned heat rash. However, we don’t usually see heat rash on the penis shaft. Also, fungal infections are very common, especially in hot weather, but we don’t usually see fungal infections on the arms. It could be a combination of heat rash/ fungal infection.

There are some red bumps/rashes that can be caused by sexually transmitted infections, but few that are so widespread over the body. It doesn’t sounds like Herpes to me, as Herpes usually appears as 1-10 bumps in an isolated area (not on thighs, arms, stomach etc.). With bedbugs we don’t usually see bites on the penis, but it is possible. Scabies can affect the genitals as well as other parts of the body, and that is possible as well. Scabies is typically very itchy, especially at night, have you noticed the bumps being itchy?

Lastly, red bumps/rash that appears over the body can be associated with Syphilis. There is not a lot of syphilis in the heterosexual population in Canada, but it is possible.

I would recommend going to see a medical professional about these symptoms. If it is something like Syphilis it’s important that both you and your partner get treated.

It can be difficult to navigate these symptoms, especially when you know your partner may have been at risk. The only way to know for sure is to get tested for STIs.

For these symptoms you can go to your regular doctor, a walk-in clinic, or an STI clinic. You can also get tested for STIs at the same places. If you need help finding an STI clinic near you check out our Clinic Finder tool.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Health Nurse

Burning when you pee and frequent urination can be signs of an STI. The most common STIs to cause those symptoms are Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.

However, condoms protect against Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. So, if the condom was on your penis before any penetration, and it didn’t break during sex, and the condom was still on your penis when you withdrew, then you would not be at risk for Chlamydia or Gonorrhea. If there was any penetration before the condom went on, then there is a chance you can get an STI.

Typically, symptoms caused by STIs don’t usually show-up the next day. It takes a few days to a few weeks for symptoms to start. Have you had any other unprotected sex in the last 2-6 months? If so, it is more likely that your symptoms were caused by that previous contact, and not the casual partner you had protected sex with recently.

Lastly, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea can also be passed through unprotected oral sex. Did you receive any unprotected oral sex that same night/recently?

We would definitely recommend going to a see healthcare professional about your symptoms. Whether or not the symptoms are caused by an STI it’s important to get them assessed. It can be dangerous to have urinary symptoms without getting treatment, and there is a risk of infertility if the symptoms persist long enough.

For your symptoms you can go to your regular doctor, a walk-in clinic, or an STI clinic. Check out our Clinic Finder tool to find an STI clinic near you.

Please let us know if you have any more questions.

Health Nurse

As mentioned in the previous public question. There are no symptoms that are caused by just having HIV. The symptoms people get with a HIV illness are common symptoms that can be caused by many different conditions. The only way to find out if someone has HIV is by doing a HIV test you can’t go by the symptoms.

I would recommend seeing a health care professional about your symptoms. As you are worried about HIV it would also be good to get a test for this as well. If your uncomfortable talking about your risk and HIV testing with your regular doctor it is always possible to get the HIV/STI testing done first with a different health care provider.

If you are in BC Canada let us know if you need any assistance finding a clinic in your area.

Health Nurse

Health concerns like dermatitis and pain in groin or arm pits are not generally symptoms we see associated with HIV. Pain in the groin can be associated with other STIs, and is a serious concern. If untreated some STIs can damage the reproductive organs and cause infertility.

We would recommend going to see a health care professional about your symptoms as soon as you can. 

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

Health Nurse

With any amount of unprotected sex there is the potential for transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), even if it was only 2-3 minutes. Escorts and people engaged in the sex industry do often test regularly, and in this situation we would not consider the risk of unprotected sex with an escort to greater than the risk of unprotected sex with someone who is not an escort.

We also recommend STI/HIV testing for anyone who is sexually active. Some STIs make symptoms (so you know you have an STI), but others don’t make symptoms and the only way to know is to get tested. The best time to test for STIs/HIV is at least 2 weeks after sex, although some results will not be conclusive until 3 months after sex. See our When to Test page for more detailed information.

If you’re concerned about HIV transmission we would say that often a single encounter for unprotected sex is not high-risk for HIV. It sounds like you are male, and we know that for the male the risk is also less risk than for a female.

Lastly, we know that many people experience complicated emotions after having new sexual experiences. Sometimes people feel that because they have done something different than they expect they will get an STI, but usually this is not the case. For more ideas about managing stress regarding STI/HIV risks see our Worry & Anxiety page.

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

Health Nurse

Urine is a mix of water and waste products from the body. It’s usually the waste products in the urine that create the smell. The smell most often associated with urine is ammonia.

Changes to urine smell:

There are some normal things that can affect the small of the urine – for example, if a person is dehydrated (low in water) then their urine will be more concentrated and smell stronger. Also certain foods (such as asparagus) can change the smell of the urine.

Some changes to the urine smell can indicate that there is an infection or other health issue – for example, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, fistulas between the bowels and bladder, and/or metabolic diseases like diabetes.

If you are aware of a change in the smell of your urine we would recommend consulting a healthcare professional. Changes in urine smell caused by infection or disease can become dangerous if not treated or monitored properly.

Please let us know if this answers your question or if you need any more information.

Health Nurse