[CoffeeAndCosyReads]

Hi,

On Friday I stupidly had an unprotected one night stand with someone I met in a bar. Whilst I'm usually very careful, I was quite intoxicated that night so didn't think much of it.

Afterwards he told me he had the HPV virus and Gential Warts. He, nor I, didn't ejaculate but when he pulled out of me he was covered in heavy bright red blood. It became clear it was not from me, my period wasn't due for another week and almost immediately when I cleaned myself up there was no signs it was coming from me.

I'm quite disgusted in myself that I put myself at risk and now have no idea what to do or what to expect. Do I now have this disease? What should I do now or look for?

I had a clear smear test in 2021 and a full clean STI check in November last year

[Rayn]

Hi,

On Friday I stupidly had an unprotected one night stand with someone I met in a bar. Whilst I'm usually very careful, I was quite intoxicated that night so didn't think much of it.

Afterwards he told me he had the HPV virus and Gential Warts. He, nor I, didn't ejaculate but when he pulled out of me he was covered in heavy bright red blood. It became clear it was not from me, my period wasn't due for another week and almost immediately when I cleaned myself up there was no signs it was coming from me.

I'm quite disgusted in myself that I put myself at risk and now have no idea what to do or what to expect. Do I now have this disease? What should I do now or look for?

I had a clear smear test in 2021 and a full clean STI check in November last year

Hello CoffeeAndCosyReads,

It sounds like you had quite the weekend. As I'm sure you're aware, there are a myriad of health risks that come along with unprotected sex, especially if you're uncertain of your partner's history or current STI/D status. If you have concerns, i highly recommend you see a Healthcare professional. Good luck.

[CoffeeAndCosyReads]

Rayn I know I made a terrible error in judgement, its a very uncommon thing for me to even engage in a one night stand aswell as unprotected sex. I'm honestly kicking myself now.

would a GP help or would it need to be a GUM clinic? Is there any tests that can confirm you have contracted the STI or would you need symptoms before it's diagnosed?

[jns]

Hi,

On Friday I stupidly had an unprotected one night stand with someone I met in a bar. Whilst I'm usually very careful, I was quite intoxicated that night so didn't think much of it.

Afterwards he told me he had the HPV virus and Gential Warts. He, nor I, didn't ejaculate but when he pulled out of me he was covered in heavy bright red blood. It became clear it was not from me, my period wasn't due for another week and almost immediately when I cleaned myself up there was no signs it was coming from me.

I'm quite disgusted in myself that I put myself at risk and now have no idea what to do or what to expect. Do I now have this disease? What should I do now or look for?

I had a clear smear test in 2021 and a full clean STI check in November last year

Welcome to WH Interactive Forums. I'm sorry to hear this. You will have to monitor your health for a while. Maybe you could repeat your STI check although maybe doing that a bit later would be better as I don't know if your limited on how often you can repeat it. Just because the situation was as you describe does not automatically mean you will get HPV or genital warts. You should consult with a STI medical expert to find out if any medications can provide an after contact prophylactic effect or boosted infection defense.

[Rayn]

Rayn I know I made a terrible error in judgement, its a very uncommon thing for me to even engage in a one night stand aswell as unprotected sex. I'm honestly kicking myself now.

would a GP help or would it need to be a GUM clinic? Is there any tests that can confirm you have contracted the STI or would you need symptoms before it's diagnosed?

CoffeeAndCosyReads Unfortunately, i can offer no more advice other than what i put in my initial response. But seek out a medical professional and get checked out. Best case scenario, they can give you an initial exam and schedule you for a followup. Good luck.

[atskitty2]

Hello CoffeeAndCosyReads!
Welcome to our community! So glad you found us!

Sounds like you've had quite a bit of a shake-up the past few days. Please don't be too hard on yourself here. Be kind to yourself and try not to stress about it too much.

Go to your gynecologist for an exam and testing this week. Some things may be evident now, but other things may not show up for awhile. So, as jns stated, you'll need to monitor your health over the next several months and likely have follow-up testing to be sure you're in the clear.

You could have any number of symptoms related to an STI/STD, not just symptoms in your genital area. So, even flu-like symptoms could be relevant. (Doesn't mean it IS, but it could be). In other words, if you aren't feeling well, in any way, take a note of it and call your provider for guidance.

All the best to you!

[Alison H.]

First: forgive yourself for the lapse in judgment. We ALL make mistakes like this and while it's hard to reconcile them when they have the potential for lasting ramifications, they are mistakes that we go on to learn from — so we don't make them again in the future.

Second: that guy is a piece of work for telling you AFTER sex, rather than before. (I mean, at least he did say something, but that was a major crap move on his part.)

Third: it isn't a guarantee that you've contracted the virus — but it is (as others have said) important to be screened. I am not sure how soon the virus can be detected, but your OB-GYN can offer advice as far as when to test, and how frequently you should be tested going forward.

I would recommend a FULL STI panel, however, since it's possible for anyone to have an asymptomatic STI (meaning, they have no symptoms and are unaware of having it). Just as a measure of precaution (particularly since there was blood involved).

For what it's worth, condoms do not offer full protection against HPV strains because they can be harbored on genital skin that isn't covered with a condom (the base of the penis and the area near its attachment to the rest of the body, the testicles, for instance.). So even if one had been used, that doesn't guarantee absolute protection.

That said, HPV is something that, statistically speaking, roughly 3 out of 4 women will contract at some point in their lives. There are hundreds of strains and it is exceedingly common. I know that might not offer much in the way of comfort, but I felt it was important to say. (I was diagnosed with it about 20 years ago; I am actually an 18-year cervical cancer survivor. No idea who I contracted the virus from, although I have a pretty good idea... water long since under the bridge, now.)

Have you ever been vaccinated for HPV? I don't know if a vaccination now would help in any way, but it might be worth asking your doctor about it as well.

Regardless, though, it's still a good idea to consider if you're under the age of 45 (I believe that's the current age cut-off for the vaccine at the moment) because it offers protection against multiple strains (some for cervical cancer, some for warts). And because a person can be infected by more than one strain, it might be wise to get it if you're able.

But as others have said, call your doctor, set up an appointment as soon as you can, let him/her know the situation and get tested for STIs — all of them. And then set up a plan for routine screenings going forward under their advisement.

I'm sorry this happened to you and wish you luck.

[CoffeeAndCosyReads]

Alison H. thank you for your message, that is very reassuring and it's clear that the possibilities of contracting this probably couldn't of been prevented even with protection unless I was fully aware beforehand to be able to make an informed choice to go through with it (which unfortunately I wasnt).

I have submitted a request for an appointment with my GP online today (only way we can now book at my surgery), explaining the situation and ordered a test kit incase I can't get an appointment quick enough. I cant remember specifically if I have had the HPV vaccine so I also need to discuss this with them as well as how to proceed and what exactly to look out for.

I don't know if I'm currently just being paranoid but every bit of discharge, lump, itch etc is sending me into a spiral of worry.

[Alison H.]

I have submitted a request for an appointment with my GP online today (only way we can now book at my surgery), explaining the situation and ordered a test kit incase I can't get an appointment quick enough. I cant remember specifically if I have had the HPV vaccine so I also need to discuss this with them as well as how to proceed and what exactly to look out for.

I don't know if I'm currently just being paranoid but every bit of discharge, lump, itch etc is sending me into a spiral of worry.

I know what you mean. I'm glad that you've submitted for an appointment — and I hope your GP was able to offer guidance as far as testing, when to have any additional tests done over time (if you need to), and how to proceed/what to watch for.

I know it's stressful and can totally relate to being paranoid about every "odd" thing that occurs (is this a sign of something? should I be worried?) but the GOOD news is that you were on top of it, right away.

There is every chance in the world that you didn't contract anything at all — but at least IF you were, it's caught early.

In a lot of cases, the body simply fights off the virus and it never causes an issue at all. According to the CDC — the body's immune system generally gets rid of an HPV infection within 2 years, all on its own. This is true of the strains that can lead to cervical cancer (or other related cancers).

And actually — that CDC reference cites that by the age of 50, 4 out of every 5 women will have been infected with HPV at some point in their lives; higher than I'd originally thought.

I don't say that to scare you — only to make it clear that in most cases, HPV infection is not a super huge deal (IF it turns out that you did contract it), and it's really, really common. But much of the time, the body simply clears the infection on its own.

That said, if you're under the age of 45, the vaccine is a great idea — even if you haven't had it yet. It'll offer protection against multiple strains and provide some peace of mind, too.