Can these things cause STI's

[youngpip]

I have a question to see if I should get checked for any STI’s

I have a male friend I have been hanging out with and I don’t know his sexual history too well.

He ate me out. He also touched his genitals and fingered me a couple of time. We never had sex.

Also if me and groups of friends occasionally smoke together and share the roll could that be anything either.

I have gotten 3 HPV shots. I know that prevents HPV but I don’t know if that prevents other things.

I have done some internet searching and have seen that if I were to have gonorrhea or chlamydia that there would be symptoms. Also if I were to have sypillis there would be some botches on my hand or something. I just want to know if those things listed would possible contract HIV or other STI/STD’s.

I’m a 18 yr old girl and don’t know much about sex and don’t think I should be having it until I’m completely ready. We just wanted to try some things out and now I am scared.

Please advise and let me know if any of these things I should get checked out about.

[AnnieBrooke]

It is possible to get an STD from oral sex. Apparently there was recently something of an epidemic of gonorrhea in high-school aged kids because they didn't think they could get anything from oral sex, and they used it as a substitute for any other kind of sex  This does not mean any time you have oral sex, you will get an STD, but it is worth taking precautions since there is the risk.

HPV shots prevent HPV only. They do nothing to guard against gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, herpes, etc.

If you are worried, it's possible to get tested for all the sexually transmitted diseases and conditions. If you are not so worried because of the lack of symptoms, use condoms. Keep an eye for slow-developing conditions as well.

Planned Parenthood is a good source of information, sometimes they even have classes to attend about all this stuff. I don't think you should be having sex until you are completely ready either, it's not supposed to be an experiment where you wind up scared, but a loving act done with someone you really care about and are turned on to be with.

[AnnieBrooke]

Oh, and along the lines of not being completely ready -- talking to a potential partner in depth about his past sexual history is a prerequisite to sex. Not something that is so embarrassing or difficult that you would rather just let him put his tongue in your vagina instead. Don't downplay the importance of what you need to know, and remember that you DO need to know for important reasons.

[youngpip]

Thank You for your reply. What would you say the symptoms to look out for are? And do you have any suggestions as far as the fingering thing I mentioned or the group smoking.

[AnnieBrooke]

I'm sorry, but you would have to look up STD information on a reliable site. Try the National Institutes of Health or Planned Parenthood. You should be able to find a good list with timelines after which you can consider yourself safe, by googling the question "How long does it take an STD to appear?"

Fingering is not the greatest idea because it's not too much fun and because our hands are one of the most likely parts of our body to have bacteria. I'd be more concerned about a bacterial infection than an STD.

Smoking as a group would be a way to get a virus from someone who has one, but it's probably not the easiest way. You might be at risk if someone is actively sick and is coughing a lot.