Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Oral HPV from single exposure?

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone can help me get a handle on some questions about HPV, specifically oral HPV. Good grief this virus is confusing, no matter how much I read the forums, research papers, etc.

Basically, I had a one-time mutual oral sex encounter with a friend (girl). We didn't know each other as well as we should have, which I deeply regret. Immediately after, I was just relieved we didn't have full-blown intercourse.

However, approximately 1.5 to 2 months later, she had an abnormal pap smear during her yearly check-up. She tested positive for HPV, specifically HPV-16 (of course it had to be the worst kind). Colposcopy, though, ended up showing no dysplasia or abnormal cells.

She confirmed for me that she had tested positive years previous, but had since had at least 5 "normal" paps without HPV being detected.

I have a boatload of questions, and am hoping someone here can provide insight. I'm not posting in the experts forum because my questions are highly subjective/what-ifs. Not looking for absolutes (there are NONE with this damn virus!), but maybe some educated guesses?

1. Does anyone know if HPV is less contagious when no cell lesions/dysplasia are present? It SEEMS like a reasonable hypothesis, but no one seems to know.

2. What are the odds that I acquired an oral HPV-16 infection from this 1 time encounter? 1 in 2? 1 in 10? ELEVENTY-BILLION PERCENT (that's what it feels like)?

3. It's occurred to me that conceivably, *I* could have been the source of this infection. But, it seems unlikely, given that my previous, long-term partner never had an abnormal pap, had only had 1 previous partner, tested negative for HPV, AND I hadn't been with anyone before her, orally or vaginally, in over a decade. Just throwing that out there, because I'm reasonably convinced it's NOT from me (I would've had to have a latent infection, which suddenly activated, and passed it via oral sex to her cervix...seems very unlikely).

4. What are the odds I DO pass this on to the next person via oral sex (or god forbid, kissing), IF indeed i got an infection?

Basically, I'm trying to keep my innate hypochondria in-check, and figure out how much I should be freaking out about this, how reasonable it is to assume I got it/didn't get it, and get some sensible feedback from people who are more rational than me (that's you, dear reader).

Thanks, all. You (and the docs) are all amazing (I've been helped before here after a much lower risk incident that triggered my OCD). I could probably be an MD thanks to MedHelp.
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Herpes is indeed among the most common STDs, but also one of the most trivial for most people, so there isn't much incentive to do the studies to provide all the answers some might wish to have.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks, Howard. I'm guessing I wrote so damn much that no one else will respond :)

For a hypochondriac, it's just such a frustrating STD to have been "exposed" to. Maybe I'm expecting too much of modern medicine, but it seems crazy that the world's most commonly transmitted STI is so "mysterious".

Googling inevitably leads me back here to the doc forums. Every hit is either about Michael Douglas or some study that I don't have the training to parse. I did read a couple studies that claim after 6 months, 16%, and 20%, respectively, will have shared their partner's infection. That's at odds with Doctors H & H, who usually offer some form of "yep, you probably have it" in their answers. So, it would SEEM that 1-time oral exposure is fairly low-risk. I just wish I could quantify it, as that's what my rational brain craves.

Just venting...thanks again for your comment, Howard!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The subject of oral HPV is complex. Some bottom lines, however, are that it is uncommon (much less than genital HPV), and the vast majority of oral HPV 16 infections never ead to cancer. Probably there are no data by which to guess the risk you were infected from this single exposure, except it's probably very low.

It really isn't practical to try to answer all these detailed questions. I suggest you search the STD expert forum for "oral HPV". I tried the search and it identified over 1,400 threads -- so lots of expert information is available. Here's one I found that looks pretty good:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/HPV-and-oral-sex/show/1515473
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the STDs / STIs Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.