	AllExperts > Sexually Transmitted Diseases
	Search

About Mark Behar
Expertise
Almost any question or concern about sexually transmitted infections, abnormal Pap smears, anal cytology (anal "Pap smears"), gay men's health issues. There is no such thing as “d/d free” or “clean” (free of infection), so why do so many of us deceive ourselves into thinking that some people are indeed totally free from a potentially infectious disease, like HIV, herpes, hepatitis, syphilis, chlamydia, warts, gonorrhea, etc., just because they say so? Clinical laboratory tests are not perfect, and having a “negative” or “nonreactive” test does not mean that a person is free from infection. Perhaps at the moment the test was taken, the person was uninfected; or, perhaps, the test wasn’t sensitive enough to detect presence of the infection. There is really no way that anyone can determine that they are truly “disease free,” and there are over a hundred of infectious conditions that can be spread without your knowing anything. Rather than trying to “prescreen” or “serosort” a potential sex-mate with deceptive questions that are impossible to know by today’s technologies, a wiser option may be to consider everyone infected with something, and either use appropriate protective measures (“safer sex”), or accept the responsibility and conseqences of possibly “catching” something from someone who’s hotter than expected (pun intended!). There is much research that supports the contention that an HIV positive person reliably taking HIV medications, and having an undetectable viral load, presents a lower risk for transmission of HIV than people who may think or say they are HIV negative, but are not. Food for thought!

Experience
Family Practice PA since 1981; Volunteer Clinician for Brady East STD (BESTD) Clinic, Milwaukee, since 1977; answer STD questions submitted to their web site. Professionally lectured at national and regional Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner conferences, and at national gay & lesbian health conferences on topics including HIV/AIDS, herpes, hepatitis, STDs, human papilloma virus (the cause of venereal warts), abnormal Pap smears, gay and lesbian health issues, among others.

Organizations
Co-Founder, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Gay Physician Assistant Caucus of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, Inc.; Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants; American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP); Board of Directors, National Association of Black and White Men Together: A Gay, Multiracial Organization for All People (NABWMT)

Publications
Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (JAPA)

Education/Credentials
Physician Assistant Certified, since 1982; Masters in Physician Assistant Studies; Colposcopy Recognition Award, American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP);

Awards and Honors
Colposcopy Recognition Award (CRA), from the American Association of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology; Distinguished Fellow, American Academy of Physician Assistants; Fellow, Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants

Past/Present Clients
Brady East STD Clinic, Milwaukee, WI

You are here: Experts > Teens > Health for Teens > Sexually Transmitted Diseases > Risk of STDs from fingering by two girls!

Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Risk of STDs from fingering by two girls!

Expert: Mark Behar - 11/1/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

As many others I am too worried by something stupid I have done. Me and my boyfriend were with another couple and at one point we got a little crazy and the guy from the other couple was fingering both of us. It was not deep fingering, just gentle but intrusive massaging.

My question is if he used the same finger for both of us then what risk do I have of getting STDs and which ones?

I will appreciate your help.

Thank you

Natashs

ANSWER: Hello Natasha,
You mentioned that the other guy was fingering "both of us"-- you and your boyfriend? or you and his girlfriend? In any event, it is a rather low risk activiy, but if herpes, gonorrhea, trichomonas, syphilis, chlamydia, or hepatitis B were present, then it is possible that the uninfected persons could be infected in this manner. Unlikely, but possible.

Good luck!
--mark

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Mark!

Thanks so much for the prompt reply. Just a quick follow-up.

Allow me to clarify: He was fingering his girlfriend and me (so both girls).

You did not mention anything about HIV. Any risk of HIV in this activity or is it zero-risk? Also does it matter if the fingering was done immediately or if it was done first on her and then a few minutes later on me? i.e. is it time dependent? if the finger has dried from his girlfriend's vaginal fluids does it matter in the above equation?

Lastly, does unlikely mean "dont worry about it" or "i should get tested"?

Thanks again

Natasha

Answer
Hello Again, Natasha,
Almost nothing in life has ZERO risk, but this comes pretty darned close, with regards to potential for HIV transmission. Unfortunately, it's not quite as easy to assess such risk when we don't know whether he or the other woman had hepatitis B, herpes, syphilis, HIV, human papilloma virus, etc. Most importantly therefore, is whether any of you were infected with anything. That may be impossible to know, because all of you may be unaware of being infected, or may be untruthful in your disclosure of such information. Or, one of you may have recently been infected by someone recenly, but tests done may as yet be too early to reflect such infection.

What if you or the other woman had a fresh open cut or scratch? That might increase the chance of shedding infectious virus or being receptive to infection.

It is just way too complicated, with too many variables, to effectively assess risk. Therefore, the safest option for you is to have regular STD testing, including blood work for HIV, syphilis, etc.

Good luck!
--mark

Ask a Question