QUESTION
I am a gay man. Yesterday I had sex with a man I didn’t know. I asked him to lube his ass before we had sex. Then, with a condom on, I used my hand to guide my penis into him. I noticed several lesions on the inside of his ass crack that looked like herpes. I pulled out immediately. I didn’t directly touch the lesions with my hands, but he had just touched his ass a minute earlier and was touching my nipples. What should I do?

ANSWER
The only way to tell if you are infected with an STD, including herpes, is to be examined. Herpes is not a routinely offered test and you will have to ask for it specifically when you go to your provider. Herpes can be diagnosed with a blood test but it can be hard to tell if a herpes infection detected in a blood test is old or new.

As for the risk of the activities:

If you did come in contact with the sore and was wearing a condom during penetration, you have protected yourself as best you could. Condoms are highly effective at preventing the spread of herpes. Having your nipples touched or kissed, even if he may have previously touched a herpes sore, shouldn’t put you at any risk for herpes, especially if you didn’t see any sores on his mouth.

For more detailed information about both types of common herpes viruses, click here. If you're in San Francisco, drop by SF City Clinic or Magnet in the Castro for a screening. We recommend that all folks who are sexually active with more than one person get a complete STD screening every three months.

To your health,
Dr. K