Can a “hand job” cause an STD?

Hand jobs and HPV

It is possible to get HPV if you had close skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or your partner used vaginal secretions for penile stimulation. HPV is highly contagious—it can invade even healthy unbroken skin. During a hand job, skin and mucous membrane integrity can easily be impaired (for example, because of long fingernails or rough movement)․ This promotes the spread of the virus.¹

Otherwise, it is not likely that you will get HPV from a hand job.²

Hand warts are not caused by the same type of HPV virus as genital warts, so you won’t get genital HPV if your partner has hand warts.

Warts, Image source : https://www.webmd.com/children/ss/slideshow-common-childhood-skin-problems

Hand jobs and herpes

It is possible to acquire herpes (HSV) if your partner is infected and used saliva or vaginal secretions for stimulating your penis or touched his or her genital sores before touching your genitals.3 The infective capacity of HSV in saliva does not change at room temperature for up to 30 minutes.^{4, 5}

HSV transmission is also possible if your partner has herpetic blisters on his or her fingers (herpetic whitlow). That is not a common condition: 2.4 cases per 100,000 people are reported each year.⁶

In general, herpetic lesions are rather painful, and people usually avoid touching the sores or using an affected hand. But you can be infected when no sores are visible, even when the other person is not aware of being infected (“silent shedding”).⁷

Herpetic whitlow (whitlow finger) - NHS, Image source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/herpetic-whitlow/

Hand jobs and molluscum

You can get molluscum through direct skin-to-skin contact. It can be spread by a person touching and damaging their own skin lesions before touching your genitals. It is also possible to get molluscum through infected objects.⁸

Molluscum contagiosum -NHS, Image source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/molluscum-contagiosum/symptoms/

Should I be concerned about Chlamydia?

You cannot get chlamydia from a hand job. Chlamydia can be spread only through the mucous membranes of the penis when the urethra (the tube inside the penis) is exposed to infected vaginal fluids.⁹ Skin condition is not relevant.

Can I get Gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea is not transmitted via hand jobs. It is transmitted only by the mucous membranes of the urethra (inside the penis) being exposed to infected vaginal fluids.¹⁰ Gonorrhea barely survives in a dry environment. And nonsexual transmission via toilet seats and towels in adults is not possible.¹¹

Is there a risk of HIV with a hand job?

The likelihood of getting HIV through a hand job is extremely low. However, it may be possible if your infected partner had a cut on her finger or used her vaginal secretions to stimulate your genitals. To contract HIV, either the mucous membrane of the tip of the penis or micro lesions of the skin must be exposed to blood or infected vaginal fluids.^{12, 13} HIV cannot be contracted through towels, saliva, tears, or sweats because it doesn’t survive in the air.¹³

Can I contract STDs from towels?

• There are reported cases of trichomoniasis being acquired from towels¹⁴
• You can get molluscum from towels¹⁵
• HIV cannot be contracted via towels because it doesn’t survive in the air^{13, 16}
• It is not possible to acquire chlamydia, gonorrhea, or HSV from towels^{11, 17}
• It is still unclear whether HPV can be transmitted through towels. One study indicated that it might be possible, but in other studies this hypothesis was not confirmed^{18, 19}

Myths about STD prevention

Unfortunately, you can’t prevent STDs by doing any of these things:

• Washing the genitals
• Douching
• Urinating after intercourse²⁰

These measures help prevent urinary tract infections, not STDs.

When should I get tested?

Contact your healthcare provider if you have any concerns, and get tested if you have any of these signs and symptoms:²¹

• Painful urination
• Frequent urination
• Unusual discharge from the genitals
• Warts, blisters or sores on the genitals
• Itching or redness of the genitals
• Abdominal pain
• Elevated temperature

Safety measures to follow

• Always ask your sexual partners to wash their hands with soap before giving you a hand job
• Ask them to touch their genitals with the other hand

References

1. Genital Warts and Human Papillomavirus Infection (HPV) - College of Charleston.

2. Malagón T, Louvanto K, Wissing M, et al. Hand-to-genital and genital-to-genital transmission of human papillomaviruses between male and female sexual partners (HITCH): a prospective cohort study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2019;

3. STD Facts - Genital Herpes (Detailed version). CDC

4. Bardell D. Survival of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 on Some Common Foods Routinely Touched before Consumption. J Food Prot.

5. Survival of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in Saliva and Tap Water Contaminating Some Common Objects - PubMed.

6. Betz D, Fane K. Herpetic Whitlow. StatPearls Publishing;

7. National Center for HIV C, Hepatitis V, Prevention T, of STD Prevention D. Genital Herpes – CDC Fact Sheet.

8. Molluscum contagiosum - NHS.

9. Chlamydia |. Asha sexual health

10. Gonorrhea |. Asha sexual health

11. Gonorrhoea - NHS.

12. The Basics of HIV Prevention | Understanding HIV/AIDS | AIDSinfo.

13. HIV Transmission | HIV Basics | HIV/AIDS | CDC.

14. Kandamuthan S, Thambi R, Yeshodharan J. Trichomoniasis: Is it always sexually transmitted? Indian J Sex Transm Dis AIDS.

15. Transmission | Molluscum Contagiosum | Pox viruses | CDC.

16. HIV & AIDS | Petersen Clinics.

17. Chlamydia - NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chlamydia/. Accessed March 27, 2020.

18. High-risk Human Papilloma Virus Infection of the Foreskin in Asymptomatic Boys - PubMed.

19. Possible non‐sexual modes of transmission of human papilloma virus - Sabeena - 2017 - Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research

20. Genital HPV. CDC

21. What are the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or sexually transmitted infections (STIs)? | NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.