# Doctors: Sore throat + Cunnilingus = What? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158 "2008-01-27T03:08:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malienation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Malienation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malienation)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/1 "2008-01-27T03:08:29Z")
Can a gal get, uh, “sore vagina?” I mean, from the sore throat that the guy has…I’ve always wondered about this. I’ve been meaning to ask the doctor the next time I go, but hey, the SDMB is at the ready. What’s the deal? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/2 "2008-01-27T03:42:36Z")
IANAD or a woman. My guess is she’s likelier to get a sore throat, if you have a viral infection. Um, I’ve gotten the flu from BJs on two occasions, and the symptoms didn’t hang around my penis. ---
**Author:** ![Malienation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Malienation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malienation)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/3 "2008-01-27T03:46:42Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] IANAD or a woman. My guess is she’s likelier to get a sore throat, if you have a viral infection. Um, I’ve gotten the flu from BJs on two occasions, and the symptoms didn’t hang around my penis. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but a vagina is a moist mucus membrane, right? Seems like the perfect place to harbor sore throat nasties. But you never hear of this sort of tragedy. Anyone else? 😕 By the way, were the BJs worth it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/4 "2008-01-27T03:49:45Z")
[QUOTE=Malienation] Yeah, but a vagina is a moist mucus membrane, right? Seems like the perfect place to harbor sore throat nasties. But you never hear of this sort of tragedy. Anyone else? 😕 By the way, were the BJs worth it? 😉 [/QUOTE] One was, the other wasn’t. I didn’t have the same level of emotion invested in both women. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/5 "2008-01-27T03:57:22Z")
Thrush can be transmitted from the mouth to the vagina. It could be at a low, undetected level in the mouth, but thrive in the vagina if it found it to be a more receptive environment. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/6 "2008-01-27T04:04:12Z")
[QUOTE=Malienation] Can a gal get, uh, “sore vagina?” I mean, from the sore throat that the guy has…I’ve always wondered about this. I’ve been meaning to ask the doctor the next time I go, but hey, the SDMB is at the ready. What’s the deal? [/QUOTE] Yes. A “sore throat” has multiple types of viruses and bacteria as the underlying etiology. Herpes, gonorrhea, and even the lowly adenovirus [http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/33/10/2728](http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/33/10/2728) all come to mind as examples of pathogens which can cause local problems in both the oropharynx and the urogenital tract (male or female–could be urethritis in a guy). There are many others. So knock it off. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/7 "2008-01-27T04:07:55Z")
[QUOTE=Slithy Tove] Thrush can be transmitted from the mouth to the vagina. It could be at a low, undetected level in the mouth, but thrive in the vagina if it found it to be a more receptive environment. [/QUOTE] Candida is so ubiquitous that it probably shouldn’t be considered an infectious disease. It is an infection and it is a disease, but when it causes disease, it’s usually your own candida overwhelming your host defense versus something you caught somewhere. We all have some candida all the time living on our mucosa–vaginas in particular; it’s normally just not able to gain a foothold to the point where it becomes symptomatic. ---
**Author:** ![fatgail](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fatgail/32/7285_2.png) [@fatgail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fatgail)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/8 "2008-01-27T04:19:30Z")
If nothing else, I wonder how you’d be able to say AHHHH ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/9 "2008-01-27T07:18:27Z")
**Patient** : Doctor, “What’s wrong with my big toe?” **Doctor** : “You have syphllis of the toe” **Patient** : “That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.” **Doctor** : “You think that’s strange? I had a woman in here this morning with athlete’s vagina!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/10 "2008-01-27T14:02:30Z")
Gonorrhea could be a possibility, _Neisseria gonorrhoeae_ can infect the oralpharnyx and be passed on through oral sex. I can only imagine that the symptoms of an oral infection would be slightly more than just a sore throat. Gonorrheal conjuctivitis sounds like the stuff of nightmares though. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/11 "2008-01-28T05:22:13Z")
> [@](#): > > We all have some candida all the time living on our mucosa–vaginas in particular; Oh, yeah? I’ll bet you I don’t have any candida in my vagina! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/12 "2008-01-28T06:21:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Seems like the perfect place to harbor sore throat nasties. But you never hear of this sort of tragedy How about toxic shock? I haven’t read much about it in many years, but I thought it was the result of a staph and strep intensified by tampon use. I remember an article about how all of the early identified cases were in women who, in retrospect, had colds at the time. Also, nobody’s mentioned it, and perhaps everybody knows it these days, but that “cold sore” is herpes and not very particular about whether it’s living on a mouth or genitals. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/13 "2008-01-28T06:45:24Z")
Herpes actually IS rather particular about where it likes to bury in and set up house. Herpes 1 prefers the mouth and lips, and it is expressed by the painful lip (or tongue or inside of the mouth, side of the nose, etc.) cold sores or fever blisters that are so common in all ages. Herpes type II is more comfortable in the genital region and that’s where it tends to stay. A person giving a blow job to someone with active genital herpes can certainly have an outbreak on the mouth later. But the outbreak in that secondary site is less likely to stick around and cause later outbreaks. Same’s true of oral herpes being transferred to the genital site. Not as robust in that region. [QUOTE=susan] How about toxic shock? I haven’t read much about it in many years, but I thought it was the result of a staph and strep intensified by tampon use. I remember an article about how all of the early identified cases were in women who, in retrospect, had colds at the time. Also, nobody’s mentioned it, and perhaps everybody knows it these days, but that “cold sore” is herpes and not very particular about whether it’s living on a mouth or genitals. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/14 "2008-01-28T08:18:10Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] Oh, yeah? I’ll bet you I don’t have any candida in my vagina! [/QUOTE] I thought for a moment that was going to be the setup for one of those ‘you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!’ things. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/15 "2008-01-28T15:41:05Z")
Once BakingWithElectricity saw the doc for some discomfort and a culture showed she had vaginal strep. Guess who was being treated for strep throat the week before. :rolleyes: :o ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/16 "2008-01-28T16:06:56Z")
If a woman sleeps with her alarm clock in her panties, she could wake up with tick-tocksic shock. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/17 "2008-01-28T16:22:50Z")
JillGat, cite please? I have always been trained that the Herpes 1 and 2 were not that particular, though they have preferences. > [@](#): > > Myth: It cannot be transmitted between the genitals and the mouth. > Fact: Cross infection between strains is possible. **The rule HSV-1 above the waist, HSV-2 below the waist is no longer a guideline. The virus can be spread by touching an infected area and then touching another area of the body.** In sexual terms, the use of a condom may not prevent transmission between genital and oral regions. \*\*One of the main causes of neonatal herpes is receptive oral sex in the third trimester. \*\* Once cross infected (HSV-2 above the waist or HSV-1 below the waist) there is a lesser tendecy for HSV-2 to re-occur orally or HSV-1 to re-occur genitally, then vice versa. Emphasis mine, Wikipedia citing _American Journal of Epidemiology_ (1983).\* If more frecent studies disprove this, I’d be very interested to know. \*ETA: Can’t tell from the abstract if this is an accurate cite. ---
**Author:** ![enthusiastic\_ennui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e9a140/32.png) [@enthusiastic\_ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enthusiastic_ennui)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/18 "2008-01-28T16:30:00Z")
> [@](#): > > **Cookingwithgas** Once BakingWithElectricity saw the doc for some discomfort and a culture showed she had vaginal strep. Guess who was being treated for strep throat the week before. Did it hurt when she swallowed? No, seriously, what did that feel like, if you don’t mind my asking? I’ve got strep throat right now, and I’m trying to imagine what that specific sort of pain would be like in my vagina. Not a pleasant thought. ---
**Author:** ![SiouxChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/19 "2008-01-28T21:40:36Z")
[QUOTE=Szlater] Gonorrheal conjuctivitis sounds like the stuff of nightmares though. [/QUOTE] “Doctor, it hurts when I see!” ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158/20 "2008-01-29T05:46:04Z")
[QUOTE=enthusiastic\_ennui] Did it hurt when she swallowed? No, seriously, what did that feel like, if you don’t mind my asking? I’ve got strep throat right now, and I’m trying to imagine what that specific sort of pain would be like in my vagina. Not a pleasant thought. [/QUOTE] Waaait… vaginas can _swallow_?! And just when I thought I had it all figured out. _sigh_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-sore-throat-cunnilingus-what/435158.md?page=2)