[Question #1916] genital HSV
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92 months ago
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I have an appointment today w/my OBGYN to examine a red bump on my panty-line. I first noticed it this past Saturday. Its diameter was about 1/4 inch. It felt firm/ hard to the touch (almost like a little tiny ball under the skin). No fluid. No hair follicles in the area. Painless.
I showered, & later that same day it looked as though there was a tiny white spot in the center. At first I thought it was pus, but then realized it was a tiny bit of dead/dry white skin on top of the bump. The next day (Sun) the dead skin had peeled back on top of the bump.
Today is Thurs. The bump is smaller. I can still see the peeled-back circle of dry skin on top of the red bump. Still painless.
My last possible sexual exposure (vaginal intercourse w/condom) was 13 days before I saw the bump. Partner is HSV-1 positive via IgG; location on body unknown. The day before I found the bump, I had walked around at the zoo for about 3 hours. If I wasn't concerned about my sexual exposure, I would've written the bump off as irritation (though painless) or a clogged pore or something. I now regret not just having it swabbed right away. Does this sound anything like HSV?
Also, if my partner were to have an outbreak of genital HSV: When they wipe after using the restroom, & then they touch their pants to pull them up/zip/etc...& touch their shirt to tuck it in....all BEFORE washing their hands... Could there ever be enough virus on their clothes to then infect someone else? Like a child who runs up for a hug and presses their face into that area of clothing, or a naked baby being carried on the hip to the bath?
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
92 months ago
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I don't think the bump sounds anything like herpes, actually. It's pretty common to have these little bumps on the panty line and normally they are irritation from underwear. Also, showing up 13 days after a sexual encounter is too long, generally speaking, to be new herpes. Also, new herpes would likely show up in the genital area first, not on the buttocks/thigh.
The situation you describe for your partner with HSV 1 present NO risk for transmission - too little virus , too little possibility it would even happen.
Have you actually been tested to know what your herpes status is?
Terri
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The situation you describe for your partner with HSV 1 present NO risk for transmission - too little virus , too little possibility it would even happen.
Have you actually been tested to know what your herpes status is?
Terri
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92 months ago
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I am negative for HSV 1 and HSV 2 (both the traditional IgG blood test as well as a Western Blot in January). I didn't mean to ask the question as though I'd never posted before - I've asked you questions before regarding sores in my mouth (trying to distinguish between HSV and canker sores). My partner's status as positive for HSV 1 is something that we didn't know until more recently, so it has generated some new questions for me.
So even if he HAS an outbreak and isn't aware of it, there are no worries about him 1)carrying transmissible virus around on his clothes, 2)no worries about virus getting on the roll of toilet paper if he wipes himself and then touches the roll again to get more paper to wipe again, and then I or one of the children use the restroom/toilet paper right after him?
3)Do I understand correctly that even if he had an outbreak (be it oral or genital), and if he touched/rubbed himself (either his mouth with an active cold sore or his genital area with an active sore) and then touched me sexually in my vaginal area, the risk of me acquiring the virus is negligible? Is this what would be described as mutual masturbation, which is generally considered "safe"? (Or is it only safe assuming neither person has an outbreak?) The only way I'm going to get this from him is through a)intimate kissing or b)oral sex or c)vaginal intercourse? I'm trying to navigate intimacy during pregnancy, given his status.
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
92 months ago
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Sorry, Leslie, I didn't realize it was you! And sorry for the late reply - our granddaughter had her bat mitzvah this weekend and I've been a bit swamped
Neither of the two situations that you describe pose any risk for transmission. Do you know if his infection is oral or genital? Yes, if he has an outbreak somewhere and touches it, it is extremely unlikely he would transmit to you.
It would be important to figure out where he is infected so you can manage transmission risk far more easily. Remember that genital herpes can show up anywhere in the boxer shorts area and oral herpes, on the face, in the nose or on the lip. You might want to talk about those possibilities with him.
Yes, the ways that you describe are possibly methods of transmission.
Terri
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Neither of the two situations that you describe pose any risk for transmission. Do you know if his infection is oral or genital? Yes, if he has an outbreak somewhere and touches it, it is extremely unlikely he would transmit to you.
It would be important to figure out where he is infected so you can manage transmission risk far more easily. Remember that genital herpes can show up anywhere in the boxer shorts area and oral herpes, on the face, in the nose or on the lip. You might want to talk about those possibilities with him.
Yes, the ways that you describe are possibly methods of transmission.
Terri
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