[Question #2667] genital hsv2, oral sex, kissing
 |
95 months ago
|
I was recently diagnosed with genital hsv2 in March of this year. I have had a few genital outbreaks since then but have not had one for the past couple months. I have never seen a sore in my mouth area and tested negative for hsv1. could you please inform me of the risks of transmission associated with hsv2? I know genital to genital will pass with or without sores when no condom is used.
what about oral sex? if I have no outbreak and my partner gives me oral sex, will they get it if no barrier is used? what about kissing? can I still kiss if I've never seen a sore?
my ex, who gave me the virus, and i had oral and vaginal sex, unprotected. could i have hsv2 in oral and genital area and only breakout in genital or am I just not visibly seeing oral sores?
I recently started dating again. I'm scared to kiss anyone for fear that I could pass it to them. also scared that if I do kiss them and when I decide to tell them I have genital herpes, they will be upset because i kissed them without telling them I had genital herpes. please give me the transmission risks for all types of sex.
thank you.
 |
Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
95 months ago
|
If you are truly negative for HSV 1, then there is likely no risk of you transmitting infection from your mouth to the genitals of someone else. If someone gives you oral sex there is a small risk that they could get this orally. Since HSV 2 doesn't like the oral area, it is likely to be passed via oral sex but no impossible. Kissing is fine. It is possible that you have this orally and genitally, but again, HSV 2 definitely prefers the genital area. Did you have any oral lesions at the same time you had your first genital infection?
HSV 2 infections, if oral, sheds only about 3 days out of the year so the risk of transmission is not zero but clearly incredibly low!
Terri
---
HSV 2 infections, if oral, sheds only about 3 days out of the year so the risk of transmission is not zero but clearly incredibly low!
Terri
---
|
95 months ago
|
hi Terri
I did not experience any sores in my mouth during my genital outbreaks. do they only appear on the lip area or do they occur in the throat where it's difficult to see? I had a sore throat for a few days that if i remember correctly, was not during a genital outbreak, but it was difficult to see down my throat.
I am thinking of getting retested for hsv1. I do not know how sensitive the test is, but when I did the blood test it was before the 3-4 month allowance for antibody production so initially both came back negative. it wasn't until my second outbreak that a test of the actual sore was done and it came back hsv2 positive. I did another blood test 6 months after when I believe the transmission occurred and it was then positive but it was only hsv2 blood test. should I go back and do another blood test for hsv1 or is that test more sensitive and I am able to to trust the initial test that was negative?
also, when is the best time to tell someone? I know obviously I will notify them of this before we have sex, but should I tell them prior to kissing?
|
Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
95 months ago
|
Good morning,
The test that is better for HSV 1 is the herpes western blot. You could certainly pursue getting this test but before you do, consider that more than half the population in the US has HSV 1 infection so it is very common and therefore you are less likely to give it to someone else. but if you feel the need for the greatest accuracy in herpes testing, that's it. It is done only at the University of Washington in the US so there are steps to go through to get it. If you need help with this, I can give you that help on an individual basis but you can absolutely get this done through your own medical provider. Google it and see what you find.
Are you still taking about HSV 2 now - when to tell? I would say that you should tell when you 1) think you are likely going to have sex with this person and 2) when you think you can trust this person with very personal information, information you may not want an entire friend group, for example, to know and 3) when you know each other well enough that this person has something invested in you personally, someone who can balance possibly challenging news with true affection for you to lessen the chances that they will be unwilling to take the small risk of acquiring herpes.
Terri
---
The test that is better for HSV 1 is the herpes western blot. You could certainly pursue getting this test but before you do, consider that more than half the population in the US has HSV 1 infection so it is very common and therefore you are less likely to give it to someone else. but if you feel the need for the greatest accuracy in herpes testing, that's it. It is done only at the University of Washington in the US so there are steps to go through to get it. If you need help with this, I can give you that help on an individual basis but you can absolutely get this done through your own medical provider. Google it and see what you find.
Are you still taking about HSV 2 now - when to tell? I would say that you should tell when you 1) think you are likely going to have sex with this person and 2) when you think you can trust this person with very personal information, information you may not want an entire friend group, for example, to know and 3) when you know each other well enough that this person has something invested in you personally, someone who can balance possibly challenging news with true affection for you to lessen the chances that they will be unwilling to take the small risk of acquiring herpes.
Terri
---