I am 69 y. old woman and have had  genital HSV infections off and on for 10+ yr.  I have never been tested, swab or blood test, so I  presume from what I know of herpes, they are HSV type 2. I did have oral cold sores in the past but not much anymore since turning 50.   I do take Valtrex for 3 days/500 mg/daily at the first sign of prodrome.  Question: If my partner (also 69 yr) is not infected but we would like to have unprotected oral sex, what can I tell him about the risk of becoming infected and would valtrex daily be better?  I am a nurse and not a fan of taking medication if not necessary.  Thank you!

So can you clarify if your question is about receiving oral sex or giving oral sex?
Either way, has your partner been tested to actually know if they are infected with either type or not?

Terri
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My question is regarding risk exposure to my partner giving oral sex to me who has had genital lesions on and off for 10+ yr.   

OK, so if you have HSV 2 genitally (we'll make that assumption but it would be far better for you to actually do an IgG test to find out if that's is what is going on), there is little risk of him acquiring HSV 2 orally but it could happen - I don't have a specific percentage of risk as that has not been studied.  HSV 2 has a rather strong preference for living in the genital area.  If he did acquire it orally, it would look just like a cold sore but recur very infrequently and would offer essentially provide a quite effective vaccination against acquiring this genitally.  And he too should be tested.  He could have both viruses or either virus and not know it. 

Terri
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I hope I get one more followup question. Must the test be a Western Blot?  I am trying to learn what IgG test I am asking for with my health care provider.  There is alot of information out there, but not completely clear where and how to be tested.

The test doesn't have to be a western blot no.  It is more sensitive than the IgG test but the IgG test would certainly be a place to start.  The IgG test, compared to the western blot, picks up 92% of HSV 2 infections.  So it's pretty good.  You can also order this test online yourself without going through your provider although you would likely to have to pay cash.  There are a number of places that offer this service and they send you to the large labs like Quest and LabCorp for the draw so it is entirely reputable. 

Terri
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