I just got diagnosed with ghsv type 1 today. I am having a really hard time dealing with this. I've been with my boyfriend for three years. Both of us have been 100% faithful in the relationship. It just doesn't make sense why I got diagnosed with this. Here's how it all started: I was starting to have a really bad hemorrhoids. I bought OTC preparation H. It was not getting any better. I went to the doctor to get something stronger. She saw 3 small papules on the perineum and she swabbed it for hsv. I wasn't even in any pain. I thought it was just a little irritation from the  OTC cream.  She didn't think it was hsv but she wanted to double check. She thought it was contact dermatitis. It came back positive for type 1 hsv. I've had bad yeast infections, UTIs, and hemorrhoids in the past. I've gotten tested for all STDs on the panel but everything came back negative. Could I have been misdiagnosed for yeast infections/UTIs/hemorrhoids  and it was herpes this whole time? I am going to tell my boyfriend to get tested for hsv1 just be sure he doesn't have it. What are the transmission rates for ghsv 1? I don't want to get him infected if he comes back negative. If I take Valtrex daily and use condoms, what are the transmission rates? Thank you so much!

Yes, these could have been a missed diagnosis.  You could have had this for many years.  Normally, HSV 1 recurs very infrequently in the genital area - some people never have another outbreak after the first or maybe once every few years.  Does your partner give you oral sex?  And do you know if he has ever in his life had a cold sore on his lip in the past or in his nose?  Do you know if you were actually tested for HSV 1 in the past?  The problem is that the common test for HSV 1, the IgG test, misses 30% of HSV 1 infections compared to the gold standard western blot so he could definitely test BUT if it's negative,  it may or may not be accurate.  From you description, I would guess that this might be a recurrence, not a new infection.  Transmission via intercourse is really uncommon.  About half the population has HSV 1 so it's very common and is nothing like HSV 2 genitally.  Much less active.  Please let me know what other questions you may have

Terri

Thank you for your response. I do get oral sex from my boyfriend so that's probably how I got it. It could be from past relationships. He said he's never had a cold sore before. I told him about my diagnosis and he has been supportive. I told him to go get tested. He's more afraid of getting his blood drawn so he may not go get tested.  I think I probably had a minor outbreak due to the stress of nursing school. What is the percentage of genital to genital transmission with ghsv1? Thank you so much for your help!

Terri