[Question #6529] Lesbian HSV1/HSV2 Transmission

67 months ago

Hello,

I am a woman and I have begun dating a woman who has had both HSV1 and 2 for 10 years. She was diagnosed with 2 from a swab test and 1 from a blood test. She has only had one outbreak of HSV2 in her life and it was 10 years ago and has had nothing since. She does sometimes get cold sores but usually once a year if any, and she takes valacyclovir when she has outbreaks to clear them quickly. I have been tested and do not have either, and I think I may have had a partner in high school who had cold sores. I have a several-part question:

--If she goes down on me with no visible signs of outbreak and is taking valacyclovir, what are the chances of transmission? (assuming we have sex 1-2 times a week)

--If I go down on her with no visible signs of outbreak and she is taking valacyclovir, what is the likelihood of HSV2 transmission from genitals to mouth? (assuming we have sex 1-2 times a week)

--If I use her sex toys, but she cleans them in between use, is there any risk there?

--If we use a strap-on and our vaginal areas barely touch, what is the risk with this act? Is there a "safest" way to use a strap-on?

Thank you!

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

67 months ago

have a several-part question:

--If she goes down on me with no visible signs of outbreak and is taking valacyclovir, what are the chances of transmission? (assuming we have sex 1-2 times a week).

We have no data on transmission of oral HSV 1 to the genitals through oral sex. We do know that people who have frequently recurring oral outbreaks shed virus on 25% of days. But if she's on meds, that whole picture changes.

--If I go down on her with no visible signs of outbreak and she is taking valacyclovir, what is the likelihood of HSV2 transmission from genitals to mouth? (assuming we have sex 1-2 times a week)

We also don't that data either but I would say that the risk if lower than the previous question as HSV 2 does not like the oral area - HSV 1 is less picky about it's location

--If I use her sex toys, but she cleans them in between use, is there any risk there?

Nope

--If we use a strap-on and our vaginal areas barely touch, what is the risk with this act? Is there a "safest" way to use a strap-on?

Very little risk there. The less skin to skin contact, the lower the risk. Just keep that in mind.

Also, remember that the IgG test for HSV 1 misses 30% of infections, compared to the gold standard western blot.

Terri

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