Back in 2017 I had what I think was an initial herpes outbreak of 2 ulcers. I wasn’t able to get them swabbed in time but I did do a blood test months later and it came back positive for hsv1.

That said, it has been about 6 years since then and nothing has come back since — sometimes it feels like it never happened.

I recently entered a serious relationship and my partner knows I’m positive for hsv1 but I didn’t mention the location because I’m not entirely sure AND the stigma scares me so much. He tests negative for both.

I started taking antiviral suppression recently and am on a daily dose of 500 mg of off-brand valtrex.

My partner and I have unprotected sex anywhere from 1 - 5 times a week (probably 3 times on average).

I’m starting to get incredibly anxious about transmission. I know if I have Ghsv1 that it sheds infrequently but I feel like it only takes one time for it to happen. 

- Will the medicine help at all? 

Should I be taking a higher dose? 

- How worried should I be about this? - - How long does it take for the medication to kick in? 

Do you think Ghsv1 might transmit more often than we think?

- Will the medicine help at all? 

Yes, it will reduce viral shedding, but the rate of viral shedding in people with genital HSV 1 is already so low, we can't say how much it will help

Should I be taking a higher dose? 

no

- How worried should I be about this? - - How long does it take for the medication to kick in? 

It takes the medicine 5 days to fully kick in and I don't think you should be worried about this.  He knows you have HSV 1 - even you cannot be certain where it is since no swab testing was done of the ulcers, it's a guess on your part, right?

Do you think Ghsv1 might transmit more often than we think?

Definitely not, no.

Terri

I even read a story of a someone with Ghsv1 who gave it to their partner, they broke up, then the person they gave GHSV1 to gave the same thing to someone else.

I’m rambling a bit here, but curious if you think the chances of me giving Ghsv1 to someone are high throughout the course of a long term relationship? Is it almost inevitable? 

Terri

Thank you.

If I have Ghsv1 does it prevent me or help prevent from getting ghsv2?

My boyfriend took his hsv1 and hsv2 test a few months before we were together but it was after his last sexual encounter before me.

I’m not sure how long he waited to get the blood tests after his last sexual encounter but now I’m wondering if there’s a chance that he has hsv2 that wasn’t detected during his tests a few months ago.

Would it make sense for me to ask him to ge tested again? How long does it take for results to be fairly accurate?

You could ask how long it was between sex with his last partner and the time he took the test - ideally, we would like 10-12 weeks for the IgG.  WAiting that long would make results of the IgG about as good as it is going to be.  Whether you ask him to test again, based on the timing he reports on the testing, is up to you.  but if you aren't comfortable with his answer, it is certainly worth asking

Terri