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Asymptomatic Herpes
Thanks for your time. My wife and I have been together for a little over 4 years and we recently got pregnant. We were both tested and I have HSV-2 and she does not. We always used a condom until we decided to conceive so we've only had unprotected sex a handful of times. How is it that I could be have HSV-2 and she doesn't? I've always had cold sores so I knew that I had HSV-1. I've never had any symptoms or outbreaks so is it possible that in the absence of outbreaks I haven't passed it on to my wife. I know we need to take precautions in the future but I'm curious about how this happened. Thanks in advance.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I would look for abnormal skin lesions
The results are at home, I will post them tonight. I am curious as to what exactly I should look for in terms of a breakout. I have been checking constantly and I am currently seeing an red irritation at the opening of my urethra. It doesn't so much look like a bump or a sore as just irritation of the area around my urethra. There isn't really any pain except for when it rubs but I'm unsure if it is actually something or if I am being paranoid.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Most babies who get herpes do get it at birth, yes. It doesn't lead to pregnancy problems, it can lead to problems for the baby at delivery if not managed correctly. If you do have HSV 2 and your wife doesn't, then you got it before you had sex with her.
I'm going to ask you to get a copy of your blood test results and post them here for me so I can be certain that you don't need confirmatory testing. Can you do that for me?
Terri
I'm going to ask you to get a copy of your blood test results and post them here for me so I can be certain that you don't need confirmatory testing. Can you do that for me?
Terri
I forgot to mention that yes, I have been with other people but not for almost 6 years. Also, I was under the impression that herpes could only be passed to a newborn at birth. Is that accurate? Thanks agan.
Thank you for your help. What kind of pregnancy problems can this lead to and will they atomatically test or will we have to ask for the test. Thanks.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Have you ever in your life had sex with someone else? If yes, then you could have contracted this prior to meeting your wife. She is likely still negative because of your condom use.
I cannot stress strongly enough to you the risks associated with your wife contracting HSV during her pregnancy. My personal advice to you would be to avoid intercourse during the remainder of the pregnancy. Yes, this sounds stern, I know, and it doesn't sound at all fun, but if your wife contracts HSV 2 in the third trimester of her pregnancy (and her risk of acquiring HSV 2 from you during her pregnancy goes up over normal risk for many reasons), the risk of the baby getting it is 30-50%. This disease in the newborn can be devastating. Maybe this was already in your plans, but if it wasn't, I hope you will seriously consider my advice. You are both blessed in a way, to know your discordant status so you can do something to keep it that way during your pregnancy. And it is also very important that her provider knows your discordant status as they may wish to test her again, closer to delivery. Do you have any questions about this that I can answer?
Terri
I cannot stress strongly enough to you the risks associated with your wife contracting HSV during her pregnancy. My personal advice to you would be to avoid intercourse during the remainder of the pregnancy. Yes, this sounds stern, I know, and it doesn't sound at all fun, but if your wife contracts HSV 2 in the third trimester of her pregnancy (and her risk of acquiring HSV 2 from you during her pregnancy goes up over normal risk for many reasons), the risk of the baby getting it is 30-50%. This disease in the newborn can be devastating. Maybe this was already in your plans, but if it wasn't, I hope you will seriously consider my advice. You are both blessed in a way, to know your discordant status so you can do something to keep it that way during your pregnancy. And it is also very important that her provider knows your discordant status as they may wish to test her again, closer to delivery. Do you have any questions about this that I can answer?
Terri
Grace, sorry for the confusion, I didnt notice the difference between the forum and journal. As I mentioned on another forum, I'm a 30 yr old male who was recently diagnosed with HSV-2. My symptoms are extremely mild, I had no idea I even had genital herpes, which is why I was totally surprised when I found out. But anyway, as I've been doing research on the Internet, I've seen lots of pictures of men with genital herpes and the images have been very graphic and from the looks of it, the symptoms have been very severe. My question is this-- considering that my symptoms have been very mild and I believe I've had the infection for at least a year (since that is when I started to feel a little bit of itching), what are the chances that my symptoms will actually get worse throughout the course of time and start to look like the pictures I've been seeing online? That is a worry I've been having because the herpes images online have been pretty scary and I'm thinking to myself, I have mild symptoms now, but what are the chances my genitals will look like that in the future? Can I assume that those people whose pictures are online most likely have another infection or a very weak immune system? Thx for the clarification.
You are reading content posted in the Herpes Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
