Clarity on Herpes from Oral Sex

[undertaylo]

I've looked around the site and seen several responses about the low risk of getting Genital and Oral Herpes from Oral Sex. I was just curious why it is so low to get HSV for giving and receiving oral sex? Is there a percentage out there for this?

The reason I ask is because I've read different sites and columns in the past about this, and they make it seem like it is as easy enough to get during oral sex than anything else.

Thanks.

[gracefromHHP]

we don't have stats for that like we have for contracting hsv2 genitally throughout the course of a year. just too hard to study since so many folks already have hsv1 orally before being sexually active.

[undertaylo]

Hey.

What are the chances or percentage of getting genital herpes from somebody that has HSV orally, and you don't have HSV at all? while having oral sex of course.

[undertaylo]

Thank you for the help, Grace. I hope I'm not bothering you too much, but this information is really helping my friends and I understand more.

Now, curious about the location of genital herpes. Is there a common location like, the shaft or head? I figured if you get the infection from skin to skin contact, you might only get it in the area where you were contacted. Then again, I could be wrong, it may develope anywhere once you receive it.

[gracefromHHP]

please start your own post .

thanks!

[jtk503]

Hi Grace! Is it possible to have recurrent genital HSV1 during the first year? I've read that recurrences usually happen every other year? Does GHSV1 present itself the same way as GHSV2? Thank you for your help!

[gracefromHHP]

no it is not.

[undertaylo]

Is that development of protection against HSV2 also?

[gracefromHHP]

even the best herpes blood tests still miss 1 out of every 10 hsv1 infections. if you know what you had was a cold sore, assume that you do have hsv1 orally.  if you really want to confirm it, next time you have a cold sore, be seen within 48 hours of its appearance for a lesion culture.

once you have herpes on one body part, your body develops significant protection against contracting the virus again elsewhere.  It's a natural vaccine against that type of herpes for you.

[undertaylo]

Thanks for the responses. They have been informative.

I have been tested and all has been normal or negative. But I have had one cold sore, does that make sense? Maybe I recieved the infection after testing or my body didn't show obvious signs?

Ive heard that if you have a cold sore then you are unlikely to get the infection anywhere else. Why is that?

Thanks.

[gracefromHHP]

have you ever been tested for herpes to know your own status?

overall the risk of hsv1 genitally is fairly low - just because so many of us contract hsv1 orally before we are ever sexually active. if you don't have hsv1 though, you are at risk of contracting hsv1 genitally from receiving unprotected oral sex. we don't have stats for the risk from having a hsv1 oral positive partner over the course of a year like we do for hsv2 transmission.  That said, hsv1 is the cause of 70% of all newly acquired genital herpes infections  in people under the age of 30.  

grace

[mnonymous]

It's a low risk to get HSV2 from oral sex because HSV2 does not like to "live" orally. It's a higher risk to get HSV1 because it's more common orally than HSV2 - but HSV1 does not shed orally very often so the risk is still relatively low when no symptoms are obvious.  Therefore, the chance of getting HSV1 orally is very low and HSV2 even lower. I'm no expert - I just play one on here.