Condom broke - He is HSV2(+) and I am (-). Anything to reduce risk of infection?

[Wilwisp]

Hi,

First off, this is an excellent resource.  Thank you so much!

I am an HSV2(-) woman who has been having sex with an HSV2(+) man for several months.  I posted a few months ago when I was first deciding whether or not to take this step.  :)

Anyways - things have been going fine.  We always use condoms, he is on suppressive therapy, and we avoid sexual contact during OBs.  He has had HSV2 for years, and is very familiar with his situation.

Today we had some bad luck - the condom broke during vaginal intercourse.  There ended up being a quarter-sized hole on the shaft of the condom.  A fair amount of semen did leak and enter my vagina.  We had not used any lubricant this time, so I am guessing this was a contributing factor.

We were a little in shock, but did manage to stay calm.  I quickly washed my genital area (and inside my vagina) with warm water and soap.  I know this probably cannot help, but it was all we could think to do.  

My partner has not had an outbreak recently and always doubles his suppressive therapy doses the day before and the day of our sexual contact.  We checked his genital area today and it appeared complete healthy and intact.

Questions:

- Is there anything I can do to reduce my risk of HSV2 infection from this exposure?  Preventative medication?  Etc.
- What *is* my approximate risk of infection of HSV2 from this exposure?
- Is it true that semen is not really a transmission medium for HSV2?  It's more his exposed penile skin that may have touched my vagina that we are concerned about?
- Can we have protected sex again at will, or should I wait for any reason?
- Anything else I should know or do (or not do)?

BTW, we do not have concerns about other STIs.  It's just the HSV2 that we are dealing with.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice.

Wilwisp

[ficchick]

Great site here for info. Have gotten back involved with ex husband we have been having protected sex for 8 months... But 5 times in last 30 days with no condom. It has been 16 days since that has happened last. I have found out that he has HSV 2 but he refuses to admit it. He is on daily valtrex. I have no symptoms of any sort, so I am praying that I am ok.
Any thoughts?

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I think you're doing everything you can now.  The question about whether the partners know about each other is relevant.  Given everything you've said so far, my guess is that partner #2 does know about partner #1.  If that isn't the case, I do think you should give that some careful thought.

Terri

[Still_Worried_]

I absolutely commend you for taking the precautions that you are taking and being concerned for the HSV2 (-) partner; however, does he even know about your other partner being HSV 2 (+)??  If you do contract HSV 2, you are very infectious in the first 6 months - even first year - therefore, it is imperative your other partner to know of his potential risks, especially since no condoms are being utilized.  May I ask why he refuses to wear condoms?

[Wilwisp]

Hi Terri,

Thank you for your reassuring and factual information.  I feel much better about the condom-breaking accident.

Any thoughts on my second-partner question earlier in this thread (in the follow-up posted Sep 09 at 10:14 PM)?  

Essentially, I currently have 2 partners:

1.  HSV2(+) man - we always use condoms
2.  HSV2(-) man - we never use condoms (and probably cannot / will not).  We have both been STI tested and were negative.

I am concerned that I could contract HSV2 from partner #1, not know it, and unwittingly pass it to partner #2.  This is what I want to avoid.

So I am looking for ideas on anything I can/should do to protect partner #2.  I know condoms would be the best thing, but that is not an option.  

I am keeping a very close eye on my (external) genital health, but beyond that I cannot think of anything else I can do.

Open to any ideas...  :)

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

You can use tampons, no worry at all.  And the antibiotics will have no impact, but it could give you a yeast infection, so don't get confused between yeast and herpes, OK?

Terri

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Questions:

- Is there anything I can do to reduce my risk of HSV2 infection from this exposure?  Preventative medication?  Etc.
Not really, not at this point.  If I had gotten your email within a couple of hours of the breakage, I would have suggested that maybe you take a few grams of Valtrex, but its too late now, for sure, but in the future, if it happens again, you might think of that.

- What *is* my approximate risk of infection of HSV2 from this exposure?
Gosh, I don't know, maybe 1 in 10,000?

- Is it true that semen is not really a transmission medium for HSV2?  It's more his exposed penile skin that may have touched my vagina that we are concerned about?
Semen is not a good method of transmission, you are correct.  The skin is your worry.

- Can we have protected sex again at will, or should I wait for any reason?
Don't wait.  What's done is done, just enjoy and observe.

- Anything else I should know or do (or not do)?
No, not really, but I"m glad you reached a decision that was good for you.  

BTW, we do not have concerns about other STIs.  It's just the HSV2 that we are dealing with.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice.

[Wilwisp]

Sorry, two other factors from today's exposure that I wanted to mention:

- I just got over strep throat and am still on antibiotics.  (I know that medication has no effect on viruses such as HSV2, but in case it otherwise affects my defense mechanisms, etc.)
- Today was the start of some light menstrual flow.  So after the condom-break vaginal washing, I chose *not* insert a tampon.  Thought it would be better to let everything just flow out on its own.  I can't imagine this impacts anything, but just in case.

That's it.

[positiveoutlook4u]

i wish more people were as sexually responsible as you. i am no doctor, but to my understanding, so long as your partner is not having an ob, your fine, esp since the virus is not in the semen. The rate of men passing it to women is higher than a woman passing it to a man. my advice: use condoms with your other partner. if you see anything suspicious, go immediately to the doctor and get it swabbed. also, in a month or so, go get the herpes select igg test. if you are a low positive, they will run an inhibition to see if you're definitely +. good luck to u!

[Wilwisp]

I wasn't allowed to add my last question to my original post, as it exceeded the message limit.  But here it is:

My HSV2(+) partner is not my only partner.  My other partner is currently HSV2 negative.  I normally do not use condoms with this second partner.  What should I do to protect him?  

I was thinking I should now avoid sex with my negative partner for 2 weeks to see if I might have a primary outbreak from today's exposure (?)  I note that I am very likely HSV1 positive (have had cold sores) so I know I may not have much in the way of symptoms if I *were* to contract HSV2.  So I won't know my true HSV2 status until I get IGG tested again at some point in the future.  I don't plan on getting an IGG test again until 4 months after I have stopped having sex with the HSV2(+) man.

Thanks for any ideas on protecting my HSV2 negative partner.