Getting HSV2 when you have HSV1

[debidoo]

My daughter got HSV1 genital in March of this year. She has had a terrible time emotionally with it and convinced her doctor to put her on suppressive therapy for it.  She had protected sex with an old boyfriend a month ago and now she is worried.  She either had a second ob of HSV1 or a new ob of HSV2 (she fears).  What are her chances of getting HSV2 from her old boyfriend if she has HSV1 genital and the sex was protected.  She does not know if the boy even had herpes.

I saw that she went somewhere to be tested yesterday, she is on suppresssive therapy -- how accurate would the test (does it give false positive?? or neg??).  Any help would be appreciated.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

The only way to know the type is to have the lesions swab tested and typed.  Also, if she, later, truly tests negative for HSV 2, then it wasn't HSV 2.

Terri

[debidoo]

Terry,  the sex was protected, is it possible to know by the type of ob she had whether it was HSV1 or HSV2? The ob was not like the first HSV1 ob, she never felt sick or herpetic hurting -- the blisters were smaller (but a few more) and it lasted a week and half and gone.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

No, the reverse is true.  It could come back negative even if she is infected because she may have tested too soon or the antivirals are keeping antibody production low.

Terri

[debidoo]

Thanks Terry, She got tested a couple of days ago I think, could it come back positive if it was negative?  or is it more that it could be negative although positive?

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Well, newer research suggests that there may be some protective help against getting HSV 2 genitally if you have HSV 1 genitally.  But it certainly isn't complete.  Testing for HSV 2 this early and while on suppression may not be very useful, quite honestly.  Perhaps she is having a recurrence, which wouldn't be totally surprising in the first year after being infected.  My advice would be to have her ask him to be tested fork HSV 1 and 2.  If he isn't infected, then she doesn't need to wait longer to be tested or worry about this anymore.  I think, however, that in the future, she might want to do this proactively, before sex, so she can lessen the worrying and the risk.  

You are a good mom for worrying about your daughter and trying to get more information for her.

Terri