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HSV1 transmission risks
Hello,
I am 43 and got HSV1 from childhood being kissed by a neighbor kid with a cold sore when i was 6 or 7.
I recently had a blood test and am HSV1 positive, HSV2 negative.
I get cold sores once or twice a year (usually once in winter and that's it)
To my knowledge, I have never passed along anything orally or genitally to partners. In the past, I would just avoid kissing or doing oral with them when I felt the burning or tingling come on but I know now you can shed without symptoms.
I have never had genital sores or lesions. I understand you can have hsv1 genitally and not have symptoms (The blood test does not delineate which one you have either oral or genital it just says HSV1).
I know I can pass along HSV1 without an outbreak due to asymptomatic viral shedding. I know enough not to share toothbrushes or drinking stuff etc. I have a new partner and am more than willing to take antivirals twice per day to cut down on shedding, but my understanding is I can still shed maybe once a month (maybe). Does anybody have any statistics on this?
Look at the information from this article I found from Univ of Maryland School of Med:
"To infect people, HSV-1 and HSV-2 must get into the body through broken skin or a mucous membrane, such as inside the mouth or in the genital area. In addition to the fluid from fever blisters, each virus can be carried in bodily fluids like saliva, semen, and fluid in the female genital tract. Both herpes viruses may cause genital infections that are clinically indistinguishable, and both can be contagious even if the infected person does not have active symptoms or visible blisters.
Also, a mother can pass the infection to her baby during vaginal birth, especially if there are active blisters around the vagina at the time of delivery."
I am looking for statistics and numbers or just an overall "that would be very RARE"
It says that both can be contagious without symptoms.
1) If my partner and I have unprotected sex trying to get pregnant, what is the risk or chance he will contract HSV1 genitally from my body fluids (even though I've never had genital lesions). Is it 80%? 99.9%? Is it rare? Does anybody know?
2) What if I have a rash or a cut down there i.e. break in skin. Can he get it? What are the statistics?
3) What are the statistics about passing HSV1 to my baby (again, I have never had any lesions, I"m just concerned it's also in my vaginal tract).
I talked to another practitioner and she said no, since I have HSV1 ORal and we have sex he can't it genital to genital from me becuase I've never had symptoms and it's not like the cold sore virus (which lives in nerves near my head) will "TRAVEL" down to my genital area and give him an infection.
we know enough now that if I give him oral sex, to use a condom because of cold sores and asymptomatic viral shedding . He's willing to live with that which was suprisiing, but the risk of us innocently having sex trying to get pregnant and and he gets HSV1 genitally scares us both.
Am I just being completely paranoid and nuts?
Confused
I am 43 and got HSV1 from childhood being kissed by a neighbor kid with a cold sore when i was 6 or 7.
I recently had a blood test and am HSV1 positive, HSV2 negative.
I get cold sores once or twice a year (usually once in winter and that's it)
To my knowledge, I have never passed along anything orally or genitally to partners. In the past, I would just avoid kissing or doing oral with them when I felt the burning or tingling come on but I know now you can shed without symptoms.
I have never had genital sores or lesions. I understand you can have hsv1 genitally and not have symptoms (The blood test does not delineate which one you have either oral or genital it just says HSV1).
I know I can pass along HSV1 without an outbreak due to asymptomatic viral shedding. I know enough not to share toothbrushes or drinking stuff etc. I have a new partner and am more than willing to take antivirals twice per day to cut down on shedding, but my understanding is I can still shed maybe once a month (maybe). Does anybody have any statistics on this?
Look at the information from this article I found from Univ of Maryland School of Med:
"To infect people, HSV-1 and HSV-2 must get into the body through broken skin or a mucous membrane, such as inside the mouth or in the genital area. In addition to the fluid from fever blisters, each virus can be carried in bodily fluids like saliva, semen, and fluid in the female genital tract. Both herpes viruses may cause genital infections that are clinically indistinguishable, and both can be contagious even if the infected person does not have active symptoms or visible blisters.
Also, a mother can pass the infection to her baby during vaginal birth, especially if there are active blisters around the vagina at the time of delivery."
I am looking for statistics and numbers or just an overall "that would be very RARE"
It says that both can be contagious without symptoms.
1) If my partner and I have unprotected sex trying to get pregnant, what is the risk or chance he will contract HSV1 genitally from my body fluids (even though I've never had genital lesions). Is it 80%? 99.9%? Is it rare? Does anybody know?
2) What if I have a rash or a cut down there i.e. break in skin. Can he get it? What are the statistics?
3) What are the statistics about passing HSV1 to my baby (again, I have never had any lesions, I"m just concerned it's also in my vaginal tract).
I talked to another practitioner and she said no, since I have HSV1 ORal and we have sex he can't it genital to genital from me becuase I've never had symptoms and it's not like the cold sore virus (which lives in nerves near my head) will "TRAVEL" down to my genital area and give him an infection.
we know enough now that if I give him oral sex, to use a condom because of cold sores and asymptomatic viral shedding . He's willing to live with that which was suprisiing, but the risk of us innocently having sex trying to get pregnant and and he gets HSV1 genitally scares us both.
Am I just being completely paranoid and nuts?
Confused
Thank you so much Grace. I talked to him and we seemed to be on teh same page that the PCP's really do NOT seem to know as much. I had a personal phone call with Terry last week and have another one scheduled and we may do a conference call with her. I personally had no idea until we started dating that I could pass it along (albeit it's rare but does happen) WITHOUT having active cold sores. Thanks again!
http://www.ashastd.org/herpes/herpes_learn_oralherpes.cfm is a link we also recommend if you and your partner haven't read it already.
keep asking questions as you both have them :)
keep asking questions as you both have them :)
He is welcome to talk to a physician but we highly recommend that he look into someone that has Herpes knowledge. Some providers don't know much about HSV and he is always welcome to ask us for free. We have experts on the STD expert forums and a Herpes Expert forums here at MH that he can post and get a response from a Doctor (our STD Experts are both doctors) or Nurse Practitioner Terri Warren who runs a clinic that handles a lot of HSV cases as well as writing the free herpes handbook found on her clinic website at www.westoverheights.com. The expert forums do cost to post questions but they are really good about answering questions.
He is negative for both hsv1 and hsv2 - thank you.
He wants to talk to a physician
He wants to talk to a physician
you already know your hsv1 is oral from your cold sores. you have no reason to suspect that you have it genitally. genital sex is not an issue for your hsv1. Your oral herpes will not travel through your body to your genital area! You can transmit it to your partner when you perform oral sex is they are hsv1 negative but even the risk of that is low. has your partner been tested yet?
we have no info as to if daily suppressive therapy reduces transmission of oral herpes.
grace
we have no info as to if daily suppressive therapy reduces transmission of oral herpes.
grace
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
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.
