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HSV2 Transmission via Performing Oral Sex
I've been in a monogomous relationship with my girlfriend for a year now. When we started dating, she disclosed to me that she was HSV2 positive "below the belt." Prior to any intimacy, I understood there was always a risk for me to contract the virus. She has been on suppressive therapy (Acyclovir) for the duration of our entire relationship, and while we have used condoms and other barriers of protection during imtimacy, we mainly are intimate WITHOUT barriers of protection. Moreover, we are using lubricants (Astroglide) to reduce abrasions, etc. Again, I understand the self-imposed risk exists, but this is the woman I am going to marry. I am not running away.
During the past year, I have taken the HerpesSelect test a couple times, and both times I have come up negative for HSV1 and 2. So, it seems that while she is on the medication, there has been some level or protection afforded to me. Additionally, she is in tune with her body, and while there is an outbreak or even prodrone, she alerts me, and we abstain from intimacy.
My questions are:
1. If she is taking Acyclovir as a daily suppressive treatment, what is the likelihood of me contracting the virus via normal intercourse without the use of condoms? Are there case studies with actual percentages?
2. If I perform fellatio on her, what is the likelihood of me contracting HSV2 orally, considering that "site of preference" for HSV2 is the genital area? Again, case studies? Percentages?
3. I hear that once there is an established site, neither HSV1, nor HSV2 in our case, cannot be spread to other parts of the host's body. Correct? Meaning, If I were to catch HSV2 genitally, and she were to perform fellatio on me, would she be able to re-transmit it to her mouth? I have read that the possibility is no. Is this the case? I suppose I could catch it digitally to??
I understand no guarantees can be provided. Nonetheless, any advice is appreciated from a Medical professional or layperson with knowledge on the subject. I hope that my question can help others in their dealing with this challenge.
During the past year, I have taken the HerpesSelect test a couple times, and both times I have come up negative for HSV1 and 2. So, it seems that while she is on the medication, there has been some level or protection afforded to me. Additionally, she is in tune with her body, and while there is an outbreak or even prodrone, she alerts me, and we abstain from intimacy.
My questions are:
1. If she is taking Acyclovir as a daily suppressive treatment, what is the likelihood of me contracting the virus via normal intercourse without the use of condoms? Are there case studies with actual percentages?
2. If I perform fellatio on her, what is the likelihood of me contracting HSV2 orally, considering that "site of preference" for HSV2 is the genital area? Again, case studies? Percentages?
3. I hear that once there is an established site, neither HSV1, nor HSV2 in our case, cannot be spread to other parts of the host's body. Correct? Meaning, If I were to catch HSV2 genitally, and she were to perform fellatio on me, would she be able to re-transmit it to her mouth? I have read that the possibility is no. Is this the case? I suppose I could catch it digitally to??
I understand no guarantees can be provided. Nonetheless, any advice is appreciated from a Medical professional or layperson with knowledge on the subject. I hope that my question can help others in their dealing with this challenge.
please start your own posts about your own situations and we'll help you there. this is asked in our read before posting post on this forum. thank you!
grace
grace
very concerned. Had been in a comprimsing position, through alchol, basically, taken advantage of. Now have herpes 2. My husband knows. and is supportive, however, we dont know how far we can go. ive read thru this site, that oral sex is o.k? is it really. For me to him. obviously not from him to me. or mabe, in the off times. dont know. need help. He doesnt like condoms. We miss kissing. Im scared to kiss my girls on the mouth, though through this site, see it may be o.k. I dont share water bottles anymore. Im worried about going in the spa. Would I shed there, and affect anybody.??? One thing. I dont want to sit on a public toilet seat. and give it to any body? could that happen.??? I was always scared to sit on a seat before, and now, for the safety of others.
Hello,
I just wanted to say thank you for asking these questions and thank you to the people who answered them.
I just recently was diagnosed with HSV2 (last week) and have just over-come my first outbreak. My girlfriend has been very supportive and it has been really rough being hit like this.
I just wanted to clarify a point you guys had covered,
"it's a 96% chance of you not contracting hsv2 if you two did nothing but avoid sex anytime she had anything going on genitally. Her taking daily suppressive therapy in addition to avoiding sex during symptoms makes you on average 98% likely NOT to contract hsv2 from her. "
"in general transmission is unlikely for you even if she isn't on it."
I too plan on taking the suppresive therapy and i just wanted to clarify that the chances of her getting it from me is very low if i have no symptoms right? and with the suppresive therapy, even more so? I've never been able to perform well with condoms :(
Also, is there something my girlfriend can take to decrease her chances of picking the virus up?
Thank you for any input.... i know it will get better.. :(
I just wanted to say thank you for asking these questions and thank you to the people who answered them.
I just recently was diagnosed with HSV2 (last week) and have just over-come my first outbreak. My girlfriend has been very supportive and it has been really rough being hit like this.
I just wanted to clarify a point you guys had covered,
"it's a 96% chance of you not contracting hsv2 if you two did nothing but avoid sex anytime she had anything going on genitally. Her taking daily suppressive therapy in addition to avoiding sex during symptoms makes you on average 98% likely NOT to contract hsv2 from her. "
"in general transmission is unlikely for you even if she isn't on it."
I too plan on taking the suppresive therapy and i just wanted to clarify that the chances of her getting it from me is very low if i have no symptoms right? and with the suppresive therapy, even more so? I've never been able to perform well with condoms :(
Also, is there something my girlfriend can take to decrease her chances of picking the virus up?
Thank you for any input.... i know it will get better.. :(
she'd have to call and ask what the price difference is. once daily valtrex is more convenient than 2x/day acyclovir. totally up to her which she takes as long as she's taking it to protect you if you two decide that it's a precaution you want to utilize. both are generics now so it depends on how her insurance prices them.
Thank you, Grace for the additional insight. I am happy to hear of no long-term affects from taking suppressive therapy. She hates taking pills in general, especially the acyclovir, because I believe she has to take medication 3x daily. I think it's the blue pill. It's what is covered by her insurance, and valtrex is not. I wonder, is there a huge price difference between the two? If we had to pay out of pocket, is it cost prohibitive? Would she then take only 1 pill per day? Your thoughts over all?
Glad to know I can perform oral sex knowing I am at lower risk, considering our circumstances and precautions we are taking.
Thank you again.
Glad to know I can perform oral sex knowing I am at lower risk, considering our circumstances and precautions we are taking.
Thank you again.
actually mistakeguy's stat was wrong - it's a 96% chance of you not contracting hsv2 if you two did nothing but avoid sex anytime she had anything going on genitally. Her taking daily suppressive therapy in addition to avoiding sex during symptoms makes you on average 98% likely NOT to contract hsv2 from her. Throw in condoms too each time and it's a 99% chance that you won't contract hsv2 on average.
we don't have exact stats for the risk of contracting hsv2 orally. It can happen but the risk of such overall is very low. her being on daily suppressive therapy also lowers your risk even more. if you are concerned, you can also utilize barrier protection for oral sex too - cutting a condom in half and laying it over her genitals while you perform oral on her. way cheaper than dental dams. worst case scenario that you did contract hsv2 orally, it rarely reoccurs and rarely sheds ( about 3-4 days/year ) so it's not likely you'd transmit it through kissing in general. oral herpes infections in adults are almost always transmitted through romantic type kisses, not social pecks.
totally up to the two of you how long your partner stays on daily suppressive therapy. We have info on folks being on it suppressively for 25+ years now. It's safe to stay on long term but yet we've already discussed, in general transmission is unlikely for you even if she isn't on it.
keep asking questions!
grace
we don't have exact stats for the risk of contracting hsv2 orally. It can happen but the risk of such overall is very low. her being on daily suppressive therapy also lowers your risk even more. if you are concerned, you can also utilize barrier protection for oral sex too - cutting a condom in half and laying it over her genitals while you perform oral on her. way cheaper than dental dams. worst case scenario that you did contract hsv2 orally, it rarely reoccurs and rarely sheds ( about 3-4 days/year ) so it's not likely you'd transmit it through kissing in general. oral herpes infections in adults are almost always transmitted through romantic type kisses, not social pecks.
totally up to the two of you how long your partner stays on daily suppressive therapy. We have info on folks being on it suppressively for 25+ years now. It's safe to stay on long term but yet we've already discussed, in general transmission is unlikely for you even if she isn't on it.
keep asking questions!
grace
Thank you very much for responding so quickly. So the 96% chance of me NOT contracting HSV2 while she is on suppressive medication is taking into consideration zero barriers of protection?
How "low risk" is performig oral sex on her? No worries if you don't have exact scientific data there. My concern is that below the belt, it would seem more controllable in not passing on the virus asymptomatically versus having it orally and unknowingly passing it on by way of an innocent kiss to a friend or family member. That would be horrible.
I will read up on the resources you mention. Thank you for that. I actually have one additional question. Should she then stay on suppressive therapy indefinitely, especially as we are not using barriers? Or should she come off of long-term suppressive therapy due to any potential side affects either known or unknown?
How "low risk" is performig oral sex on her? No worries if you don't have exact scientific data there. My concern is that below the belt, it would seem more controllable in not passing on the virus asymptomatically versus having it orally and unknowingly passing it on by way of an innocent kiss to a friend or family member. That would be horrible.
I will read up on the resources you mention. Thank you for that. I actually have one additional question. Should she then stay on suppressive therapy indefinitely, especially as we are not using barriers? Or should she come off of long-term suppressive therapy due to any potential side affects either known or unknown?
Welcome to our forum! I am glad you came here and are going to get some information. No need to be afraid to ask us questions and keep asking. Let's jump into your questions.
1. When a person is taking daily supressive therapy you as their partner have a 96% chance per YEAR to NOT have the virus transmitted to you. As long as you avoid sex during outbreaks. That is some pretty stronog odds if you ask me. This was actually a study done. I don't have a link if that is what you are looking for. Though you can look for it via pubmed.gov. They have a search for case studies for just about anything.
2. Low risk for oral sex and you getting HSV-2. Given the daily therapy her viral shedding is lowered so avoid oral sex during obvious symptoms is the best idea. But you are right HSV-2 doesn't like the oral area.
3. What you are referring to is called autoinculation. This is rare and mostly a fear during the persons first exposure to the virus because they don't have an immune response and so some people get it at both sites. Once the person has HSV established they are not likely to transmit the virus to another site.
This changes though when let's say you do end up with HSV-2 genitally just like she does. Well avoiding genital contact when either of you has an outbreak is the only real precaution we suggest.
I would highly recommend to you the Herpes Handbook which is free and can be found at:
http://westoverheights.com/genital_herpes/handbook/view_the_chapters.html
The handbook is a GREAT resource for people who have HSV and their partners as well. The book was written by Terri Warren who is a NP and owner of the West Over Heights Clinic. Terri is also the MedHelp Herpes Forum Expert (you can pay to post questions to her as well if you would like). West Over Heights deals with a lot of Herpes case studies and trials. Terri also has a book out called "The Good News About The Bad News" which is also a great resource of information.
The site also has some videos you can watch as well. As always ask us questions and we will be happy to answer them.
1. When a person is taking daily supressive therapy you as their partner have a 96% chance per YEAR to NOT have the virus transmitted to you. As long as you avoid sex during outbreaks. That is some pretty stronog odds if you ask me. This was actually a study done. I don't have a link if that is what you are looking for. Though you can look for it via pubmed.gov. They have a search for case studies for just about anything.
2. Low risk for oral sex and you getting HSV-2. Given the daily therapy her viral shedding is lowered so avoid oral sex during obvious symptoms is the best idea. But you are right HSV-2 doesn't like the oral area.
3. What you are referring to is called autoinculation. This is rare and mostly a fear during the persons first exposure to the virus because they don't have an immune response and so some people get it at both sites. Once the person has HSV established they are not likely to transmit the virus to another site.
This changes though when let's say you do end up with HSV-2 genitally just like she does. Well avoiding genital contact when either of you has an outbreak is the only real precaution we suggest.
I would highly recommend to you the Herpes Handbook which is free and can be found at:
http://westoverheights.com/genital_herpes/handbook/view_the_chapters.html
The handbook is a GREAT resource for people who have HSV and their partners as well. The book was written by Terri Warren who is a NP and owner of the West Over Heights Clinic. Terri is also the MedHelp Herpes Forum Expert (you can pay to post questions to her as well if you would like). West Over Heights deals with a lot of Herpes case studies and trials. Terri also has a book out called "The Good News About The Bad News" which is also a great resource of information.
The site also has some videos you can watch as well. As always ask us questions and we will be happy to answer them.
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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.
