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This forum is an un-mediated, patient-to-patient forum for questions and support regarding herpes issues such as: Herpes symptoms and treatments, causes, diagnosis, and herpes in men, tests, telling your spouse or partner.
But, doesn't it depend on how the woman contracted HSV? For instance.....assuming no intercourse.....if a woman gave unprotected oral to a man, and that man had genital HSV2, then she would get oral HSV2? Then, if she gave a man unprotected oral, the man would receive genital HSV2? Thanks.
It doesn't work like that. HSV2 stays "below the waist," for the most part. It is rare to contract it orally. That is just the nature of the HSV2 virus, as opposed to the HSV1 virus. Go sift through the doctor STD forum archives. You will find several comments by Handsfield saying that in 30 years of practice in an STD clinic, he's either never seen a case of oral HSV2, or if he has, it's 1 or 2 cases. It just doesn't happen. And it's not something to concern yourself with.
Of course, your partner should tell you if he is having symptoms of HSV2 so that you can refrain from sexual activity. But 90% of people with HSV2 don't even know they have it. How many of those people do you think are out having unprotected oral? A lot! And yet we are not seeing "epidemic" numbers of oral HSV2 outbreaks.
Contracting oral HSV2 from an HSV2+ person is not worth worrying about.
I guess it's worth mentioning too that oral sex is generally much safer than genital sex in terms of contracting STDs. It's just more difficult to get an STD through oral sex. Something about mouth bacteria and whatnot.
Do you have a reason to be concerned about herpes specifically?
Hsv1 doesn't turn into hsv2. You would have genital hsv1.
The number indicates the strain of the virus, not the location.
AJ
Of course, your partner should tell you if he is having symptoms of HSV2 so that you can refrain from sexual activity. But 90% of people with HSV2 don't even know they have it. How many of those people do you think are out having unprotected oral? A lot! And yet we are not seeing "epidemic" numbers of oral HSV2 outbreaks.
Contracting oral HSV2 from an HSV2+ person is not worth worrying about.
Do you have a reason to be concerned about herpes specifically?
I have seen MANY cases of oral gonorrhea though.
And Waring is right - oral hsv2 is considered rare.