Questioning diagnosis and what it means

Dear Doctor,

Last December I had a genital herpes outbreak.  All year, I have been suffering with the thought that I have genital herpes.  I was recently (November) given a blood test to type the virus and it came up as HSV-1.  What does this mean for me?  Can I transmit this through kissing or oral sex?  Do I really have genital herpes then, and not cold sores?  I am not currently in a relationship but if this happens, I want to be able to explain the situation correctly.  Thank you very much for your help.

Scarednunsure

[obscuremaiden]

HSV-1 typically displays itself around the mouth. While it *can* be found in the genitals it's not that common. Do you get lesions on your genitals? Do you get cold sores? If the former is no and the latter is yes then it's safe to assume you have HSV-1 orally.

Good news for you is HSV-1 is extremely common I've heard numbers from 60%-80% of the adult population has it. So chances are likely that most anyone you meet will already have it.

Yes, you can transmit it orally and potentially genitally. If you get coldsores you want to avoid kissing, sharing drinks, oral sex etc during your outbreak.

[scarednunsure]

Obscuremaiden,
I did have a genital outbreak of herpes and so far I haven't noticed any cold sores.  I haven't had an outbreak since December on my genitals.  I have been tested for the type and it is HSV-1.  

[gracefromHHP]

Yes you can have hsv1 genitally. In fact it's the cause of 1/3 of all newly acquired genital herpes infections. It's pretty common.  If you haven't already - I encourage you to read the herpes handbook at www.westoverheights.com to learn more about your herpes.

Unless you get an obvious cold sore - there's no easy way to know if you also have hsv1 orally. According to the few studies done on it - at least 1/4 of folks who contract hsv1 genitally also contract it orally around the same time.  I think it's best to err on the side of caution and discuss that possibilty with partners when having your "talk" about your herpes and all other std's.  

grace