are here virgins out there with positive 1 or 2 (or both)?

[curious222222]

I ask because I know someone that had sores down there when they were young (dont know if it was herpes but it hurt) and 10 years later there were cold sores on lips. This is assuming no sexual contact. The person doesnt care about herpes, but is this possible? If yes, is it a big deal to have positive 1 and 2?

Those were the only times there was an outbreak (if it was herpes) and that was it.

[HowardH]

Interesting discussion. I would just say that if your friend is concerned, he should discuss his symptoms, past and present, with his doctor, or post his own question on this forum. Your concern makes me worried that your interest is at least partly the titillating prospects that your friend might have suffered sexual abuse as a child, that he has had sex despite his claim otherwise, and/or that he might be misleading his girlfriend. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but unless he has said something along these lines and taken you into his confidence, your concern seems inappropriate.

I'll just add that there are plenty of potential causes of genital area sores other than herpes. If your friend indeed had never had sexual contact when that problem appeared, he (and you) can be confident herpes wasn't the cause.

[curious222222]

fleetwood20, I dont understand what your first line even means (if you are actually accusing me of something horrible). I am only a friend of his and I was curious myself as to if what he says is true..this is not about me, he has a girlfriend and has not had any sex until marriage. Has he cheated on her is the question..if you are not having sex with your girlfriend or anyone and you have positive herpes, can that even be possible?

He doesnt care, but when he talked about his symptoms I read that it is herpes 1 and 2 in this case.

[Fleetwood20]

Please be careful that you model thoughts and behaviors consistent with your intentions. It is not correct to say that people who sleep around a lot have HSV2. There are many people who have had just one sexual partner and have HSV2. Equally there are people who have had hundreds of partners and do not have HSV2.

I think this is being overthought a little bit. If this friend is concerned as Grace suggests, a blood test for IgG antibodies for HSV1 and HSV2 will provide clarity.

[curious222222]

Ok, but is it possible to be have herpes for both types other than abuse? Like parents passing it down genetically? As far as I know this person was in no way abused anyway..how could someone then have painful sores down there at 5-6 and sores in lips? The more I read about it, I feel it would be bad if the future relationships are destroyed because of it since only people who sleep around a lot has it.

He has not had anything down there or lips for a long time now. I am worried that the stigma is bad, is it really bad that the partner would reject someone in that position?I could see how it could be horrible for someone in high school or college.

[gracefromHHP]

about 30% of us in the US alone contract hsv1 orally before we even enter public school. It's very common and has nothing to do with sexuality.

Is it likely that someone had genital herpes as a child? Only if they were sexually abused. Many things can cause genital lesions in children and they are only std related when sexual abuse has occurred.

So what should this person do? They know they have hsv1 orally if they've had cold sores. If they've been sexually active, they can be tested with a type specific herpes igg blood test to see what their hsv2 status is. If they haven't been sexually active, no reason to seek out hsv2 testing. If they can't recall what was the cause of their genital lesions all those years ago, they can speak to their doctor to get more details.

Is it a big deal to have both hsv1 and hsv2? It's quite common and about 20-25% of us between the ages of 30-50 have hsv2. You can google the free herpes handbook by Terri Warren to read more about them both.

grace