Hsv1 - question

[Scared4this]

I was tested positive of hsv1 via herpesselect and WB .... So my question is how do I know if it's oral or genital? I had thought I may of been infected with hsv2 so been to so many doctors and under tremendous amount of stress from this... But I had no outbreak either above or below.....
I don't remember ever having cold sores or any genital outbreak before? Any advice...?

My herpesselect test was hsv1 - > 5 at July 5 so this should be an old infection.... But where?

Thanks and God bless, S

[Scared4this]

Thanks Howard!  In my other long long post of my journey ... I was tested positive for hsv2 with 2.43 on July 15 but got WB on 8/25 and result was neg for HSV2!!! I am so grateful and praise God for that but now faced with HSV1... What do I tell my future partner?  Should I say... I don't know where I am infected?  Oral vs genital is a bit different ... So I am not sure what is the right thing to say?

[HowardH]

The only way to know is by symptoms, i.e. having an oral or genital outbreak, preferably with testing of the lesion by PCR or culture to confirm HSV1. Since most infections are oral, that's the best bet if there are no symptoms of recurrent herpes.

The numerical result of your test says nothing about how long you have had it. It has been anywhere from a few weeks prior to testing to maybe your whole life.

But probably none of this matters very much. Genital HSV1 usually causes infrequent outbreaks (up to half of all infected people have none at all) and genital HSV1 is uncommonly transmitted to partners. Knowing you have HSV1, avoid exposing a partner to an obvious OB either oral or genital. But if no OBs occur, you really needn't be concerned about it.