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genital hsv1 and oral sex
I just tested positive for genital hsv1. I believe I got it from giving oral sex while having a cold sore then having intercourse. Therefore, I'm thinking preforming oral sex with cold sore gave him genital hsv1 and he then passed the genital hsv1 to me. He has not yet been tested. We have been married for 10 yrs and neither one of us has had another partner. So, when I tested positive it came as a bit of a shock to both of us. But, my question is...Now that I have genital hsv1, and now that he probably does too, we probably should not have oral sex anymore, correct? Even if I'm taking Valtrex daily he and I both could get oral herpes quite easily right? Thanks for your time. Any insite is appreciated.
Thank you so much! You've settled alot of my fears! Its taken its toll on our relationship but we've put it behind us for the most part. I was so scared that I couldn't have a baby and I know he and I both want to be able to be parents. Its nice to know that we're not the only ones in the world going thru this. I also read online that HSV-1 is being spread like wild fire amongst college students orally because of lack of education about it. I never thought herpes could be spread like that. But I also went to a very small hick school in oklahoma where we had no sex education. So you can imagine how I felt when I found out... I was depressed and devasted for at least 2 weeks. Its an embarrassing thing but I'm not going to let it ruin my life. I have just accepted it and have been very blessed that I haven't had another outbreak.. and pray that I don't have another one ever.
yes you can still have children. When it comes to be that time - talk to your obgyn about what to do and of course come back here and we can help you more then. Don't want to bog you down with loads of info right now! There is also a section on herpes and pregnancy in the herpes handbook for more reading - www.westoverheights.com. Also Terri Warren's new book - the good news about the bad news - also has a whole section on herpes and pregnancy too for even more in depth reading.
Yes you can potentially still transmit the virus to your baby during delivery even if obvious lesions aren't present. Your obgyn and you will talk about that too. The risk of doing so though is less than 1% so it's something to think about but not to obsess about when the times is here.
Could your bf contract hsv1 genitally from you? He could but odds are way in his favor that he won't. Always avoid sex whenever you have anything going on down yonder to err on the side of caution. He has significant protection against contracting hsv1 genitally but common sense says - if something is going on genitally, you might be shedding the virus and it's best to abstain from sex until things are healed completely.
grace
Yes you can potentially still transmit the virus to your baby during delivery even if obvious lesions aren't present. Your obgyn and you will talk about that too. The risk of doing so though is less than 1% so it's something to think about but not to obsess about when the times is here.
Could your bf contract hsv1 genitally from you? He could but odds are way in his favor that he won't. Always avoid sex whenever you have anything going on down yonder to err on the side of caution. He has significant protection against contracting hsv1 genitally but common sense says - if something is going on genitally, you might be shedding the virus and it's best to abstain from sex until things are healed completely.
grace
Can I still have a baby tho? If I don't ever have another outbreak, is there still a chance my baby could get it even if I don't have any sores down there? My boyfriend hasn't gotten any outbreaks and we've had unprotected sex about 200 times since the first outbreak... could he get an outbreak eventually?
In your age group, 1 out of every 3 people you know has hsv1 orally. Only 20-40% of those who have it get obvious cold sores to know it. In your situation, odds are that hubby has hsv1 orally and gave it to you thru oral sex, not that your pimple was hsv1 orally, you gave it to him genitally and he gave it back to you genitally. Far more plausible of a situation since if you would've had hsv1 orally already, odds are that it would've kept you from getting hsv1 genitally.
So what do the two of you do now? Well not really anything. When it comes to hsv1 genitally, about 1/2 of folks never get another recognizable recurrence. Of those who do, the average is 1 additional recurrence the 1st year and then 1 ob every other year. Only a small amount of folks get ob's more often. Since we assume hubby has hsv1 orally and you have hsv1 genitally, no real reason for suppressive therapy either - your ob's should be few and far between and he has significant protection against contracting it genitally from you. It's up to you if you feel it's worth paying for it and remembering to take it every day - odds are you aren't getting a lot of bang for your buck. Always err on the side of caution and avoid sex anytime you have something genitally going on or an obvious recurrence.
grace
So what do the two of you do now? Well not really anything. When it comes to hsv1 genitally, about 1/2 of folks never get another recognizable recurrence. Of those who do, the average is 1 additional recurrence the 1st year and then 1 ob every other year. Only a small amount of folks get ob's more often. Since we assume hubby has hsv1 orally and you have hsv1 genitally, no real reason for suppressive therapy either - your ob's should be few and far between and he has significant protection against contracting it genitally from you. It's up to you if you feel it's worth paying for it and remembering to take it every day - odds are you aren't getting a lot of bang for your buck. Always err on the side of caution and avoid sex anytime you have something genitally going on or an obvious recurrence.
grace
don't be ashamed.. I'm in the same boat. My boyfriend and I were together for alittle over 5 months when I notice a small bump down there. I started freaking out and he tried to keep me calm. We went to the on-campus nurse and she took a look at it and said yes in fact it was herpes. None of my previous partners have herpes and I've used condoms and the same with my boyfriend. We had sex sunday night and I tore alittle... Monday night we were in the mood again and decided to work thru the pain. Well that night he performed oral sex on me. Friday night the bump came up and before sunday I had about six small blistery-sores. They were very painful but after the nurse prescribed acyclovair for me they cleared right up. He didn't have a cold sore in or around his mouth and he didn't get any sores down there and still hasn't almost 4-5 months after the outbreak. I haven't had another outbreak and i've been very stressed out and even cut myself down there while shaving..... and from what I read trauma and stress seem to be the cause of most reoccurances. It was hard for us to accept that we had herpes, its embarrassing! But we've learned to deal with it. I'm just scared about when we decide to have a baby... I pray that I don't ever have another outbreak.
ok thanks so much for your input. and to be honest with you we don't know exactly how i got the ghsv1. we both can't remember him ever having cold sores. and i never thought i've had a cold sore. but i did have, what i thought was a zit, at the corner of my mouth right around the time that the oral sex took place. so, i'm thinking maybe that was not a zit and maybe a cold sore. so, who really knows. we both were just really shocked when i went to dr and was positive for the ghsv1. i went to dr thinking i had a yeast infection and that's how i found out!!!! i'm still very upset and embarassed about it. who would have ever thought that someone who has been in a monogamous relationship for so long, in her late 20's, and we both have only been with eachother, would end up with an std. i'm just ashamed. thanks so much for your reply.
let me sum this up:
you have oral hsv1 ("cold sores"), and, now, genital hsv1, also.
we don't know what hubby has, since he's never been tested.
after 10 years of marriage, it's quite likely he caught ohsv1 at some point, even if he never had a cold sore, and then passed it to your genitals. the reason i say this is, hsv1 has way more shedding from the mouth area, than from the genitals. so, it's statistically more likely as a means of transmission. that doesn't totally negate your theory, just makes it less likely.
if he doesn't have ohsv1, he's less likely to get it from your genitals than he is through kissing. add on the suppressive therapy, and the risk is even lower. and, if he already has it, he can't get any more from you, since he already has it.
say he has ghsv1. you can't get any more ohsv1 than you already have. so, no impediment to oral sex on him.
you definitely need to read the westover heights herpes handbook. once you understand how herpes works, you guys won't worry about it so much.
you have oral hsv1 ("cold sores"), and, now, genital hsv1, also.
we don't know what hubby has, since he's never been tested.
after 10 years of marriage, it's quite likely he caught ohsv1 at some point, even if he never had a cold sore, and then passed it to your genitals. the reason i say this is, hsv1 has way more shedding from the mouth area, than from the genitals. so, it's statistically more likely as a means of transmission. that doesn't totally negate your theory, just makes it less likely.
if he doesn't have ohsv1, he's less likely to get it from your genitals than he is through kissing. add on the suppressive therapy, and the risk is even lower. and, if he already has it, he can't get any more from you, since he already has it.
say he has ghsv1. you can't get any more ohsv1 than you already have. so, no impediment to oral sex on him.
you definitely need to read the westover heights herpes handbook. once you understand how herpes works, you guys won't worry about it so much.
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
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.
