odds they caught hsv2

how likely is it to transmit hsv2 after a short round of intercourse about 12 hours before prodrome symptoms occur and you used condoms? 2 weeks have passed and there has been no complaint of any initial outbreak symptoms but now it is the 14th day and there is a complaint of a bad cough and flu like symptoms. what are the odds that they contracted hsv2?

[castello80]

Condoms offer 30% protection for herpes...not really of significant use. Most encounters with infected individuals do not lead to transmission, but most is not all. Symptoms typically present themselves within 2-21 days of exposure, and the symptoms he's/she's experiencing could be completely unrelated to herpes and instead related to a cold or flu, which is rampant this time of the year.

If this person gets any blisters/lesions then he/she needs to get them swabbed/cultured right away. If they don't get blisters/lesions then it's unlikely that they have herpes. A blood test at three months post exposure is conclusive, but be sure to get an IgG type specific HSV blood test for HSV-1 and HSV-2 separately.

[fez_85]

remember that hsv transfers through skin contact. it could be a possibility but you can't be certain until you let time pass and see if anything develops.

[castello80]

Condoms offer 30% protection for herpes...not really of significant use. Most encounters with infected individuals do not lead to transmission, but most is not all. Symptoms typically present themselves within 2-21 days of exposure, and the symptoms he's/she's experiencing could be completely unrelated to herpes and instead related to a cold or flu, which is rampant this time of the year.

If this person gets any blisters/lesions then he/she needs to get them swabbed/cultured right away. If they don't get blisters/lesions then it's unlikely that they have herpes. A blood test at three months post exposure is conclusive, but be sure to get an IgG type specific HSV blood test for HSV-1 and HSV-2 separately.

[violetlace]

only 30%?? in most literature you read they say condom use significantly reduces transmission rates? i wouldn't consider 30% to be significant at all. also where do people get these statistics from? I find it so hard to find any REAL numbers regarding transmissions rates. I once heard there is a 4% chance that someone is likely to contract the virus from someone. How true can that be when so many people already have it and continue to get it???

[violetlace]

also 21 days?? I have heard almost everywhere that the period that the initial outbreak occurs is usually up to 14. how is it possible to be knowledgeable about the virus when there is so much conflicting information out there? like when it comes to prodrome. some places say the most contagious period is during prodrome others say during the actual outbreak when lesions are weeping. which one is it? what if sex occurs several hours before prodrome? the pressure that comes with waiting it out is unbearable. i wish there was some way that i could get rid of this altogether.
i know of two companies in the early stages of clinical testing (Vical & Genocea) for therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines for hsv2. god willing they actually come up with a viable vaccine just how long could it take to released to the public?? and does a therapeutic vaccine kill the vaccine or just do what suppressive therapy does with one shot rather than to be taking pills everyday for the rest of your life? I hate having this thing!!!!!!

[gracefromHHP]

you do shed the virus about 24 hours prior to actual lesions. this varies but it's the general rule of thumb.

odds are if you had transmitted your hsv2, your partner would've had obvious symptoms by now.  I would stop worrying so much at this point.

do you take daily suppressive therapy to reduce recurrences and lower a partner's risk?

the theracines as we call them help to free up folks who have hsv2 from having to take pills daily.  At this point all the research is way too early to even guess if and when they'd be available to the general public :(  

grace

[violetlace]

I tried taking a generic version of valtrex but I ironically started having more outbreaks and in other areas than I'm accustomed to. So I stopped. I don't know if it was because I missed doses or that I didn't take them the same time everyday. I'm used to having maybe 4 a year in roughly the same spot w/o meds. On meds it was like two a month back-to-back and far from my usual site.

I know you say not to worry so much at this point but it's a lil scary that after the 14 day mark they are starting to have flu symptoms - I just love them so much I'd hate to have given them this.

[gracefromHHP]

some folks do report that problem.  if you want to try it again, I'd go with acyclovir instead. you have to take it twice a day but it's less active medication and some folks do better on that than they do with valtrex.  

a bad cough is a cold, not the flu like symptoms we refer to with genital herpes infections.  

[violetlace]

How much does taking suppressive therapy reduce the odds of transmitting the virus with or w/o condoms? I've heard that without either the chances of passing it between discordant couples is 4%. It is a huge responsibility to take medication twice daily and I'm willing to do it to protect the person I love but I want it to be worth the effort.

[violetlace]

and when I say either - I mean meds and condoms. That without doing anything but abstaining during ob's that the transmission rate between discordant couples is 4%.

[violetlace]

Sorry to bog you down with questions but I was also curious about titers. Does taking suppressive therapy reduce your titer and if it is low does that make you less contagious. I've heard that if your titer score is below a certain number it means that you have been exposed but that you do not necessarily have the virus. Is it the same if you have already been diagnosed?

[gracefromHHP]

being on suppressive therapy can reduce your igg a little, it's not a real significant amount.

a male partner is 96% likely each year nOT to contract hsv2 from you if all you do is avoid sex any time you have anything going on genitally. if you throw in condoms and daily suppressive therapy, it jumps to 99% likely each year not to contract hsv2 from you. Totally up to the 2 of you what precautions to take since overall, just avoiding sex during symptoms is low risk overall. if you experience recurrences frequently that would interfere with your sex life, often worth taking suppressive therapy for that reason too.

there's no such thing as just being exposed to herpes and it being reflected on your blood test results!! the reason you don't get zeroes for a result on herpes blood testing is because of the way the test is performed. it's not like you were exposed and not infected and that's why you have a numeric result. hope that helps with that part!