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recently diagnosed HSV2 with serious questions
Hi Grace,
I was recently diagnosed with genital herpes (HSV2) 2 weeks ago. I contracted it while on a short break from my boyfriend. I had 2 different culture tests done, which both came back positive, as well as a blood test - which came back negative because I was only infected a couple of weeks ago. My boyfriend and I have decided to see each other again. He is aware of my virus and is going to get a blood test today. It is very unlikely that he is infected with HSV1 or HSV2. Before this incident both of us have been tested and were negative for both HSV1 and HSV2.
I was on Valetrex for my initial outbreak, which was VERY VERY mild (the OBGYN said she would't have even noticed it if I didn't point it out). Because my outbreak was so mild, my Dr. recommended I wait and see what happens before deciding to take a daily suppressive medicine such as Valtrex or Acyclovir. This past Monday, I had protected vaginal sex with my boyfriend for the first time since my diagnosis. At this point, I had finished my initial round of Valtrex and felt as though I should be taking a daily suppressive - just to be safe. However, as my boyfriend and I are long-distance I have decided to only take daily medicine when we are going to be together (and when i have a flare up, of course). This way I can take some time to feel out my body's personal situation but still have the comfort of knowing that the chances of passing the virus on are greatly reduced when I do decide to have sex.
Anyways, now that you know the details of my situation, I have a few questions.
1) Will my outbreak always show up in the same place? I asked my Dr. this and she said YES - which did not match the answer in the "Herpes Handbook" you suggested in another post.
2) Can my vaginal lubrication, or "wetness" spread my HSV2? E.X if my boyfriend was fingering me, perhaps even through my underwear, could my "wetness" carry the virus to him? Thus, if he was to immediately touch his face he would have a possibility of contracting it.
3) One of the most difficult challenges I am dealing with is oral sex. My boyfriend (and me too) would prefer not to use a dental dam when he is performing oral sex on me. However he is (understandably) worried that he will contract HSV2 on his face. From what I have read this is very unlikely, but there is a slim chance he can contract it (as there always is...) Could you please give me some insight on this?
4) Finally, because I am not taking the daily suppressive meds regularly, does that lower the effectiveness of the valtrex/acyclovir? And if so, how far in advance should I begin taking it when I know I will be sexually active.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration - this website has been extremely helpful
I was recently diagnosed with genital herpes (HSV2) 2 weeks ago. I contracted it while on a short break from my boyfriend. I had 2 different culture tests done, which both came back positive, as well as a blood test - which came back negative because I was only infected a couple of weeks ago. My boyfriend and I have decided to see each other again. He is aware of my virus and is going to get a blood test today. It is very unlikely that he is infected with HSV1 or HSV2. Before this incident both of us have been tested and were negative for both HSV1 and HSV2.
I was on Valetrex for my initial outbreak, which was VERY VERY mild (the OBGYN said she would't have even noticed it if I didn't point it out). Because my outbreak was so mild, my Dr. recommended I wait and see what happens before deciding to take a daily suppressive medicine such as Valtrex or Acyclovir. This past Monday, I had protected vaginal sex with my boyfriend for the first time since my diagnosis. At this point, I had finished my initial round of Valtrex and felt as though I should be taking a daily suppressive - just to be safe. However, as my boyfriend and I are long-distance I have decided to only take daily medicine when we are going to be together (and when i have a flare up, of course). This way I can take some time to feel out my body's personal situation but still have the comfort of knowing that the chances of passing the virus on are greatly reduced when I do decide to have sex.
Anyways, now that you know the details of my situation, I have a few questions.
1) Will my outbreak always show up in the same place? I asked my Dr. this and she said YES - which did not match the answer in the "Herpes Handbook" you suggested in another post.
2) Can my vaginal lubrication, or "wetness" spread my HSV2? E.X if my boyfriend was fingering me, perhaps even through my underwear, could my "wetness" carry the virus to him? Thus, if he was to immediately touch his face he would have a possibility of contracting it.
3) One of the most difficult challenges I am dealing with is oral sex. My boyfriend (and me too) would prefer not to use a dental dam when he is performing oral sex on me. However he is (understandably) worried that he will contract HSV2 on his face. From what I have read this is very unlikely, but there is a slim chance he can contract it (as there always is...) Could you please give me some insight on this?
4) Finally, because I am not taking the daily suppressive meds regularly, does that lower the effectiveness of the valtrex/acyclovir? And if so, how far in advance should I begin taking it when I know I will be sexually active.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration - this website has been extremely helpful
Hi Grace,
I am a 21 yr old female. At the beginning of this year I was diagnosed with genital herpes (hsv 2)...At the time I had gotten painful urination,vaginal discharge, fever and sores (that at the time I believed to be razor bumps). My blood test came back negative, however the doctor did swab the sore and the test came back positive..After being diagnosed my boyfriend 100% supported me and said he didn't have a problem but we decided he should also be tested and he came back positive also. I read that once you have herpes your body builds up a defense so you cannot get it anywhere else on your body?
My question is since we both have genital herpes, and are taking daily meds (Valtrex) can we have oral sex without getting oral herpes?
I am a 21 yr old female. At the beginning of this year I was diagnosed with genital herpes (hsv 2)...At the time I had gotten painful urination,vaginal discharge, fever and sores (that at the time I believed to be razor bumps). My blood test came back negative, however the doctor did swab the sore and the test came back positive..After being diagnosed my boyfriend 100% supported me and said he didn't have a problem but we decided he should also be tested and he came back positive also. I read that once you have herpes your body builds up a defense so you cannot get it anywhere else on your body?
My question is since we both have genital herpes, and are taking daily meds (Valtrex) can we have oral sex without getting oral herpes?
highly unlikely. i frankly don't understand your doctor when it comes to the symptoms not being related to herpes - the primary outbreak is commonly followed by systemic symptoms (flu cold symptoms, etc)
if you need peace of mind, you may get a hiv test. odds are it will be negative.
did you have the chance to discuss your herpes diagnosis with the partner who transmitted it to you? he might assure you that this usual std screening is up to date, which will probably give you peace of mind when it comes to hiv.
if you need peace of mind, you may get a hiv test. odds are it will be negative.
did you have the chance to discuss your herpes diagnosis with the partner who transmitted it to you? he might assure you that this usual std screening is up to date, which will probably give you peace of mind when it comes to hiv.
Hi Grace,
Now that some time has passed I had a couple of other questions about my Herpes.
2 months ago exactly I was exposed to genital herpes type 2. I contracted the virus. No semen never entered my body but there was brief vaginal penetration. A few days after this encounter I became very sick (104 fever, chills, sweats, etc). My herpes outbreak was VERY mild so the doctors said that my high never fever was not consistent with this kind of herpes OB. Eventually, the doctors concluded that I had a sinus infection and tonsillitis. They tested me for mono and it came back negative however they suspected I actually did have mono and that the test was a false negative. They told me I just happened to get sick and that my high fever etc. was unrelated to my herpes. I was tested for HIV one week after my herpes exposure and it came back negative. I am VERY VERY concerned I might have been exposed to the virus. How likely is it that I contracted HIV even though no semen never entered me (however he did ejaculated on top of my stomach)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Now that some time has passed I had a couple of other questions about my Herpes.
2 months ago exactly I was exposed to genital herpes type 2. I contracted the virus. No semen never entered my body but there was brief vaginal penetration. A few days after this encounter I became very sick (104 fever, chills, sweats, etc). My herpes outbreak was VERY mild so the doctors said that my high never fever was not consistent with this kind of herpes OB. Eventually, the doctors concluded that I had a sinus infection and tonsillitis. They tested me for mono and it came back negative however they suspected I actually did have mono and that the test was a false negative. They told me I just happened to get sick and that my high fever etc. was unrelated to my herpes. I was tested for HIV one week after my herpes exposure and it came back negative. I am VERY VERY concerned I might have been exposed to the virus. How likely is it that I contracted HIV even though no semen never entered me (however he did ejaculated on top of my stomach)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
valtrex , when taken daily, reduces the risk of transmission to a partner by about half. if you just take valtrex when you have a recurrence of herpes, it does nothing to reduce transmission to a partner, it only heals the ob you have at that time. make more sense?
the stats you posted refer to the average risk of transmission to a partner in a single year.
keep asking questions! Sometimes it just takes a few tries until I can explain things in a way you can better understand :)
the stats you posted refer to the average risk of transmission to a partner in a single year.
keep asking questions! Sometimes it just takes a few tries until I can explain things in a way you can better understand :)
I read a previous post of yours, talking about a 4% risk if nothing is done and a 1% risk if all of the precautions are taken. I think that this is part of what is also confusing me.
When you say rates in transmission, does that mean when I have an outbreak? Thus, valtrex reduces the rate of transmission to 48% when I have an outbreak or overall? I am having a hard time understanding the difference between the two.
Thank you again for all your patience and wisdom. Everything you're saying means a lot to me!
Thank you again for all your patience and wisdom. Everything you're saying means a lot to me!
you are getting confused over the rates of reduction in shedding compared to the rates in reduction in transmission I think. Daily suppressive therapy reduces shedding on average from 80-90%. It reduces transmission to a partner by about 48% ( with valtrex ).
since you don't see him often, you can start daily suppressive therapy at least 5 days prior to when you'll be together. continue to take it while you are together too of course. since it's newly acquired for you, using a condom for the first year isn't a bad idea either.
can he contract hsv2 on his hands? he can but the overall risk is low. if he has any obvious cuts, wounds or bites his finger nails, he shouldn't be manually stimulating you until healed due to the risk of infections in those openings in the wounds in general as well as any germs in those healing wounds aren't normal in the urogenital tract for you either.
since you don't see him often, you can start daily suppressive therapy at least 5 days prior to when you'll be together. continue to take it while you are together too of course. since it's newly acquired for you, using a condom for the first year isn't a bad idea either.
can he contract hsv2 on his hands? he can but the overall risk is low. if he has any obvious cuts, wounds or bites his finger nails, he shouldn't be manually stimulating you until healed due to the risk of infections in those openings in the wounds in general as well as any germs in those healing wounds aren't normal in the urogenital tract for you either.
Additionally, while I now know that he cannot contract anything via the wetness on my underwear - I wonder if just touching me down there can put him at risk?
Hi Grace,
Thank you so much for the timely response. Yes, both culture tests came back positive for HSV2.
Because I am in school, I will not see him again for another month. Around May 15th. After that we will not be seeing each other from July - November. We usually get to spend a few months at a time together, with a long weekend here and there.
Also, I know the Journal of Internal Medicine concurs with you that acyclovir can reduce my shedding up to 94%. However I am reading in multiple places that daily meds only help about 40-50%. Can you clarify this for me too?
Thank you again for all of your help
Thank you so much for the timely response. Yes, both culture tests came back positive for HSV2.
Because I am in school, I will not see him again for another month. Around May 15th. After that we will not be seeing each other from July - November. We usually get to spend a few months at a time together, with a long weekend here and there.
Also, I know the Journal of Internal Medicine concurs with you that acyclovir can reduce my shedding up to 94%. However I am reading in multiple places that daily meds only help about 40-50%. Can you clarify this for me too?
Thank you again for all of your help
just to be sure, your cultures were positive for hsv2? also to be sure, they were typed, not just positive for herpes and assumed it was hsv2 since it was genital?
you can expect to have recurrences anywhere in the entire boxer short area. Many folks have them around the same similar area but it doesn't always happen that way.
how often do you see your regular partner?
no, your partner won't contract hsv2 on his hands from wetness on your underwear.
your partner can contract hsv2 orally but overall the risk is low. daily suppressive therapy would protect him even more.
grace
you can expect to have recurrences anywhere in the entire boxer short area. Many folks have them around the same similar area but it doesn't always happen that way.
how often do you see your regular partner?
no, your partner won't contract hsv2 on his hands from wetness on your underwear.
your partner can contract hsv2 orally but overall the risk is low. daily suppressive therapy would protect him even more.
grace
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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.
