Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

HSV-1 Genital

Hi, I've had genital HSV-1 for about a year and a half. I have a few questions:

1) How easily is genital HSV-1 one passed on to my partners genitals when I have no symptons? And when I have symptoms?

2) I plan on notifying my future partner(s) that I have genital HSV-1 but is there an ethical obligation to due so since the majority of people already some sort of HSV-1? I have read on this website by one of the M.D.s that one should not worry and their should be no obligation since most people (50-70%) have HSV-1. I'm having conflicting opinions on this and would like another point of view.

Thank you
4 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Thank you.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Do not post on someone elses thread, also post in the herpes forum for herpes questions.

Thanks
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, five years ago I was diagnosed with genital HSV 1, had two recurrent outbreaks the initial year, but none ever since. Two days ago I realized I had a new outbreak, but unfortunately it was only after I had oral sex with my boyfriend that I discovered the infection had returned. At the time I thought it was only a pimple since I haven't had an outbreak for a long time and I recently had acyclovir therapy for my oral HSV1 outbreaks.
I would like to know what are the chances that he would contract oral HSV 1 from me? Are there any chances he wouldn't get infected? I am aware that the chances of contraction in case of asymptomatic shedding are low, but what are the chances of contraction during typical shedding of the virus?

Thanks
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
I think those of us who have genital herpes have a much different perspective on the whole do I or do I not have to talk about my genital herpes issue than the person to which you are referring to does.  First of all depending on your age - the majority of  your partners very well might not have hsv1 orally so they would have no protection against contracting it genitally from you. It's also a total trust issue.  If you think it's hard to talk about your hsv1 genitally before you are intimate with someone - it's WAY harder to have to talk to them about it afterwards.  Most folks really appreciate the honesty of being told before sex that you have hsv1 genitally ( or hsv2 ) even if their risk is minimal. Also if you aren't talking about what you have - what aren't they talking about that they have?

So how easy is it to transmit to a partner? Well if your partner is hsv1+ orally - it could happen but it's very unlikely to occur. Still err on the side of caution and anytime you have genital symptoms avoid sex.  If your partner doesn't have hsv1 already the risk of transmiting hsv1 from genitals to genitals is still thought to be fairly small. something to also keep in mind is that they haven't really done a lot of study to see how many folks who contract hsv1 genitally also have it orally.  In the 2 main studies done on it - they only looked for the appearance of obvious cold sores as being the indicator that infection had taken place in both locations.  One study found that 1/4 of folks contracted it both locations and the other study found a much higher rate of infection both orally and genitally.  The issue with those studies is that the majority of folks who contract hsv1 orally never get obvious cold sores to know that they are infected so just relying on the appearance of obvious cold sores isn't accurate :(  Unfortunately there's no easy way to figure out on your own if you have hsv1 orally and genitally both.  Hsv1 orally sheds much more often than hsv1 genitally does and it's more likely to be transmitted. Luckily it's much more likely to be transmitted to the oral area than the genital area but it's something to keep in mind when discussing with a partner what precautions you want to take for both oral and genital contact in the relationship.  Not telling you any of this to make you feel like you are a walking biohazzard - just wanting you to be informed of the facts.  

I encourage you to not only talk about your hsv1 genitaly infection with partners before having sex - talk about ALL std's and also condom use and birth control.  herpes can't hold a candle to having to deal with pregnancy ;)

grace
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the STDs / STIs Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
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.