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How high is the chance that HSV is transmitted to me?
Dear Doctor, I am a female, 30 years old, I was recently informed by an ex-partner that he has recently noticed symptons of Genital herpes. We were meeting for about two months (started arund 3 months ago) and we had around 20 times intercourse, may be 3 times unprotected and the rest with Condom.
The only irregular thing I noticed within the past 3 months were a night (and the day after) of fever, vomiting, pain in feet, and stomack ache (about 2 weeks after the first intercourse), and noticing some blood out of my vagina during sex (about 5 weeks after the first intercourse). A week after noticing some blood, I had my regular period. Since then I havent notice anything else irregular. I would like to ask you that based on this experience, what is the chance that the virus is transmitted to me?
The only irregular thing I noticed within the past 3 months were a night (and the day after) of fever, vomiting, pain in feet, and stomack ache (about 2 weeks after the first intercourse), and noticing some blood out of my vagina during sex (about 5 weeks after the first intercourse). A week after noticing some blood, I had my regular period. Since then I havent notice anything else irregular. I would like to ask you that based on this experience, what is the chance that the virus is transmitted to me?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum and thanks for this question. I'll try to help.
If I correctly understand the question, your partner knows he has had genital herpes for some period of time, i.e. preceding your relationship. Is that correct? Or has he developed symptoms more recently? In other words, is being exposed to herpes your only concern, or is your partner saying he might have been infected by you? Either way, can you describe his symptoms, especially if they are new? How severe, how many lesions, how long to clear up, other symptoms like inflamed lymph nodes or fever, etc? Has he had lab tests to confirm the diagnosis -- blood, lesion swab, or both? And finally, does he know the virus type, i.e. HSV-1 or HSV-2?
As all my questions imply, it can be a complex business to sort out the probabilities of genital herpes transmission and the likelihood that the partner of an infected person is infected herself. Your own symptoms do not sound typical for genital herpes, but I cannot say for sure you aren't infected. Presumably you have not had genital area blisters or sores at any time, or you would have said so.
You should have an HSV blood test, which will tell whether you are infected with HSV-1 and/or HSV-2, but will not by itself say when or from whom you were infected. Your primary care physician can do it; or you can access a laboratory directly (online or otherwise). When you do it, specifically request that IgM testing not be done; you should only have the IgG variety of testing. In the meantime, let me know as much as you can in response to my questions, and we'll take it from there.
Regards-- HHH, MD
If I correctly understand the question, your partner knows he has had genital herpes for some period of time, i.e. preceding your relationship. Is that correct? Or has he developed symptoms more recently? In other words, is being exposed to herpes your only concern, or is your partner saying he might have been infected by you? Either way, can you describe his symptoms, especially if they are new? How severe, how many lesions, how long to clear up, other symptoms like inflamed lymph nodes or fever, etc? Has he had lab tests to confirm the diagnosis -- blood, lesion swab, or both? And finally, does he know the virus type, i.e. HSV-1 or HSV-2?
As all my questions imply, it can be a complex business to sort out the probabilities of genital herpes transmission and the likelihood that the partner of an infected person is infected herself. Your own symptoms do not sound typical for genital herpes, but I cannot say for sure you aren't infected. Presumably you have not had genital area blisters or sores at any time, or you would have said so.
You should have an HSV blood test, which will tell whether you are infected with HSV-1 and/or HSV-2, but will not by itself say when or from whom you were infected. Your primary care physician can do it; or you can access a laboratory directly (online or otherwise). When you do it, specifically request that IgM testing not be done; you should only have the IgG variety of testing. In the meantime, let me know as much as you can in response to my questions, and we'll take it from there.
Regards-- HHH, MD
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
As I said above, your symptoms were not typical for a new HSV infection. So yes, that would be "unusual". But atypical cases occur. And if your blood test is positive, it wouldn't necessarily explain those symptoms. You could have acquired herpes without symptoms, and something entirely different explained the vaginal bleeding etc.
Let me know the test result, but I won't have anything more to say until then.
Let me know the test result, but I won't have anything more to say until then.
Thanks again for your answer. I am going to have blood test in a week, as I am traveling for the moment. Isn't it unusual that I didnt develop any vaginal pain or blister during this period (almost 3 months after the first unprotected sex) ? Can this be any indication that I am HSV 2 negative?I read in many places that usually some clear symptoms happens after 4 days to 2 weeks of infection. Thanks again for your help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for the additional information. With your sexual history and especially a previous negative HSV blood test, you can be sure you were not the source of your ex's genital herpes.
The average transmission risk for any single episode of unprotected sex, when one partner has HSV-2, is pretty low, perhaps only around 1 in a thousand. You had only 3 unprotected exposures, and condoms work quite well against herpes transmission -- not perfect, but reasonably good protection. However, the transmission risk also depends on the infected person knowing it, recognizing mild symptoms of herpes, and avoiding sex at those times -- which may not apply. As for your symptoms, they are not typical for herpes, but atypical cases occur and it's possible that's what you had.
All things considered, the odds are in your favor and I expect your blood test to be negative. But there is a small chance of a positive result, so you should be prepared for the possibility of it.
The average transmission risk for any single episode of unprotected sex, when one partner has HSV-2, is pretty low, perhaps only around 1 in a thousand. You had only 3 unprotected exposures, and condoms work quite well against herpes transmission -- not perfect, but reasonably good protection. However, the transmission risk also depends on the infected person knowing it, recognizing mild symptoms of herpes, and avoiding sex at those times -- which may not apply. As for your symptoms, they are not typical for herpes, but atypical cases occur and it's possible that's what you had.
All things considered, the odds are in your favor and I expect your blood test to be negative. But there is a small chance of a positive result, so you should be prepared for the possibility of it.
Thanks for your reply. I will definetely go for the blood test. Thanks for your advice on the type of blood test. I lost contact with my ex-partner after he told me about the HSV issues. However, I can assume that there was a clear indication for him that he has HSV2, so that he told me. I had only one partner in my life before him, and I had a blood test last year, with no positive result. I also didnt notice any strange symptom over the last 10 years. So lets just assume that he had it and I was under the risk of transmission. So, based on the symptoms I recently had and explained you before, and adding the fact that I didnt notice any genital blister or sore on me, what do you think about the chance that the virus is transmitted to me? Thanks in advance for your help.
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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