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STDs (Expert Forum)
could i have given it to my boyfriend when i havent had an outbreak for 18months
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
Welcome to the STD Forum, which is intended only for questions and support pertaining to sexually transmitted diseases other than HIV/AIDS, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus, genital warts, trichomonas, other vaginal infections, nongonoccal urethritis (NGU), cervicitis, molluscum contagiosum, chancroid, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). All questions will be answered by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D. or Edward W Hook, MD.
could i have given it to my boyfriend when i havent had an outbreak for 18months
by girl_1, Jun 05, 2005 12:00AM
I had an outbreak of herpes when i was 18, it was the first one i had ever had and i havent has one since (that was 19 months ago). I have been with my current boyfriend for 9 months and although he knows i had the outbreak it has never been a problem because i have not had any reoccurances. Recently i have noticed that his penis looks like it has very dry skin on it, it is white and looks almost like it is peeling like skin does when it has been burnt! he also seems to have a discharge that is white underneath his foreskin although i am not sure where it is coming from. He doesnt seem at all bothered by the symptoms and is not complaining of any others. I am worried i have given him herpes or that he has some other kind of sexual infection. any advice?
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jun 05, 2005 12:00AM
, Jun 05, 2005 12:00AM
If your partner has no complaint, his symptoms probably aren't due to herpes; and it doesn't sound like herpes from your description. However, if you had genital herpes due to type 2 herpes simplex virus (HSV-2), you will always have the potential ability to transmit it sexually to your sex partner(s); lack of symptomatic outbreaks doesn't mean you can't transmit it. But your herpes might have been caused by HSV-1 (which causes about 50% of first-episode herpes these days); if so, you might have little or no asymptomatic virus shedding and not be able to transmit it.
Bottom lines: I doubt your partner has herpes. But to know for sure whether there is significant risk to him or to other partners you may have in the future, I recommend you see a provider who can test you for it. Specifically, you need a type-specific test for both HSV-1 and HSV-2, such as the HerpeSelect test. (Unless your diagnosis 19 months ago confirmed the virus type as HSV-1 vs HSV-2; if you are uncertain, you should check back with that provider before getting the blood test.)
Good luck-- HHH, MD
Bottom lines: I doubt your partner has herpes. But to know for sure whether there is significant risk to him or to other partners you may have in the future, I recommend you see a provider who can test you for it. Specifically, you need a type-specific test for both HSV-1 and HSV-2, such as the HerpeSelect test. (Unless your diagnosis 19 months ago confirmed the virus type as HSV-1 vs HSV-2; if you are uncertain, you should check back with that provider before getting the blood test.)
Good luck-- HHH, MD
