does my gf have herpes?

[isdhunn]

hi there,

i am from singapore, diagnosed with hsv-2 genital herpes and possibly a whitlow herpes infection on my finger (which i was unaware of). I think i've put that finger in my mouth before and also in my gf's mouth. We've kissed but never had sex, and only petting/fingering. My gf had an outbreak of several ulcers in her mouth and sore throat a few months ago. And since then, has one or two ulcers near her lip occasionally.

pls advise me:

1. Could i have infected my mouth with HSV-2 by putting my finger in my or her mouth? I've had no oral blisters, and i'm not sure if i can have HSV-2 oral even though i have HSV-2 genital.

2. Can HSV-2 oral be spread by kissing?

3. When can we get tested for HSV-2 oral? Do we wait till symptoms like ulcers appear? Or is there a reliable blood test in the event of no symptoms (like in my case)

4. Can i spread HSV-2 to my gf by fingering? Or kissing her vagina with my HSV-2 mouth?

pls advise
my gf has no symptoms of HSV-2 genital yet but we're a bit worried
thanks.

[gracefromHHP]

If this the only sexual partner you've ever had? How were you tested for herpes?

Has your gf been tested for herpes yet?

grace

[isdhunn]

i've had other sexual partners before her. but after her no. and she hasn't had any sexual partners after too.

i was tested at a lab.
she has not been tested yet.

btw, i have herpes whitlow on my finger. i've read that its caused by autoinnoculation during my initial outbreak 2 years ago. i wonder if i can spread it to my mouth now if my lips or mouth happen to lick my herpes whitlow finger.

pls advise on all my above concerns, thanks very much, im quite worried about spreading to my gf.

[isdhunn]

can i spread my herpes whitlow to other people by holding hands?
how about during blisters or asyptomatic shedding?

thanks

[gracefromHHP]

When your whitlow is active you should keep it covered until it's healed. Yes you can transmit hsv2 from your fingers to someone when it's active. The skin on the hands is too thick for the virus to easily penetrate to the surface when there isn't any active lesions present so no worries unless you have active symptoms.  Also when you have active symptoms on your hands - don't put your hands in your mouth ( or in your eyes ) or in your gf's mouth.

Have you thought about daily suppressive therapy to help reduce the chances of transmitting the virus to your gf?

If you've never read the herpes handbook yet I highly recommend doing so - www.westoverheights.com.  

grace

[isdhunn]

i see.. thanks for clearing things up.

can i transmit it to my mouth if i accidentally put it in my mouth?
and then if i kiss my gf, won't she be infected too?

i find this whole thing very scary.

[gracefromHHP]

You have significant protection against transmitting your own hsv2 hand infection to your mouth at this point. Just use common sense though - when you have a whitlow recurrence - don't put your hands in your mouth or anyone else's mouth.

grace

[isdhunn]

thanks a lot grace.... yes will take note.

i am a bit upset that when i first got herpes 2 years ago, i wasn't informed by my doctor about autoinnoculation. i always thought that my genital herpes would just be genital. never knew this about this whitlow problem, as few websites put it up in their info on herpes too.

i dun think it's a rare occurence as anybody could easily infect themselves, but maybe they do not suspect it as herpes whitlow till it seems to be recurring frequently.

btw, i hope the scientific community will come up with a cure and effective vacine to eliminate herpes soon.

is there any website where we can pledge our support for such a cause?

i know the disease isn't life-threatening like Aids. but it does still affect babies. And i wouldn't wish that to happen to anyone's child, especially my own if i ever do have one.

alright, thanks a lot, take care people.

[isdhunn]

i am currently advised by my doctor to take 400mg of aciclovir 3 times daily for 5 days, whenever i have an outbreak.

is this a good dosage? do i also take aciclovir for suppressive therapy?

my condition is that i seldom have genital outbreaks nowadays but i think my whitlow is triggered by stress.