Aa
herpes transmission
Hi Doctor,
I'm positive for HSV-1 (known for 3 years) & negative for all other STD's. My MD said there is no way to know whether my HSV-1 is oral or genital. I get sores in my mouth rarely, but usually only occurs w/my menstrual cycle, so i am wondering if it is hormonally linked. I have never had any genital sores.
On august 13th i performed unprotected oral sex on my boyfriend whose STD status is unknown & I did have a sore in my mouth at the time that was almost healed. He has had unprotected sex in the past & 13 partners. We have not had intercourse & he has not performed oral sex on me, & he plans to get tested for STD's.
questions:
1. Is it likely that he now has HSV-1? I am confused about transmission. Since I have it (orally i'm assuming since i do get cold sores in my mouth) does everyone I kiss automatically get the virus? & since we've kissed for a month before I performed oral sex on him, would that mean that he has it orally & would be protected against getting HSV-1 genitally from my performing oral sex on him?
2. If he were to contract HSV-1 on the genitals from me performing oral sex on him on 8/13/11 how soon would he have an outbreak?
3. How long should he wait to do his STD testing to allow for the HSV-1 to show up on the blood work if he did contract it from me?
4. If he does come back positive for HSV-1 & his IgM is also positive & his doctor tells him he recently contracted it how am i supposed to explain it to him w/o feeling the stigma surrounding STDs?
5. I noticed 1 small flesh colored raised bump on the shaft of his penis that looks like extra skin. I asked him about it & he says it has been there forever. It is not red. Is it possible that it is herpes?
6. If my boyfriend tests positive for HSV-1 like me & negative for HSV-2, can I get genital HSV-1 from him performing oral sex on me? I'm not sure what precautions to take when I don't even know where my HSV-1 is located, orally or genitally.
I'm positive for HSV-1 (known for 3 years) & negative for all other STD's. My MD said there is no way to know whether my HSV-1 is oral or genital. I get sores in my mouth rarely, but usually only occurs w/my menstrual cycle, so i am wondering if it is hormonally linked. I have never had any genital sores.
On august 13th i performed unprotected oral sex on my boyfriend whose STD status is unknown & I did have a sore in my mouth at the time that was almost healed. He has had unprotected sex in the past & 13 partners. We have not had intercourse & he has not performed oral sex on me, & he plans to get tested for STD's.
questions:
1. Is it likely that he now has HSV-1? I am confused about transmission. Since I have it (orally i'm assuming since i do get cold sores in my mouth) does everyone I kiss automatically get the virus? & since we've kissed for a month before I performed oral sex on him, would that mean that he has it orally & would be protected against getting HSV-1 genitally from my performing oral sex on him?
2. If he were to contract HSV-1 on the genitals from me performing oral sex on him on 8/13/11 how soon would he have an outbreak?
3. How long should he wait to do his STD testing to allow for the HSV-1 to show up on the blood work if he did contract it from me?
4. If he does come back positive for HSV-1 & his IgM is also positive & his doctor tells him he recently contracted it how am i supposed to explain it to him w/o feeling the stigma surrounding STDs?
5. I noticed 1 small flesh colored raised bump on the shaft of his penis that looks like extra skin. I asked him about it & he says it has been there forever. It is not red. Is it possible that it is herpes?
6. If my boyfriend tests positive for HSV-1 like me & negative for HSV-2, can I get genital HSV-1 from him performing oral sex on me? I'm not sure what precautions to take when I don't even know where my HSV-1 is located, orally or genitally.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I'm sorry our space to provide answers is limited, both in terms of space and time. I will provide brief answers to these questions which will conclude this thread. Further, we answer specific questions about diseases or problems. For more extensive information on HPV, you should visit the excellent, highly informative information available at the web site run by the American Social Health Association. (Disclosure. Dr. Handsfield and I are both members of the American Social Health Association Board of Directors.)
1. There are no current recommended tests for HPV in men.
2. Yes, the "cut off" is based on cost effectiveness studies and women over 26 clearly benefit from the vaccine as well.
3. Yes, inspection by a doctor might be helpful.
4. Yes, condoms are the best (but not perfect) protection against HPV (besides the vaccine)
5. This risk of getting HPV from oral sex, even if exposed, is low.
6. No, HPV lesions do not typically ulcerate.
7. Gonorrhea and herpes.
8. There are many treatments. this should be discussed with his doctor.
9. This question is beyond the scope of time availalbe.
End of thread.EWH
1. There are no current recommended tests for HPV in men.
2. Yes, the "cut off" is based on cost effectiveness studies and women over 26 clearly benefit from the vaccine as well.
3. Yes, inspection by a doctor might be helpful.
4. Yes, condoms are the best (but not perfect) protection against HPV (besides the vaccine)
5. This risk of getting HPV from oral sex, even if exposed, is low.
6. No, HPV lesions do not typically ulcerate.
7. Gonorrhea and herpes.
8. There are many treatments. this should be discussed with his doctor.
9. This question is beyond the scope of time availalbe.
End of thread.EWH
thank you for your responses. I had a few more questions:
1. Is there any way to test men for HPV? My OBGYN told me that there is not, and that men spread the virus and most of them have no symptoms but it is women who develop cervical dysplasia as a result of the infection. It seems a little strange that there is no way to test men for this virus that is so destructive to women, but there are ways to test for other STD's.
2. I am 26 years old and I believe the cut off for the HPV vaccine, gardasil is 26 years old. Is this something that you recommend to your patients?
3. I'm wondering if the skin lesion on my boyfriend's penis might be a genital wart as the result of HPV infection, as opposed to a genital herpes lesion. Would a doctor be able to diagnose this by visual examination? I guess I have never seen a skin growth like that on a penis before, would it be possible to just have a single HPV wart as opposed to a cluster of them?
4. Is the best way to prevent transmission of HPV from male to female to use a condom? Is it spread by direct skin-to-skin contact like herpes? Can it be killed with soap and water like i have heard about herpes?
5. If he does have HPV and the skin growth on his penis is a HPV wart what could happen to me as a result of performing oral sex on him? could i get HPV warts in my throat?
6. Do HPV warts get red and open up into ulcers like genital herpes? or are they just flesh colored growths that stay that way?
7. What STD's am I at the biggest risk of contracting from performing oral sex on a man?
8. If he does have HPV and that is a HPV wart what is the treatment protocol for him? and does that mean I would develop genital warts if we had unprotected sex?
9. If it's true that HPV cannot be tested for in men while it is so rampant, what does that mean for women? and how do people in monogamous relationships who have unprotected sex and had previous partners prevent giving HPV to eachother, or prevent reinfection and cervial dysplasia in their partners?
thank you
1. Is there any way to test men for HPV? My OBGYN told me that there is not, and that men spread the virus and most of them have no symptoms but it is women who develop cervical dysplasia as a result of the infection. It seems a little strange that there is no way to test men for this virus that is so destructive to women, but there are ways to test for other STD's.
2. I am 26 years old and I believe the cut off for the HPV vaccine, gardasil is 26 years old. Is this something that you recommend to your patients?
3. I'm wondering if the skin lesion on my boyfriend's penis might be a genital wart as the result of HPV infection, as opposed to a genital herpes lesion. Would a doctor be able to diagnose this by visual examination? I guess I have never seen a skin growth like that on a penis before, would it be possible to just have a single HPV wart as opposed to a cluster of them?
4. Is the best way to prevent transmission of HPV from male to female to use a condom? Is it spread by direct skin-to-skin contact like herpes? Can it be killed with soap and water like i have heard about herpes?
5. If he does have HPV and the skin growth on his penis is a HPV wart what could happen to me as a result of performing oral sex on him? could i get HPV warts in my throat?
6. Do HPV warts get red and open up into ulcers like genital herpes? or are they just flesh colored growths that stay that way?
7. What STD's am I at the biggest risk of contracting from performing oral sex on a man?
8. If he does have HPV and that is a HPV wart what is the treatment protocol for him? and does that mean I would develop genital warts if we had unprotected sex?
9. If it's true that HPV cannot be tested for in men while it is so rampant, what does that mean for women? and how do people in monogamous relationships who have unprotected sex and had previous partners prevent giving HPV to eachother, or prevent reinfection and cervial dysplasia in their partners?
thank you
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
1. Canker sores an cold sores can be mistaken for one another. The cause of canker sores is not known and they tend to occur inside the mouth. Cold sores are typically caused by HSV-1 and tend to occur on the lip borders.
2. HSV-2 is rarely acquired on the mouth durng oral sex. It can happen but it is rare.
3. Correct. Statisitcally, if he has HSV-2 it is most likely to be genital in location. EWH
2. HSV-2 is rarely acquired on the mouth durng oral sex. It can happen but it is rare.
3. Correct. Statisitcally, if he has HSV-2 it is most likely to be genital in location. EWH
thanks for your responses.
1. Is there a difference between canker sores and HSV-1 cold sores? I am not convinced the lesion i described above is a cold sore because it was inside my mouth and i have been getting them since my early teens. I googled pictures of HSV-1 cold sores and i have never had anything like that on my lip. Mine are open ulcers that are white, i rinse with salt water for a few days and then they go away.
2. If my boyfriend has genital HSV-2 and I performed oral sex on him could i contract it orally? and if so would the symptoms be just like oral HSV-1 with the cold sores?
3. if i understand you correctly, if his STD tests come back positive for HSV-1 we do not need to take precautions since we are both infected with the same virus and cannot be re-infected at different sites. however, if he comes back positive for HSV-2 would we assume that is genital HSV-2 or could it be oral HSV-2?
thank you
1. Is there a difference between canker sores and HSV-1 cold sores? I am not convinced the lesion i described above is a cold sore because it was inside my mouth and i have been getting them since my early teens. I googled pictures of HSV-1 cold sores and i have never had anything like that on my lip. Mine are open ulcers that are white, i rinse with salt water for a few days and then they go away.
2. If my boyfriend has genital HSV-2 and I performed oral sex on him could i contract it orally? and if so would the symptoms be just like oral HSV-1 with the cold sores?
3. if i understand you correctly, if his STD tests come back positive for HSV-1 we do not need to take precautions since we are both infected with the same virus and cannot be re-infected at different sites. however, if he comes back positive for HSV-2 would we assume that is genital HSV-2 or could it be oral HSV-2?
thank you
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to our Forum. I'll try to help. Before I do and relevant to your introductory comments, let me point out that it is statistically more likely that you have oral HSV-1 than genital HSV-1. Furthermore, let me add that while persons with oral HSV-1 can transmitted their infections to others through direct contact (in the context of oral sex or kissing) persons with genital HSV-1 infection rarely transmit their infections to others. With this background, let's work through your questions:
1. No, everyone you contact does not get infected. In fact, most contacts to infected persons, with or without lesions do not lead to infection. Thus if he did not have HSV-1 before, odds are he did not get it although contact with your lesion put him at risk. Please remember that even though he does not know it, there is still a good chance that he has HSV-1 and does not know it. Over 60% of Americans have HSV-1 and most who have the infection do not know it and do not get cold sores.
2. If he were to get infected,, he would be expected to develop lesions between 4 and 14 days after exposure. If he does not develop lesions by the end of the month you can be confident he did not get HSV-1 from the exposure you describe.
3. Blood tests can take up to 6 months to become positive and are not recommended to find out if an exposure led to infection. On the other hand, a blood test at this time will provide valuable information since it would tell you both if he had HSV but did not know it. If he does, then there is no reason to be concerned about the further possibility of infection.
4. Please do not do IgM testing. The results are wrong as often as they are right.
5. No, the lesion does not sound like HSV, particularly if it has been there for some time.
6. No, if you both have HSV-1 and not HSV-2, there is no risk of further infection. Once you have HSV you cannot be re-infected with the same type of virus, even at a different site.
I hope this information is helpful to you. In addition, I suggestion you check out the excellent, highly informative information available at the web site run by the American Social Health Association. (Disclosure. Dr. Handsfield and I are both members of the American Social Health Association Board of Directors.) EWH
1. No, everyone you contact does not get infected. In fact, most contacts to infected persons, with or without lesions do not lead to infection. Thus if he did not have HSV-1 before, odds are he did not get it although contact with your lesion put him at risk. Please remember that even though he does not know it, there is still a good chance that he has HSV-1 and does not know it. Over 60% of Americans have HSV-1 and most who have the infection do not know it and do not get cold sores.
2. If he were to get infected,, he would be expected to develop lesions between 4 and 14 days after exposure. If he does not develop lesions by the end of the month you can be confident he did not get HSV-1 from the exposure you describe.
3. Blood tests can take up to 6 months to become positive and are not recommended to find out if an exposure led to infection. On the other hand, a blood test at this time will provide valuable information since it would tell you both if he had HSV but did not know it. If he does, then there is no reason to be concerned about the further possibility of infection.
4. Please do not do IgM testing. The results are wrong as often as they are right.
5. No, the lesion does not sound like HSV, particularly if it has been there for some time.
6. No, if you both have HSV-1 and not HSV-2, there is no risk of further infection. Once you have HSV you cannot be re-infected with the same type of virus, even at a different site.
I hope this information is helpful to you. In addition, I suggestion you check out the excellent, highly informative information available at the web site run by the American Social Health Association. (Disclosure. Dr. Handsfield and I are both members of the American Social Health Association Board of Directors.) EWH
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
