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How much time between outbreaks and how to proceed
I have been in a monogamus relationship for several years. My partner was diagnosed with HSV-2 recently. We have been together since 2002 and I have not been with anyone else since we have been together.
She had complained of a sore spot in her vaginia. No rash or blisters were present externally. She was swabbed (?) and told she has HSV-2.
My question is, could she have had this for a long time and not known? How much time can go between outbreaks? Would a Dr confuse HSV-2 with something else? Is there any way to get this without sexual contact? She had only one relationhship prior to me. Could the symptoms have been so mild as to not recognize it as HSV-2? Is it possible she had this prior to our relationship, or does this mean she has been unfaithful? Is there anyway to tell when it was aquired?
I went and had my blood drawn to be tested. I have never had any kind of rash or discharge in my life with the exception of jock itch once or twice which I treated with antifungal powder.
If my test comes back negative, given the fact that we've been having unprotected sex for seven years, would this be an indicator she has been unfaithful?
This is very emotionally draining and is killing me as I try to sort out the tons of information on-line. The Doctor I spoke to when I got tested was very abrupt and didn't seem to want to answer questions. When I asked these questions, she just shrugged and said "she has it" and pointed to the lab test.
How can I find a doctor that specializes in this disease to be able to talk with and have open and honest questions and answers?
Thank you.
She had complained of a sore spot in her vaginia. No rash or blisters were present externally. She was swabbed (?) and told she has HSV-2.
My question is, could she have had this for a long time and not known? How much time can go between outbreaks? Would a Dr confuse HSV-2 with something else? Is there any way to get this without sexual contact? She had only one relationhship prior to me. Could the symptoms have been so mild as to not recognize it as HSV-2? Is it possible she had this prior to our relationship, or does this mean she has been unfaithful? Is there anyway to tell when it was aquired?
I went and had my blood drawn to be tested. I have never had any kind of rash or discharge in my life with the exception of jock itch once or twice which I treated with antifungal powder.
If my test comes back negative, given the fact that we've been having unprotected sex for seven years, would this be an indicator she has been unfaithful?
This is very emotionally draining and is killing me as I try to sort out the tons of information on-line. The Doctor I spoke to when I got tested was very abrupt and didn't seem to want to answer questions. When I asked these questions, she just shrugged and said "she has it" and pointed to the lab test.
How can I find a doctor that specializes in this disease to be able to talk with and have open and honest questions and answers?
Thank you.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum. I'll try to help.
You describe a very common situation in genital herpes -- indeed your story is classical, exactly the same sort of case that STD experts use to teach medical students about the disease. The main thing is that her newly diagnosed herpes doesn't necessarily mean that either of you has had other sex partners since you have been together. If you are otherwise confident your partner hasn't had sex with other people, you should trust her about it. And she should trust you on the same score.
Your partner may have been infected with HSV-2 for a long time. Even if her recent genital sore was the first time she noticed anything wrong, it could be a recurrent outbreak not her first infection. If she had multiple sores, rather than a single one, or if she has had other symptoms, like inflamed lymph nodes in the groin and sometimes fever and headache, the probably it's her first infection. If it is her first infection (and if there have been no other partners), then you can expect your blood test to be positive.
There is roughly a 50% chance your blood test will be positive for HSV-2. If so, you might have either caught it from your partner, or perhaps you were the source of her infection. It your test is negative, it will show you were not the source of her herpes, and that so far you have been lucky in not catching it from her. This is a common situation. Among heterosexual couples in which one person has HSV-2, the rate of transmission to the other partner is around 5% per year. In other words, in such couples, only 1 in 20 will experience transmission to the uninfected partner (these data are with an average of unprotected vaginal sex 2-3 times per week). You could easily have gone uninfected even after 7 years of regular sex.
Time between outbreaks? In terms of symptomatic outbreaks, your wife might not have another for several years. But if she has very mild ones and keeps on the lookout for mild symptoms, she might have them as often as every 1-2 months. Regardless of how frequent she has symptoms, she also is having asymptomatic viral shedding; the virus is present (without an obvious outbreak) up to 10-20% of the time. Her doctor didn't confuse your wife's herpes with anything else; as the doc said, her lab test shows "she has it".
I think those comments answer all the questions you asked. Please return with a follow-up comment to tell me your HSV blood test result and we can discuss it further. But don't be too upset about all this. As I said, this is a very common situation among couples with herpes and there isn't necessarily any implication about sexual fidelity.
In the meantime here are some online sources with accurate information about genital herpes: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/std); the American Social Health Association (www.ashastd.org); and the Westover Heights Clinic of Portland, OR (www.westoverheights.com). Full disclosure: Dr. Hook and I serve on ASHA's board of directors, and Terri Warren, moderator of MedHelp's herpes forum, is owner/director of WHC.
You'll undoubtedly have more questions, but before asking them here, please read all this information carefully and also wait until your own blood test result is available.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
You describe a very common situation in genital herpes -- indeed your story is classical, exactly the same sort of case that STD experts use to teach medical students about the disease. The main thing is that her newly diagnosed herpes doesn't necessarily mean that either of you has had other sex partners since you have been together. If you are otherwise confident your partner hasn't had sex with other people, you should trust her about it. And she should trust you on the same score.
Your partner may have been infected with HSV-2 for a long time. Even if her recent genital sore was the first time she noticed anything wrong, it could be a recurrent outbreak not her first infection. If she had multiple sores, rather than a single one, or if she has had other symptoms, like inflamed lymph nodes in the groin and sometimes fever and headache, the probably it's her first infection. If it is her first infection (and if there have been no other partners), then you can expect your blood test to be positive.
There is roughly a 50% chance your blood test will be positive for HSV-2. If so, you might have either caught it from your partner, or perhaps you were the source of her infection. It your test is negative, it will show you were not the source of her herpes, and that so far you have been lucky in not catching it from her. This is a common situation. Among heterosexual couples in which one person has HSV-2, the rate of transmission to the other partner is around 5% per year. In other words, in such couples, only 1 in 20 will experience transmission to the uninfected partner (these data are with an average of unprotected vaginal sex 2-3 times per week). You could easily have gone uninfected even after 7 years of regular sex.
Time between outbreaks? In terms of symptomatic outbreaks, your wife might not have another for several years. But if she has very mild ones and keeps on the lookout for mild symptoms, she might have them as often as every 1-2 months. Regardless of how frequent she has symptoms, she also is having asymptomatic viral shedding; the virus is present (without an obvious outbreak) up to 10-20% of the time. Her doctor didn't confuse your wife's herpes with anything else; as the doc said, her lab test shows "she has it".
I think those comments answer all the questions you asked. Please return with a follow-up comment to tell me your HSV blood test result and we can discuss it further. But don't be too upset about all this. As I said, this is a very common situation among couples with herpes and there isn't necessarily any implication about sexual fidelity.
In the meantime here are some online sources with accurate information about genital herpes: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/std); the American Social Health Association (www.ashastd.org); and the Westover Heights Clinic of Portland, OR (www.westoverheights.com). Full disclosure: Dr. Hook and I serve on ASHA's board of directors, and Terri Warren, moderator of MedHelp's herpes forum, is owner/director of WHC.
You'll undoubtedly have more questions, but before asking them here, please read all this information carefully and also wait until your own blood test result is available.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
In addition, take a look at the MedHelp herpes community forum, where the moderators are highly qualified herpes counselors. However, I suggest wait until your own test result is available. Until then, they also won't be able to answer some of your key questions.
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.
