Contracting HSV without full sexual intercourse

[pauluk]

I was recently intimate (3 days ago) with a female we did not have full sexual intercourse.  I performed oral sex on her and there was mutual masturbation and touching of each other in the gential area including self touching after the mutal masturbation.

She is on a course of Aciclovir 200mg which i assume is for HSV she did not actually inform me she had HSV 1/2 i just notice the medication in the morning and therfroe assumed.

What is the potenital risk if there is one of me contracting HSV?

I am a circumcised male unsure if this increases risk factor???

Thank you in advance.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your risk is low even though, as you point out, it is likely that you partner does have herpes of some sort.  HSV is spread by direct contact with lesions or intact skin where the virus is present (this is called asymptomatic shedding).  We know that the virus is actually not very efficiently transmitted and that most exposures to partners with herpes do not lead to transmission of infection.  From performing oral sex on her there is little risk.  Interestingly, HSV-2 is a rare cause of oral herpes.  Very little risk from mutual masturbation – the virus is poorly tranmitted to non genital, non mucosal skin.  The fact that she is on acyclovir reduces the already low chance of her transmitting herpes by about 50%.  

If you do not develop lesions within 7-10 days of your exposure, you have almost certainly not gotten infection.  Should you develop a rash or lesions in an exposed are during that period, I would go get a culture or PCR test of the lesions.  Hope this helps.  EWH

[pauluk]

Thank you for the above.

I therefore take it that my risk of gential HSV is very low as there was no direct contact the only contact was her gentials-to-my hand-to-my gentails

And as for me preforming oral sex this is also a low risk factor as the likelyhood of hsv 2 to oral is a rare cause.

thanks

[pauluk]

Additionaly i assume that any lesion on the gentials would be visable by the naked eye.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your assessment is correct.  As I said before, you have nothing to worry about EWH