Am I at risk?

[michael_k75]

Hi there.  Recently I had fooled around with a partner, in which case I later found out she has genital herpes.  I am unaware if she had an outbreak at the time.  There was never vaginal penetration.  my penis was in her genital area for a short period of time, but during that time she was wearing panties.  At one point in time my fingers were in her vagina and then I touched my own genitals.  This was about 4 weeks ago, and while I have not had any symptoms of genital herpes I am still worried.  What are the odds of getting herpes like this in a single incident?  Thank you.

[daisy315]

You were not at risk of Genital Herpes as she was wearing underwear the only possibility of that happening is if  1,She has HSV2 in the first place and 2. Her outbreaks are outwith the vaginal area for example if they were on her thighs and your skin came in contact with an active lesion during this encounter,but the odds remain low in your case as she probably didn't have Herpes in the first place, a primary outbreak can be anywhere between 4 days to a week,but even in the absence of an outbreak that is no guarantee transmission didn't take place as many people are asymptomatic ..... I think for your own sake you should have a test because this is something that is obviously preying on your mind and that will become very waring for you if your mind goes into overdrive about Herpes ....... I know it's no fun waiting for test results but it's far better waiting a few days than stressing daily for weeks or months over something you probably don't have ..... The only way to know for certain is to have a test.

Daisy

[michael_k75]

Ok Thank you, for clarification, how long do people usually witness first visual signs of herpes?  

The reason I ask is over the last couple of days my groin area has gotten itchy.  But I think this may have something to do with the fact that I exercise a great deal, combined with the fact a lot of it is in my mind.

[daisy315]

The odds are fairly low but there is a condiotion called Herpes Whitlow which affects the fingers so It would be worthwhile getting yourself checked out just to be on the safe side and for your own peace of mind, now is as good a time as any to have a full STD screening .... you will have to ask specifically for the Herpes test to be included during the screening .....
As far as "single episodes" that doesn't matter it only takes once to transmit Herpes people are no safer with one episode than they are with half a dozen it's very much the luck of the draw but engaging in unprotected sex whereby you don't know the status of your partner is very risky at any time and not just for Herpes .....

Daisy