Confused by HSV-1

[AwesomeGuy82]

Hi,
I just had my annual done and I opted for a complete STD screening panel. Everything came back fine with exception of a HSV-1 diagnosis. My doctor noted "exposure to oral herpes" on my report but said not to worry about it. I admit, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac. I've been trying to find some answers out there but the amount of information is huge and I'm getting overloaded. I've never had a cold sore or fever blister. I don't engage in unsafe sex. I'm reading that I likely contracted it when I was younger. So, I guess my two questions are - how serious is this? Is this considered a (true) STD? Is it something I need to disclose or is it just that common? Am I branded as having an STD?
Appreciate your feedback. Great site!
Yours,
Confused

[Fleetwood20]

One way to think about things is what was your life like before you were shown a bit of paper telling you that you have one of the most common viruses in the world?

What is different and why?

[AwesomeGuy82]

I appreciate the insights, both of you. I must admit I'm struggling with this big time. I'm scared. Fearful of the future and whether or not this will be a turn-off. There's so much information out there and some of it isn't consistent. My doctor told me not to worry about it. Can't help it!

[catinbarefeet]

I agree. Per Anna Wald at the University of Washington, about 65% of Americans have HSV-1, either orally or genitally. About 1/3 of new genital infections are caused by HSV-1, usually via oral sex. So I do think it's important to disclose to new partners, even if you don't consider it an STD. The risk of transmission still exists. HSV-1 sheds asymptomatically about 12% of days, according to a 2008 study. That's one of the reasons so many kids get it from family members who kiss them on the mouth.

However, society doesn't think of cold sores as carrying the stigma that genital herpes does, even though they're the same virus. I wouldn't "brand" myself as anything, if I were you, just exercise caution and disclose to new partners.

[Fleetwood20]

Not at all, this an extremely common virus that half the population have. You have had this almost certainly since your youth and your experience to date, virtually nothing, is likely to continue.

The only issue is that there is a chance, albeit quite small, that it can transfer to genitals of an uninfected partner through oral sex. It would be exceptionally rare for a partner to reject you on the basis of having an oral HSV1 infection as they understand how common it is and are more likely than not to also carry the virus. Most people don't disclose an oral HSV1 infection, but I'd feel your knowledge empowers you.