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How likely is it to get hsv 2 orally ? And, does it shed/activate ?
I’ve posted a lot over the years about herpes as I continue to struggle with a fear. From what I know, hsv 2 prefers the genital region. But is it common to get orally? From what I understand, IF someone gets hsv 2 orally , it doesn’t shed much and not likely to be passed?
I guess my question is: i had a new partner give me oral sex for like 20 seconds, if that (I just couldn’t follow through bc of my fear of contracting something ) ... so I was wondering if I really have anything to be fearful about? I could get cold sores (positive for hsv 1) although never had one . Is it possible For him to have hsv 2 orally ? And if so, can it pass to the genital area during oral sex and for that amount of time?
I know hsv 1 could be passed from oral to oral and oral to genital but because of the “preference” of location , I was curious about hsv 2 .
I guess my question is: i had a new partner give me oral sex for like 20 seconds, if that (I just couldn’t follow through bc of my fear of contracting something ) ... so I was wondering if I really have anything to be fearful about? I could get cold sores (positive for hsv 1) although never had one . Is it possible For him to have hsv 2 orally ? And if so, can it pass to the genital area during oral sex and for that amount of time?
I know hsv 1 could be passed from oral to oral and oral to genital but because of the “preference” of location , I was curious about hsv 2 .
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It is possible to get oral hsv2, but it's rare. In the 20+ years that I've been working in this field, and 10+ years on this site, I think I can remember 2 cases of it here and they self-reported. Terri Warren, one of the world's leading experts on herpes and a clinician, says she's never seen anyone get it from oral sex.
https://westoverheights.com/forum/question/more-panic/
Obviously, it does happen, because we have shedding data on it. It's just really rare.
HSV 2 genital 15-30% of days evaluated
HSV 1 genital 3-5% of days evaluated
HSV 1 oral 25% of days evaluated
HSV 2 oral 1% of days evaluated
If it does happen, it almost always only causes one outbreak ever, and never transmits.
Please don't waste any more time fearing something so unlikely to happen.
Listen, no one wants herpes. No one wants an STD. But you can still enjoy sex and protect yourself. Have you ever been tested for herpes? Find out if you have either type. If you do, you can't get that type again. You may have hsv1 orally, and that means you can't get it genitally. If you don't, talk to your partners, and get tested before you have sex.
The safer sex conversation should be one that you have before sex. It freaks you out - which is okay - so take some control over it. Ask for test results. Any decent partner is going to want to protect you, and won't find this unreasonable. Your partner should want to know about your STD status, too. You don't need to get into a detailed sex history, which often causes discomfort, and doesn't matter. You just need to know their STD status. Offer to go together to test.
Maybe you're a person who only has sex in relationships - that's okay. So am I. Maybe you can have casual sex - also totally okay. You just need to be able to figure out the balance with your concerns about STDs.
https://westoverheights.com/forum/question/more-panic/
Obviously, it does happen, because we have shedding data on it. It's just really rare.
HSV 2 genital 15-30% of days evaluated
HSV 1 genital 3-5% of days evaluated
HSV 1 oral 25% of days evaluated
HSV 2 oral 1% of days evaluated
If it does happen, it almost always only causes one outbreak ever, and never transmits.
Please don't waste any more time fearing something so unlikely to happen.
Listen, no one wants herpes. No one wants an STD. But you can still enjoy sex and protect yourself. Have you ever been tested for herpes? Find out if you have either type. If you do, you can't get that type again. You may have hsv1 orally, and that means you can't get it genitally. If you don't, talk to your partners, and get tested before you have sex.
The safer sex conversation should be one that you have before sex. It freaks you out - which is okay - so take some control over it. Ask for test results. Any decent partner is going to want to protect you, and won't find this unreasonable. Your partner should want to know about your STD status, too. You don't need to get into a detailed sex history, which often causes discomfort, and doesn't matter. You just need to know their STD status. Offer to go together to test.
Maybe you're a person who only has sex in relationships - that's okay. So am I. Maybe you can have casual sex - also totally okay. You just need to be able to figure out the balance with your concerns about STDs.
9 Comments
Thank you so much . Yes, I always ask partners for their bloodwork . And I go every year too. My last annual obgyn was April 2019 so I’m about to make a new appointment. Even thinking of the appoint gives me so much anxiety . I’ve been with 1 person over the last year ( was in a relationship) and then started dating someone new. I didn’t really have the sexual talk just yet bc it’s so new and I’m not ready for sex with him. The one night I described above Kind of just happened but I had to stop bc I’m just not ready .
I am positive for hsv 1. Never had a cold sore or anything genitally and I may have even had this since I was a kid bc my mom gets cold sores.
But I’m so scared to go get tested again and I get like this every single year .
This helped clarify tremendously .
So basically hsv 2 is typically transmitted when it’s FROM the genital location? And rarely FROM the oral location?
It’s weird bc contracting genital hsv1 is common right? So you would think contracting hsv2 orally would have the same transmission rate
I am positive for hsv 1. Never had a cold sore or anything genitally and I may have even had this since I was a kid bc my mom gets cold sores.
But I’m so scared to go get tested again and I get like this every single year .
This helped clarify tremendously .
So basically hsv 2 is typically transmitted when it’s FROM the genital location? And rarely FROM the oral location?
It’s weird bc contracting genital hsv1 is common right? So you would think contracting hsv2 orally would have the same transmission rate
Yes, oral hsv2 is from someone performing oral sex on someone who has hsv2. It doesn't transfer from the mouth. Most people only get the initial outbreak and no recurrences.
For whatever reason, hsv1 doesn't mind the genital area so much, though when that happens, it doesn't shed or recur nearly as much as ghsv2. Ghsv1 accounts for about 50% of all new ghsv infections, so getting it is fairly frequent, but recurrences aren't so much.
Most people get ohsv1 as kids, usually from a well-intentioned adult who didn't realize that the cold sore they had was infectious.
I'm sorry you have such a fear over this. If your most recent relationship was with a negative partner, you can expect that your test now will be negative. And good for you for testing. I know you're scared, but you're taking control over it. :)
For whatever reason, hsv1 doesn't mind the genital area so much, though when that happens, it doesn't shed or recur nearly as much as ghsv2. Ghsv1 accounts for about 50% of all new ghsv infections, so getting it is fairly frequent, but recurrences aren't so much.
Most people get ohsv1 as kids, usually from a well-intentioned adult who didn't realize that the cold sore they had was infectious.
I'm sorry you have such a fear over this. If your most recent relationship was with a negative partner, you can expect that your test now will be negative. And good for you for testing. I know you're scared, but you're taking control over it. :)
Thank you so much . I can’t tell
You how much This site has helped me over the years .
So, yes my most recent partner just went for bloodwork again because we are trying to work out our relationship and agreed to a fresh start . This is the same person I had a year long relationship with as mentioned above . He was negative for everything outside of hsv 1 , which I could get too.
We never used condoms once we were both tested a year ago . So, chances are I’m negative for stds right? I go tomorrow and I can’t explain the amount of anxiety I have over just going
I’ve had 1 other partner prior to my relationship which was right after I had my bloodwork in April 2019. He showed me his current bloodwork too . It’s very in depth but doesn’t have the lab on it . Have you ever seen that especially with electronic medical charts ? I think my mind is just pulling at everything and I’m stressing the “what if” those labs weren’t real . And if my partner since him is negative chances are I still am too right?
You how much This site has helped me over the years .
So, yes my most recent partner just went for bloodwork again because we are trying to work out our relationship and agreed to a fresh start . This is the same person I had a year long relationship with as mentioned above . He was negative for everything outside of hsv 1 , which I could get too.
We never used condoms once we were both tested a year ago . So, chances are I’m negative for stds right? I go tomorrow and I can’t explain the amount of anxiety I have over just going
I’ve had 1 other partner prior to my relationship which was right after I had my bloodwork in April 2019. He showed me his current bloodwork too . It’s very in depth but doesn’t have the lab on it . Have you ever seen that especially with electronic medical charts ? I think my mind is just pulling at everything and I’m stressing the “what if” those labs weren’t real . And if my partner since him is negative chances are I still am too right?
Do you mean it doesn't say what lab did the blood work? I just pulled mine up on my patient portal at my doctor's office and it doesn't list the lab, either. I hadn't noticed that, but I know where I had them done, and know that they are my results, and they're real.
That would be some kind of hacking work to fake that kind of thing. Is he that talented? More so - is he that devious? Is this your anxiety, or has he given you reason to distrust him on that kind of level?
Yes, assuming that you can trust him and that your fear is anxiety and not a serious distrust of this man, you can expect your results to be negative.
We may have talked about this before, but it never hurts repeating - if your level of anxiety is to the point where you suspect people of faking complicated, detailed medical results, please consider counseling, if you aren't already in it. Some anxiety over STDs is okay, but this may be excessive. Talk to your doctor about it today.
Good luck on your testing. You're going to be fine. Just take some deep breaths. There are some ways to ground yourself in anxious situations - https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding-techniques
Some of those aren't going to be possible with your feet up in stirrups, but some are, so read them over, and pick one or two that you think might work for you. You're strong for facing your fears. :) Remember that.
That would be some kind of hacking work to fake that kind of thing. Is he that talented? More so - is he that devious? Is this your anxiety, or has he given you reason to distrust him on that kind of level?
Yes, assuming that you can trust him and that your fear is anxiety and not a serious distrust of this man, you can expect your results to be negative.
We may have talked about this before, but it never hurts repeating - if your level of anxiety is to the point where you suspect people of faking complicated, detailed medical results, please consider counseling, if you aren't already in it. Some anxiety over STDs is okay, but this may be excessive. Talk to your doctor about it today.
Good luck on your testing. You're going to be fine. Just take some deep breaths. There are some ways to ground yourself in anxious situations - https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding-techniques
Some of those aren't going to be possible with your feet up in stirrups, but some are, so read them over, and pick one or two that you think might work for you. You're strong for facing your fears. :) Remember that.
Oh that’s reassuring. I work in health care and have always seen the lab on top of the labs . But that’s good to know yours didn’t have it either .
Yea My anxiety is definitely taking control over me and I have to go to counseling bc it’s been almost 10 years of this fear . I don’t think the person is devious . And I’m sure my thoughts are irrational .
I had my bloodwork done in April of 2019. This person had his done then too. All negative but the lab wasn’t on top . I then got into a new relationship some time after. ( that’s the person I dated for a year and now working it out). He tested when we first dated last year and again a week ago . All negative . I am going tomorrow and I guess my mind is back tracking to anyone I was in contact with since my last test.
U have never heard of someone hacking or typing up labs on all your years in this type of field?
Yea My anxiety is definitely taking control over me and I have to go to counseling bc it’s been almost 10 years of this fear . I don’t think the person is devious . And I’m sure my thoughts are irrational .
I had my bloodwork done in April of 2019. This person had his done then too. All negative but the lab wasn’t on top . I then got into a new relationship some time after. ( that’s the person I dated for a year and now working it out). He tested when we first dated last year and again a week ago . All negative . I am going tomorrow and I guess my mind is back tracking to anyone I was in contact with since my last test.
U have never heard of someone hacking or typing up labs on all your years in this type of field?
Would I be able to send you photos of the labs to show you how they look? I will cross out the name?
You can't send them to me, but you can post them on imgur or something, and I will take a look. If you want to send me a PM with the link, that's fine, too. Just make sure all identifying info is taken off.
You probably see the lab name, but when it goes to the doc and into the patient portal, it's probably just entered with the results. At least that's how it's done at my doctor's office.
No, I've heard of people lying about results, but never about faking them like that. Most people aren't that devious or clever enough to do that. Or mean enough.
Your anxiety is telling you that it's possible that this man, you in one breath you say isn't devious, would be capable of purposefully lying to you about his results, somehow fake the entire thing, and hack into his patient portal and change it. That's criminal activity and sociopathic levels of cruelty. To me, that would be way worse than getting herpes from someone.
Please, get counseling. I don't know what causes your anxiety, or your distrust, but I hope you find healing for it. It must be just exhausting worrying like this, and you deserve to find peace.
You probably see the lab name, but when it goes to the doc and into the patient portal, it's probably just entered with the results. At least that's how it's done at my doctor's office.
No, I've heard of people lying about results, but never about faking them like that. Most people aren't that devious or clever enough to do that. Or mean enough.
Your anxiety is telling you that it's possible that this man, you in one breath you say isn't devious, would be capable of purposefully lying to you about his results, somehow fake the entire thing, and hack into his patient portal and change it. That's criminal activity and sociopathic levels of cruelty. To me, that would be way worse than getting herpes from someone.
Please, get counseling. I don't know what causes your anxiety, or your distrust, but I hope you find healing for it. It must be just exhausting worrying like this, and you deserve to find peace.
I pm you with the link. Hopefully it was sent correctly . Please let me know
I just responded to you.
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
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.
