Protected?

[Hopeful3938]

So I have been swabbed, came up hsv positive. Have blood test planned for boyfriend and me next week to get type info.  My question is, I plan on staying on acyclovir after this ob heals bc this has been so severe I want to minimize getting it again as much as possible. I have read that acyclovir cuts my risk of spreading it, as it cuts down on shedding. Does it also cut my risk of getting hsv 1 ?  Specifically, if he has hsv genitally, can I do oral sex and have low risk of getting in the mouth?  He (like me before now) has never had an ob that we know of.

[Fleetwood20]

If your partner is correct in saying he has not had signs of a genital outbreak (and many people with the virus do not equate symptoms with it) then the chances seem pretty reasonable that he has an oral HSV1 infection that transferred to you through oral sex. The testing should help identify the circumstances.

Note that HSV antivirals do not prevent a person from being infected but act to halt replication of an existing virus. In fact by taking them may delay your body building protection.

It will take up to six months to build maximum protection against infection say in your oral area.

[Hopeful3938]

Ohhhh.....  So the build up of antibodies help protect me from getting in the mouth as well?  Does the anti viral help too?  I have no idea how long I've had it. Just had ob, but we've been together and monogamous few years. This was a complete shock

[Life360_Dave]

Hi, if this is new infection you would not have ample antibodies to help prevent contracting it orally and if he has genital hsv there would be a risk.