Hello everyone. My first question...

[elf22]

I have recently been diagnosed with herpes and I'm really out of it. My husband and I have been together for many years and I had my first outbreak this year. I have a four year old and im scared I might have passed it. I don't know if when your pregnant the doctors test or can tell you have herpes. No one ever told me. If I didn't have it when I was pregnant I would assume I got it from my husband after. I have type 1 for oral and genital. We really don't have much oral, so could I have gotten it after birth? Do you always contract it on the first time?

[HowardH]

There's no doubt you have a newly acquired HSV2 infection. The initial outbreak was typical and so were your test results, with positive swab for HSV2 and negative blood test. With time, your blood test will become positive. And no surprise your husband's HSV2 test is positive.

Some people have more severe and/or more frequent outbreaks than others. Yours seem to be on the frequent/severe side. However, this could settle down over time, with lower frequency, less severe, and briefer. You won't have any symptoms between outbreaks. If you haven't already discussed ongoing suppressive treatment with your doctor, you should do that. It would markedly reduce the frequency of outbreaks, although maybe not completely prevent them.

There's a silver lining:  you and your husband cannot reinfect one another; the virus doesn't "ping pong" between mutually infected partners. There will be no restrictions on your sex life and specific sex practices, except for to avoid sex during outbreaks which could be painful.

When all is said and done, this will settle into an inconvenience, not a signficant health threat and nothing that should seriously affect your life going forward.  Best wishes.

[Fleetwood20]

Did your husband have a solid value for IgG for HSV2?

Let's assume that he does. If you had a blood test at the time of the sores appearing, then this probably confirmed that you had an oral HSV1 infection most probably from your youth. It is likely that at the time of the sores appearing, you were infected with HSV2 a few days beforehand from your husband's infection.

It is not all uncommon not to have oral cold sores in living memory from a long establish oral HSV1 infection.

[elf22]

Thanks for your comment and support. I got my first out break on my genital area. I had about seven sores on the outer part of my vagina. I got the swab test positive and had the blood test positive for Hsv1 and negative for Hsv2, butthey said cause the swab test was positive the negative Hsv2 wasn't really negative. I've had three outbreaks since I found out. I've had swollen lymph nodes, nausea, dizziness and a current outbreak. This outbreak is inside and the doctor said I had many sores. I'm feeling burning, nausea, really tired, and I'm getting dizzy often. I'm not pregnant and I was wondering if these symptoms can be felt constant or only with outbreaks? I haven't had any oral sores. My husband was tested after me and was positive for Hsv1 and Hsv2. He on the other hand has had only one genital outbreak with one sores. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

[HowardH]

This is a very common situation, i.e. first infection (or first diagnosis) of herpes  months or years into a sexual relationship. It doesn't necessarily mean anyone has had other partners. More likely you have been infected for years and didn't know it; or your husband is infected and you caught it only recently.

Herpes testing isn't routine in pregnant women; most likely you weren't tested previously.

I and other forum regulars can help better if you can provide more information. Can you say more about your first outbreak? How many sores/lesions? Did you have a simultaneous oral and genital outbreak? Other symptoms, like inflamed lymph nodes in the groin, fever, etc? Exactly what lab test(s) were done to show you have HSV1 both orall and genital?  Does your husband have known oral or genital herpes? Has he been tested since you were diagnosed?

In the meantime, try not to worry. There is no risk to your child. And assuming you and your husband are sharing the same HSV type, you won't re-infect each other, so there will be no limit on what you do sexually with one another. And genital HSV1 infections usually recur infrequently; you may never have another outbreak.