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Spreading Herpes with Hands?

Everything I am reading says that genital herpes can only be spread by direct sexual contact, but I am curious if the shedding virus can be spread with hands. If I am making love with a woman with genital herpes who is not having an outbreak and is taking antiviral medicine, is it possible to spread the virus by touching her genital area with my hand and then later touching my penis, or perhaps touching her genital area with my hand and then later fondling her breast with that hand and then kissing that breast? And, if it is possible to spread the virus in this way, how likely is this? Thanks for your help with this. GP
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Avatar universal
Thank you SO MUCH for your help with this!! GP
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
your overall risk is so low as it is, it's certainly not worth taking any added precautions for.  Ask yourself - how would you feel is someone got up to wash their hands during sex with you or kept purell at the bedside and kept reaching for it or something?  Your risk is 1%/year with all you are doing - it's not worth doing anything else for.

grace  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks so much for your response, but I am not sure that I understand. While making love to this woman, I am using protection (condoms), start to finish, for intercourse, and using barriers for oral sex (me going down on her), but it has occurred to me that I have also been fondling her genital area with my hands and then touching other things--my penis, her breasts, etc. I am wondering if there is a danger in this and if so how much of a danger this constitutes. Should I avoid all hand to genital contact or stop and wash my hands before touching anything else (which needless to say would put quite a damper on the lovemaking). As I say, she has genital herpes, but has not had an outbreak for many years and she is taking daily antiviral medicine. Thanks, GP
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
the risk is with the actual foreplace and sex act, not just hand to genital contact.

grace
Helpful - 0
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