Dear Doctor,
A few months back I was dating a girl for a short while. Few weeks into our relationship we got intimate. She performed oral sex on me after which she developed flu like symptoms with running nose and sore throat and all. She also had this weird dry skin around her nose BUT it was not a cold sore. It was just dry skin peeling off and this was confirmed by her doctor. A swab was taken from the dry skin area and also her mouth for testing. Test was normal. The doctor said there was nothing out or the ordinary to be found. Because this was a long distance relationship I came back to my town after weekend with her. Three weeks later I went to visit her again. By now her dry skin had healed. We stayed the night at a hotel and we had sex again. She performed oral sex on me again and two days later she developed an actual cold sore. She consulted her local GP who herself wasn’t sure if it was a cold sore at first, she had to get a 2nd doctors opinion for confirmation. The first doctor actually thought it was just a skin irritation. Even after three weeks from getting intimate for the first time, and after her “flu” had gotten better, she complained of sore throat again a day before we had sex 2nd time ( my 2nd visit). She did happen to inform me that she does get bad sore throat every winter which causes the skin around her nose to peel. She said shes had it worse before but she did say shes never had a cold sore before, well not one like this anyways! Is it just coincidence or could I have infected her?
My question is with the above facts presented to you is it possible that I may have hsv-2? I have no symptoms at all!!! I have a new partner now, and she has performed oral sex on me several times and she has never developed any flu like symptoms or any cold sores? I have had a few partners over the years. I do get myself checked up every year! I have done a lot of research on herpes. I do understand the if a person has never had cold sores as a kid, having oral sex with a person infected with hsv 2 virus can trigger hsv 1 in the mouth area, but if a person already has been infected with hsv 1 in childhood than it is considered highly unlikely for a person to get re-infected with hsv 1 again. Hsv2 virus only seems to like the groin area and you are unlikely to get it in the mouth area. Research also shows that you are 95% unlikely to infect someone if you do not show any symptoms at all. PLEASE HELP!!
hsv1 can never turn into hsv2. they are 2 totally different infections. you can contract hsv1 genitally, it stays hsv1 and can't turn into hsv2.
grace