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What are the odds that I have Herpes?

Three days ago I visited a legal brothel in Nevada and had oral and vaginal sex with a prostitute. It lasted about 5-10 minutes. I wore a condom, but there may have been some skin to skin contact at the base of my penis. Afterward I immediately cleaned this area with a disinfectant (used to clean the shower) and washed the area in the shower. The next day I saw a doctor and got a prescription for Valtrex. I took 1000mg about every 4 hours for 24 hours hoping it might work like a morning after pill. I have now cut back to 1000mg every 12 hours. She said that she was clean and that she has to be tested every 30 days to work there, but that is no guarantee. I am really worried about the possibility of contracting herpes and I know I should get tested, but will the Valtrex affect the results? I really don't want to tell my wife about the incident if I don't have HSV. Will the Valtrex reduce the possibility of transmitting it to her while I await the test results? I'm feeling tingling near the base of my penis, on my balls, and near my anus. Could that be the prodrome? I really need your help. Thank you.
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55646 tn?1263660809
Because the dose to slow reactivation of the virus is a completely different thing than the amount of medicine it would take to prevent latency of the virus with first infection.  

That's correct.

Terri
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for your reply. I have been tested before for Herpes and have always been negative. Do you think this exposure warrants being tested again?

I wonder why taking Valtrex would affect the test results, but not prevent infection. I suppose it might minimize the immune response by killing some of the virus, but not enough to prevent infection of the ganglia?

Thank you again.
Helpful - 0
55646 tn?1263660809
Its difficult to say whether Valtrex, taken the next day, would have any impact on transmission for you.  I would guess not, honestly.  It probably needs to be taken within hours of contact but we honestly don't know for sure, that study has only been done in mice, not humans.  

Have you ever been tested previously to know that you don't already have herpes?  

And yes, taking Valtrex over any signficant period of time can interfere with the test results.  If you are going to test at some point, I would only take it a week, if at all.

I'm sure you are noticing all genital symptoms that you might have right now because of your worry.  A single contact, with a condom, is a low risk experience.  If you don't develop any skin changes, I think you can limit your worry.

Terri
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