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Will hsv2 outbreak go away without medication
My boyfriend has hsv2 outbreaks on his buttocks and despite a positive test at the doctor, denies that the sores are from hsv2. I don’t think he takes medicine for it but I could be wrong.
COMMUNITY LEADER
How was he diagnosed at the doctor? Did he get the sores tested with swabs?
Assuming they are from herpes, the sores will go away, but the virus doesn't. Even if he doesn't take medicine, the sores will go away on their own. How long that takes depends on if this is a new infection or not. It might take a week to 3 weeks, give or take.
People with herpes are contagious even without sores present. There is something called asymptomatic viral shedding. This is when the virus is active on the skin with no symptoms showing.
It doesn't happen every day, but for hsv2, happens about 20% of days for those who get symptoms, like your bf. (This is an average - your bf may be lower or higher.)
Herpes infects nerve groups. Genital herpes infects the sacral ganglia, which means that even though your bf's outbreak is on his butt, he is infected in the entire genital area.
It's REALLY important that you know he can infect you with his penis even if he never gets a sore there. The virus sheds from the thin, moist skin only - the penis, the anus, etc. He isn't shedding his butt cheeks, if that's where his sores are. He's shedding from his penis.
I'm not saying this to freak you out, or to get you to break up with him. He needs to not be in denial about this.
If he has hsv2, and you're female (I don't know if you are, and I'll address gender in a moment), have sex 2-3x a week, the odds that you'll get herpes from him over the course of a year are:
just avoiding sex during an outbreak: 10%
using condoms OR daily suppressive meds like Valtrex - 5%
using condoms AND meds - 2-3%
Unfortunately, if you're both male, we don't have stats for that. We only have stats for opposite sex couples, not same sex couples. Same sex couples haven't been studied yet. If you're both male, it's assumed to be higher, but we don't know how much higher.
You can read a lot more about herpes in the Herpes Handbook. It's free, written by a world-renowned herpes expert, and you can read it on any device - https://westoverheights.com/herpes/the-updated-herpes-handbook/ (We aren't associated in any way with Terri Warren or that site. It's not advertising. It's just a really good resource.)
I've had genital herpes type 2 for 20 years. Ask me anything. I'm sorry he's in denial, but that isn't going to work. He's putting you at risk.
Have you tested? You need to test. You can ask your doctor for a type specific IgG blood test, or you can get one at a number of places online. Some good places to go are:
STDCheck.com
LetsGetChecked.com
HealthLabs.com
UltaLabTests.com
These all give you index values, which is important, because there are false positives on the hsv2 test. They all also run specials, and you can find coupon codes by googling. Research them, find the one that works best for you, for price or testing method.
Assuming they are from herpes, the sores will go away, but the virus doesn't. Even if he doesn't take medicine, the sores will go away on their own. How long that takes depends on if this is a new infection or not. It might take a week to 3 weeks, give or take.
People with herpes are contagious even without sores present. There is something called asymptomatic viral shedding. This is when the virus is active on the skin with no symptoms showing.
It doesn't happen every day, but for hsv2, happens about 20% of days for those who get symptoms, like your bf. (This is an average - your bf may be lower or higher.)
Herpes infects nerve groups. Genital herpes infects the sacral ganglia, which means that even though your bf's outbreak is on his butt, he is infected in the entire genital area.
It's REALLY important that you know he can infect you with his penis even if he never gets a sore there. The virus sheds from the thin, moist skin only - the penis, the anus, etc. He isn't shedding his butt cheeks, if that's where his sores are. He's shedding from his penis.
I'm not saying this to freak you out, or to get you to break up with him. He needs to not be in denial about this.
If he has hsv2, and you're female (I don't know if you are, and I'll address gender in a moment), have sex 2-3x a week, the odds that you'll get herpes from him over the course of a year are:
just avoiding sex during an outbreak: 10%
using condoms OR daily suppressive meds like Valtrex - 5%
using condoms AND meds - 2-3%
Unfortunately, if you're both male, we don't have stats for that. We only have stats for opposite sex couples, not same sex couples. Same sex couples haven't been studied yet. If you're both male, it's assumed to be higher, but we don't know how much higher.
You can read a lot more about herpes in the Herpes Handbook. It's free, written by a world-renowned herpes expert, and you can read it on any device - https://westoverheights.com/herpes/the-updated-herpes-handbook/ (We aren't associated in any way with Terri Warren or that site. It's not advertising. It's just a really good resource.)
I've had genital herpes type 2 for 20 years. Ask me anything. I'm sorry he's in denial, but that isn't going to work. He's putting you at risk.
Have you tested? You need to test. You can ask your doctor for a type specific IgG blood test, or you can get one at a number of places online. Some good places to go are:
STDCheck.com
LetsGetChecked.com
HealthLabs.com
UltaLabTests.com
These all give you index values, which is important, because there are false positives on the hsv2 test. They all also run specials, and you can find coupon codes by googling. Research them, find the one that works best for you, for price or testing method.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
