Cunnilingus Questions

[cunnilingusquestion]

I am a male.  A week ago I gave unprotected cunnilingus to a female who had tested positive for genital herpes.  I am not sure if it was HSV1 or HSV2.  She reports being asymptomatic for years.  She generally takes Valtrex prior to sexual encounters (I estimate the frequency to be weekly, but that is a guess).  However, she did not take Valtrex prior to the contact with me.  We also had genital sex using a condom during that same encounter.

My concern at this point is that I may have become orally infected with HSV1 or HSV2 or both, or else even genitally infected through skin contact despite the use of a condom.

So my questions are:

What is the likelihood that I have contracted herpes, and at what point do I become infectious to others?
How long should I wait before getting tested, if I remain asymptomatic, to ensure a reliable test result?

Thanks for any advice.

[cunnilingusquestion]

Thank you for that information.  Does there happen to be any data on the median number of sexual encounters per year for which the 1% applies?  It would make a big difference if sex took place daily, weekly, or monthly on average, in terms of what the 1% represents.

I am not trying to be facetious with this question.  If the percentage could be associated "per episode" rather than "per unit of time," this might help non-monogamous people become better informed about risk of occasional sex with HSV+ partners and make better decisions accordingly.

[gracefromHHP]

daily suppressive therapy, condom use and avoiding sex during obvious genital symptoms keeps the risk to a male down to 1%/year. Obviously not zero but pretty darn close!!!  It's not anywhere near a "omg I'm doomed" scenario at all.

the link between hpv 16 I believe it is and oral cancers is well established.  plenty of research out there on it.

[cunnilingusquestion]

Thanks for the helpful reply.  To answer your questions, I was tested in 2010 using stdtestexpress full series, all negative.  Other companies also exist providing similar testing services.  That series included HSV1 and HSV2, but I am not sure which test method.  Presumably it was not the Western Blot, because results were available less than a week later.  The most recent possible exposure to STDs had been in 2009, with more limited testing (HIV only) done several months afterwards.  The 2010 testing was primarily confirmatory for peace of mind.

From what I can discern after reading through this forum and researching other sites, there is really no effective prevention for HSV transmission.  Use of a condom is not perfect with respect to female to male infection, because there can be skin to skin frictional contact between legs and vulva, or else vaginal fluids containing virus shed could contact other parts of the male body during the course of sexual activity.

Moreover, unprotected cunnilingus with a genital herpes positive female would seem always to put the male partner at risk, regardless of whether the female is asymptomatic.  Use of suppressants may reduce the likelihood of infection, but does not appear to eliminate it.

Perhaps I am off base here, but those conclusions seem to jibe with the research I have done so far.

I found it startling how little I knew about Herpes until I discovered this forum and similar websites.  I consider myself relatively well informed about STDs, but Herpes appears to be a very important topic that is poorly understood by the general public in terms of risks and consequences.

Somewhat off topic but related, one might conjecture that the increase in male throat cancer rates may be due to increased popularity of cunnilingus, resulting in a greater incidence of male mouth infections with HSV or HPV, possibly asymptomatic.  I have never seen that conjecture stated anywhere on the web.

I would like to continue genital and oral sex with this infected partner, and will have to do more research on the odds of infection using suppressants against asymptomatic shedding.  A major concern is to avoid infecting a third party before tests revealed that I had acquired Herpes.  This would seem to imply abstinence from other partners until a month or so after the last contact with the infected female, so that testing could reliably determine my status.

[gracefromHHP]

you would be contagious within a day or two of being infected.

taking valtrex prior to sex is worthless. it takes at least 5 days of daily use to decrease viral shedding. just a fyi in case you plan to continue being sexual with this partner.

have you ever been tested for herpes before to know your own status? It's not a part of routine std testing.

Even though overall the risk of a std from either giving or receiving oral sex is very low, we still recommend it be protected if it's not a regular partner.  It protects you as well as saves you a lot of worrying as well as frequent std testing.

grace

[cunnilingusquestion]

Could you kindly clarify how long after exposure to herpes it takes to become infectious to others, if one is indeed infected by one's initial exposure?

[bobrope45]

Very low. Protected sex works; as for the oral sex, oral HSV2 is rare (assuming she has hsv2). Besides, the chance of transmission for a single encounter is usually pretty low.

You can get a type specific blood test for herpes (hsv1 and hsv2, Igg - not IgM) 3-4 months after the encounter.