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genital hsv1 doesn't look like herpes

Hello, I would greatly appreciate an opinion on the following.

I'm a 32 year old woman who was recently diagnosed with genital hsv1. I don't know how long I've had it as the symptoms I have are barely noticable and only got a swab test because I started a new relationship and felt a tiny amount of discomfort that I hadn't noticed previously. When the swab was being taken, the dr commented that he thought it was unlikely it was herpes because it looked nothing like a cold sore or hsv2. It was just a single half centremetre patch of worn skin, that was flat, and looked like I had acquired through rough sex, not like a sore at all, and it wasn't at all red or painful. The test came back as positive for HSV1. That outbreak lasted about 3 weeks, it cleared up over the last month, but now I have another one that is pretty much the same and in the same spot. Prior to March, I hadn't been the recipient of oral sex in over a year. I am wondering:

1) is it common for genital HSV 1 to look nothing like a cold sore or genital herpes? Does this mean I have a different strain?
2) Because I haven't had oral sex in over a year (besides March), is it likely that I am showing symptoms from an old infection? Seems strange that I'm having another outbreak so soon if the infection is more than a year old.
3) Because the symptoms are barely noticable, I have been checking with  mirror every day to see if it had come back since the last outbreak. If I am having an outbreak without realising and have intercourse is my partner certain to become infected, assuming he isn't already?
4) Because I'm having another outbreak so soon, I am also wondering if I have HSV2 hat wasn't detected. Is it possible that the test picked up HSV1 but subsequent outbreaks could be either? Am I likely to have HSV2 that wasn't detected in the swab? Does the presence of HSV1 reduce the likelihod that I also have HSV2?


Thanks.
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Avatar universal
Hello, thanks for your response.

My partner has said that he's never had a cold sore, so I guess it must be from the last time, over a year ago...just wondering if this is at all likely, as I thought that most genital HSV1 cases don't erupt after the first year...

Thanks
Helpful - 0
1024580 tn?1331574121
Hello,
Thank you very much for your post and welcome to our STD forum.  I am going to reply to each of your queries one by one here as follows:

1) is it common for genital HSV 1 to look nothing like a cold sore or genital herpes? Does this mean I have a different strain?
GENITAL HERPES IS USUALLY CAUSE BY HSV-2.  HOWEVER IT CAN ALSO BE CAUSED BY HSV-1, ESPECIALLY AFTER RECEIVING ORAL SEX BY SOMEONE WITH HSV-1 IN THEIR MOUTH.  THE CLINICAL SYMPTOMS ARE VARIED, SOMETIMES NOT EVEN RESEMBLING A COLD SORE, HAVING USUALLY MILD SYMPTOMS (UNLIKE HSV-2 WHICH USUALLY CAUSES A VERY PAINFUL BLISTERY RASH).  IF HSV-1 HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED ON THE PCR SWAB, THIS IS DEFINITE AS THE CAUSE FOR THE MILD SYMPTOMS THAT YOU HAD EXPERIENCED, AND NOT ANY OTHER STRAIN.  THERE IS ONLY 2 TYPES OF HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUSES, TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2.

2) Because I haven't had oral sex in over a year (besides March), is it likely that I am showing symptoms from an old infection? Seems strange that I'm having another outbreak so soon if the infection is more than a year old.
IT SEEMS MORE LIKELY THAT YOU CONTRACTED HSV-1 IN MARCH AS THE SYMPTOMS USUALLY HAPPEN WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF BECOMING INFECTED

3) Because the symptoms are barely noticable, I have been checking with  mirror every day to see if it had come back since the last outbreak. If I am having an outbreak without realising and have intercourse is my partner certain to become infected, assuming he isn't already?
IF YOUR PARTNER SUFFERS FROM COLD SORES, HE ALREADY HAS HSV-1 IN THE LIPS.  THEREFORE HE WILL NOT GET HSV-1 IN HIS GENITALS. IF HE DOES NOT SUFFER FORM COLD SORES, HE IS OBVIOSULY AT RISK OF DEVELOPING GENITAL HSV-1 AND HE PROBABLY HAS BEEN EXPOSED ALREADY.  IT IS BEST TO AVOID SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WHILST HAVING AN OTUBREAK TO MINIMISE THE CHANCES OF TRANSMISSION.

4) Because I'm having another outbreak so soon, I am also wondering if I have HSV2 hat wasn't detected. Is it possible that the test picked up HSV1 but subsequent outbreaks could be either? Am I likely to have HSV2 that wasn't detected in the swab? Does the presence of HSV1 reduce the likelihod that I also have HSV2?
IF HSV-2 WAS NOT DETECTED, THAT MEANS THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE HSV-2.  SYMPTOMS ARE MUCH MORE SEVERE WITH HSV-2 THAT WHAT YOU HAVE EXPEREINCED.  I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE HSV-2.  HAVING HSV-1 DOES NOT REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF CONTRACTING HSV-2 EITHER.  HSV-1 OUTBREAKS CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME, BUT THEY BECOME LESS SEVERE AND LESS FREQUENT WITH TIME, DEPENDING ON THE STATE OF YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.  TAKING VALTREX WOULD DEFINITELY TREAT HSV-1 AND OBVIOSULY IF YOU STOP TAKING IT THE INFECTION CAN RECURR AS THE VIRUS REAMINS DORMANT IN YOUR SYSTEM.

Best wishes,
Dr José
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Avatar universal
Oh I don't know if this is worth mentioning, but I was taking Valtrex for the last month, when the symptoms from the first outbreak went away. For a few days I was a bit slack and missed a few pils, which is when the worn skin came back. Just wondering if this could be one outbreak that was supressed, instead of two, if that makes sense.

Thanks
Helpful - 0

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