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Worried about Transmission
My husband and I have both been blood tested and I am positive for HSV-1, negative for HSV-2. He is negative for both.
Last night during foreplay around 9:30, I briefly performed falatio on him prior to intercourse. I had a microdermabrasion treatment at 2:00 yesterday, and one side effect is a possible herpes outbreak. As I rarely get them, I wasn't concerned. I woke up just after 4 a.m. with an itch and had the beginning of a cold sore at 5:30am. The sore is not on my lip, but outside my lip to the left side - on skin.
I have had cold sores since I was about 12 - about 25 years. I have at most 1 or 2 outbreaks a year.
I am concerned about him contracting genital HSV-1, and also of me getting a gential case as we had sex last night (with KY lube).
We are trying to conceive, and I am concerned about herpes during delivery. I know that my long history will offer antibodies to our baby, and little risk. I just want to be sure, however.
Please help.
Last night during foreplay around 9:30, I briefly performed falatio on him prior to intercourse. I had a microdermabrasion treatment at 2:00 yesterday, and one side effect is a possible herpes outbreak. As I rarely get them, I wasn't concerned. I woke up just after 4 a.m. with an itch and had the beginning of a cold sore at 5:30am. The sore is not on my lip, but outside my lip to the left side - on skin.
I have had cold sores since I was about 12 - about 25 years. I have at most 1 or 2 outbreaks a year.
I am concerned about him contracting genital HSV-1, and also of me getting a gential case as we had sex last night (with KY lube).
We are trying to conceive, and I am concerned about herpes during delivery. I know that my long history will offer antibodies to our baby, and little risk. I just want to be sure, however.
Please help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your husband has the right perspective on this.
Getting health care if he develops a symptomatic infection makes sense to confirm the diagnosis and, even if the diagnosis is obvious, to get a prescription for anti-herpetic therapy to reduce discomfort and speed healing. The initial infection with HSV can be quite uncomfortable and sometimes prolonged (2-3 weeks), and some infections that start mild can become quite severe without treatment.
Getting health care if he develops a symptomatic infection makes sense to confirm the diagnosis and, even if the diagnosis is obvious, to get a prescription for anti-herpetic therapy to reduce discomfort and speed healing. The initial infection with HSV can be quite uncomfortable and sometimes prolonged (2-3 weeks), and some infections that start mild can become quite severe without treatment.
Thank you very much.
Fortunately, my husband is annoyed that I am so concerned. He said that worst case scenario, he gets some blisters and we get through it. It's just that I have gone 38 years and 7 with him being extremely careful - including no oral sex for 2 months following an outbreak - so I am disappointed in myself and the possibility of bringing this wonderful man any harm.
Why will he need to see a doctor if he has an outbreak, out of curiosity?
Fortunately, my husband is annoyed that I am so concerned. He said that worst case scenario, he gets some blisters and we get through it. It's just that I have gone 38 years and 7 with him being extremely careful - including no oral sex for 2 months following an outbreak - so I am disappointed in myself and the possibility of bringing this wonderful man any harm.
Why will he need to see a doctor if he has an outbreak, out of curiosity?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. I'll try to help.
There are 3 overt questions/issues here: What is the chance you transmitted HSV-1 to your husband's penis? If that happened, could you get genital herpes from him? And what about preventing neonatal herpes in view of your HSV-1. infection? I'll add a third issue of my own, which you didn't ask but I'm going to answer anyway: How big a deal is it if your husband gets gential HSV-1?
1) First, it sounds like there's a good chance you were infectious during the oral sex event, so there was clearly some risk of transmisison. However, there are no data to estimate the actual risk. It was above zero, but I cannot estimate whether there is a 50% chance, 1 in 10, 1 in 100, or 1 in 1000.
2) Second, you can't catch another HSV-1 infection anywhere on your body. Once someone has HSV, he or she is immune (or at least highly resistant) to catching it again.
3) Does it matter if he gets genital herpes in this circumstance? Maybe not much. Despite all the fear of genital herpes, most infections are mild, or cause no symptoms at all; and if your husband he does get penile blisters, sores, etc, effective treatment is available to limit pain and speed healing. And when genital herpes is caused by HSV-1, recurrent outbreaks usually are few and far between. 40% of people have no recurrences at all and most of the rest have 1-2 recurrences in the next couple of years, then nothing.
4) What about preventing neonatal herpes? As I said above, you're not going to get genital HSV-1. The greatest risk of HSV in your baby likely will come if you kiss him or her in the first month of age, if you are having an oral herpes outbreak at the time. And even that risk is very low.
What to do now? First, your husband should be on the alert for penile blisters or sores and see a provider immediately if that happens. But neither he nor you should be freaked out about this. Second, when you become pregnant, make sure your obstetrician is aware of your oral herpes history and, equally important, that your baby's pediatrician knows. Be alert to oral herpes outbreaks when the baby is very young.
Bottom line: There really are no serious worries here, and whatever very small risk exists for a future child can be easily lowered to zero with a little common sense and professional advice at the time.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
There are 3 overt questions/issues here: What is the chance you transmitted HSV-1 to your husband's penis? If that happened, could you get genital herpes from him? And what about preventing neonatal herpes in view of your HSV-1. infection? I'll add a third issue of my own, which you didn't ask but I'm going to answer anyway: How big a deal is it if your husband gets gential HSV-1?
1) First, it sounds like there's a good chance you were infectious during the oral sex event, so there was clearly some risk of transmisison. However, there are no data to estimate the actual risk. It was above zero, but I cannot estimate whether there is a 50% chance, 1 in 10, 1 in 100, or 1 in 1000.
2) Second, you can't catch another HSV-1 infection anywhere on your body. Once someone has HSV, he or she is immune (or at least highly resistant) to catching it again.
3) Does it matter if he gets genital herpes in this circumstance? Maybe not much. Despite all the fear of genital herpes, most infections are mild, or cause no symptoms at all; and if your husband he does get penile blisters, sores, etc, effective treatment is available to limit pain and speed healing. And when genital herpes is caused by HSV-1, recurrent outbreaks usually are few and far between. 40% of people have no recurrences at all and most of the rest have 1-2 recurrences in the next couple of years, then nothing.
4) What about preventing neonatal herpes? As I said above, you're not going to get genital HSV-1. The greatest risk of HSV in your baby likely will come if you kiss him or her in the first month of age, if you are having an oral herpes outbreak at the time. And even that risk is very low.
What to do now? First, your husband should be on the alert for penile blisters or sores and see a provider immediately if that happens. But neither he nor you should be freaked out about this. Second, when you become pregnant, make sure your obstetrician is aware of your oral herpes history and, equally important, that your baby's pediatrician knows. Be alert to oral herpes outbreaks when the baby is very young.
Bottom line: There really are no serious worries here, and whatever very small risk exists for a future child can be easily lowered to zero with a little common sense and professional advice at the time.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
