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Hi Terri,
Thank you so much for this forum. I have obtained so much useful information here. I have a concern I’d like to discuss with you. 7 weeks ago, I was intimate with a male partner (I am female). We engaged in vaginal intercourse and utilized a condom (He is not on antivirals- I was confirmed HSV 1/2 IGG seroNegative prior to this). The condom remained intact, but I’m unsure if it covered the base of his penis. There was no genital contact prior to putting the condom on. My partner was recently diagnosed with HSV About 1 month prior to our encounter (He is presumed to be type 2, however he is unaware of his type- but was likely infected by a partner with an active genital outbreak). He was asymptomatic at the time of the intercourse. I can only assume this is a new infection because he never received IGG testing. Anyways, he initially told me all of his lesions that he had during his initial outbreak would be covered by a condom, however, he just recently informed me that, during his first and only OB, he first developed a lesion on the head of the penis, which was followed by a second crop of lesions on the shaft, base of the penis and pubic area. I have been doing self checks regularly since the encounter and am very educated on HSV symptoms and have had none. I guess my question is, what is my risk from this encounter? I am concerned about asymptomatic shedding from the base of the penis, where my partner apparently has had an outbreak. Does his newly acquired infection status make him more likely to shed at this site? Also, in your experience, how common is it to see women become infected with genital hsv 2 after condom protected encounters? I’m trying to avoid HSV IGG testing as I had previously developed an OCD pattern where I was being tested for HSV IGG 6x yearly despite abstinence. Let me know if I asked too many questions! Thank you for your help.
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Condoms reduce transmission of HSV 2 from males to females by 96%. And they cover penises about the same in all men, including having an area at the base of the penis that isn’t quite covered. What we do know is that people with new herpes shed far more than people with established herpes, so there is likely a bit more risk in your situation than others. However, by now, you should have symptoms if you acquired new herpes (if you are going to have symptoms with that acquisition).
I think ONE IgG test about 8-10 weeks from the encounter would be useful.
Terri
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You are most welcome. I hope your counseling goes really well – good for you for addressing your concerns – and I’m here if you need more herpes help.
Terri
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