Few Questions

[user1234]

Hi Terri,

I am a woman who suspects I got gHSV1 when I was 18 after my boyfriend with oHSV1 performed oral sex on me while experiencing symptoms of an oral outbreak. Being so young I was so scared of the symptoms I was experiencing and didn’t get tested – symptoms included fever and random bumps. These bumps were not clusters but three seperate bumps in the genital area and I recall some pain while urinating. I believe I had some bumps appear here and there over the next 6 months to a year and then symptoms disappeared. This was 10 years ago and I have been with the same person the whole time so never worried about it but would like some clarity on my true status now.

1. I am located in Australia and am having some trouble locating places to do the Western Blot – are you able to tell me how to do this test?

2. If I have been infected with gHSV1 for 10 years I understand I am a very low risk to future partners. However I have seen you mention on other posts that though expensive it is possible to take daily swabs to measure shedding and submit to a lab. Is this correct, can you explain how I could do this?

3. With shedding rates – if an outbreak occurs would it take 2 years to get back down to the 4 days per year shedding rate? Or shedding isn’t affected that drastically by an outbreak?

4. Would you recommend antivirals to someone like me who is asymptomatic and have likely had it for a decade?

5. Where does shedding actually occur for women?

Thank you so much for this forum it has been very reassuring.

[Terri Warren]

1. I am located in Australia and am having some trouble locating places to do the Western Blot – are you able to tell me how to do this test?
No, we’ve tried from Australia and the transit time is too long – at least so far.

2. If I have been infected with gHSV1 for 10 years I understand I am a very low risk to future partners. However I have seen you mention on other posts that though expensive it is possible to take daily swabs to measure shedding and submit to a lab. Is this correct, can you explain how I could do this?
I don’t know how you would do that from Australia, but I also think it would be a waste of your money – you might be shedding 2-4 days out of the year, so you would have to swab an incredibly long time anyway to get a clearer answer.

3. With shedding rates – if an outbreak occurs would it take 2 years to get back down to the 4 days per year shedding rate? Or shedding isn’t affected that drastically by an outbreak?
No, it would be from the date of infection

4. Would you recommend antivirals to someone like me who is asymptomatic and have likely had it for a decade?
No, not unless they had a partner that was truly terrified of getting HSV 1.But I do let patients make this call, not me.

Terri

5. Where does shedding actually occur for women?

[user1234]

Hi Terri,

Thanks for your response.

I have a few more questions. My partner and I are in an open relationship so slept with a few people last year. I had not had any symptoms of lesions or anything for close to 10 years. However I was going through a very stressful period and ended up with a lesion (it didn’t look like it was filled with clear liquid but was risen and then scabbed and left). I am confused and not sure whether this was a reactivation of what I suspected to be ghsv1 from a decade ago or whether I have contracted hsv2.

I haven’t had any symptoms since, except the past few days I have a swollen lymph node in my groin (with no other symptoms)

1. Because I am located in Australia and you say there is no way to do the Western Blot what do you reccomend I do? Should I get a blood test? I feel I have no options to know whether I truly have hsv and what kind

2. If it was the hsv1 that simply reactivated that time what would you recommend saying to disclose to people in the future considering I have most likely had it for 10 years?

3. On days when shedding does occur, where does it most likely happen from for women?

4. Are there any side affects of the anti vitals and for gHSV1 infection of a decade what would be the benefits?

Thanks so much

[Terri Warren]

1. Because I am located in Australia and you say there is no way to do the Western Blot what do you reccomend I do? Should I get a blood test? I feel I have no options to know whether I truly have hsv and what kind
I think given this particular situation, yes, you could get an IgG test and see what you get. Then we could discuss it

2. If it was the hsv1 that simply reactivated that time what would you recommend saying to disclose to people in the future considering I have most likely had it for 10 years?
I think you could say that you have the cold sore virus in the genital area, that it rarely recurs and rarely is given off from you body. about 75% (as of 2022) of Australians have HSV 1 infection so you would not present any real risk to someone who is already infected with HSV 1.

3. On days when shedding does occur, where does it most likely happen from for women?
Labia

4. Are there any side affects of the anti vitals and for gHSV1 infection of a decade what would be the benefits?
There are few side effects. However, because HSV 1 genital recurs so infrequently, we honestly don’t know how much, if any, it reduces viral shedding.

Terri

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