Hsv 1 genital- genital

[Utah2020]

Hello and thank you for all the work you do.
I recently met an amazing man. He willingly got tested for me in a 10 sti pannel. We both came back “normal” for everything.
Except he came back positive (high normal) for hsv 1.
Here is the hard part. He states he has never had a cold sore that he can recall. But also claims he does not recall any outbreak on his genitals. Let’s assume he’s either lying or didn’t catch his genital lesions. And say he has it genitally.
We have had sex 5 times with a condom. No oral. Is genital to genital with protection a risk? I understand it cannot be 0%.
But what are my chances and the numbers for sex (genital-genital) in contracting hsv 1?

Say I want to end up marrying him or having kids. And we don’t use protection anymore, what is the risk of contracting it genitally no protection?

This is really hard. Not knowing where it is. I know hsv1 is common and it’s just the stigma of location in regards to hsv1/2
My family has a lot of people who have it orally (including kids). I am just worried about the discomfort of contracting it genitally and to be honest, the stigma of the location.
Thank you

[Utah2020]

Also, does high normal mean he recently got infected? He claims to not have had sex before me for about a year and a half

[Terri Warren]

So without lesions in either location, he can never know where the infection is, though statistically, it is more likely oral, by far. The IgG test for HSV 1 misses 30% of those infected with HSV 1 so it’s difficult to know what to make of your test.

Half the people in the US between 14 and 49 have HSV 1 so if you decide this is an issue, it might be difficult to find someone wonderful in your life who is negative for HSV 1, truly.

The high value simply means he has been infected for a longer time.

People who have had HSV 1 genitally for 2 years or more shed virus on about 4 days out of the year. People who have it orally shed far more often.

Terri

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