HSV2 and oral

[xyz123]

My boyfriend has HSV2. We have been dating for a year and a half. He takes a daily suppressant. I was just tested a few weeks ago and I still come up negative for HSV2.
My concern is that if I give him oral that I can contract HSV2 in my mouth.
What is the likelihood that I can contract HSV2 in my mouth?
If I caught the virus would it be interior or exterior of my mouth?
I have been told that it’s very difficult for the HSV2 virus to survive in the mouth. Is this true?
I know this is not the same, but I do suffer from cankersores. When I’m stressed I tend to get them more frequently. Do herpes breakouts work the same way? I’m afraid that if I do contract the virus that I would be more susceptible to breakouts for the same reason that I’m more susceptible to getting cankersores.
I have been putting off oral for a long time which is driving him crazy. I want to make sure that I should be this conservative or if I’m being overly careful if there is such a thing.
Let me know what you think.

[Terri Warren]

It is true that HSV 2 doesn’t like living in the mouth. Could you get it there? yes, though not likely and if you did, you would be essentially vaccinated against HSV 2 genital infection. Also, if people get HSV 2 orally, they rarely recur OR shed virus. Canker sores and herpes are triggered by completely different thing for most people. I would not worry about the connection.

Is your boyfriend taking daily antiviral therapy? If yes, that also reduces the risk of transmission both to your mouth and genitals. You are much more vulnerable to getting genital HSV 2 than oral HSV 2. I think your worries could be overblown a bit.

Terri

[xyz123]

Terri, thanks for your response.

My boyfriend is taking Acyclovir. 400 mg 1x per day. However, he still has had several outbreaks throughout the year. My obgyn suggested that he could switch to Valtrex. But my doc also said that Valtrex may lessen the sensations, that my boyfriend gets prior to an outbreak,that we use as an early warning system. As it is right now, he knows an outbreak is coming and then we abstain. I’m afraid the Valtrex would eliminate these early symptoms and make it more likely for him to pass the virus to me. Do you have an opinion on this?

I also wonder if there is any point of taking the anti viral medication if he’s still getting outbreaks anyway. If he was no longer on the meds, would he get even more outbreaks than he gets now?

We don’t use any other protection (condoms) so we really depend on his vigilance and the early tingling symptoms that he experiences. But I have read that shedding can happen any time so I know I’m still taking a risk.

Lastly, does HSV 2 in the mouth and HSV 1 in the mouth look the same? Would I have to be tested to know which one I contracted or can you visibly tell? (But I hear you that I have a very small chance of contracting HSV2 orally.)

Thanks!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by xyz123.

[Terri Warren]

He is on an inadequate dose of acyclovir. It should be 400 mg twice a day or even three times a day if he does not suppress well on 400 twice a day. There is no hope that 400 mg once per day will reduce your risk of acquiring herpes. He should speak with whoever prescribed this for him and print out a cop of the CDC guidelines if they give him grief about his request. I think this will make a big difference for him.

You are definitely still taking a risk, yes.

And yes, I would strongly recommend that you get a herpes antibody test to see your own status – his HSV 2 may be a non-issue of you are both infected.

And yes, if you got this on your mouth,it would look the same as HSV 1 would look.

Terri

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