Risk of Contracting HSV-2 and Possible Oral HSV-2 Infection

[lwgoddess1]

Hard to know how to title my questions, but there are 2 as follows:

1) I’m in a relationship with an absolutely phenomenal man who has had HSV-2 for 25 years and has not had an outbreak for close to two years. We ALWAYS use condoms for intercourse and I take acyclovir every day. On days when I know I’m going to see him, I take larger doses of acyclovir for several days before and several days after, the rest of the time, I take 400 mg BID. To the best of my knowledge, he has only ever had an outbreak on the shaft of his penis. What is the likelihood of my catching HSV-2 from him given the precautions we are taking, the length of time he’s had the virus and the infrequency of his outbreaks?

2) It is possible I may already have oral HSV-2 (contracted while performing oral sex on this same gentleman I described above during the initial phase of our relationship when we were NOT having intercourse. I was waiting on intercourse until I was sure he was worth the risk), but the two blood tests I had came back at only 0.2, which is considered negative. The first test was done approximately 3 weeks after exposure and the second was done 5 months after exposure. However, I was taking acyclovir every day when I had both those tests done. The reason I think I may have gotten oral HSV-2 from my friend is because approximately 2 days after I first performed oral sex on him, my lips and mouth started to burn and I subsequently developed what appeared to be cold sores/canker sores/fever blisters on my tongue (2 sores) and my lips (2 sores) which lasted for about a week. Does this sound as if I did in fact contract HSV-2 orally and simply had false negative blood tests due to the antivirals I’m taking? The reason I ask is because my understanding is that oral HSV-2 rarely recurs and also would give me added protection again contracting it genitally.

My situation is rather complicated and it would be best if I could avoid contracting HSV-2 genitally which is why I have these questions. Thanks so much for your help. I appreciate it very much.

[Terri Warren]

I’m a little confused here. Why are you taking acyclovir and who would prescribe acyclovir for an uninfected person? There is no benefit for an uninfected person to taking acyclovir. It is he who should be taking the medicine daily, not you! Perhaps I’m not reading this correctly.

As for the possibility of you having oral herpes: it is possible yes, but taking antiviral medicine daily can prolong greatly the time to antibody development which is what the test is looking for. when you say that you got two sores on your lip, can you describe them more fully? have you ever in your life had a cold sore on your lip? What is your HSV 1 test value?

Terri

[lwgoddess1]

Hi, Terri:

Thanks for getting back to me. With regard to the sores in my mouth and on my lip, as I mentioned, they began with a sensation that my mouth and lips were burning and I then had what appeared to be two or three ulcers on my tongue and two more on my lips. I have never had a cold sore (canker sores in my mouth, yes, but never anything on my lips) in my life and my HSV-1 test came back at 0.1/negative. The burning symptom started 2 days after the first time I performed oral sex on my partner and the ulcers appeared within a day or two of that sensation first being present. I immediately started acyclovir, Lysine and a homeopathic HSV medication, so I’m not sure if that helped lessen the severity, but I only ended up with the 4 or 5 lesions. Because they were on my lips and my tongue, they looked more like ulcers and never developed the crust which is talked about (none of them were on regular skin). Since then, I have taken the daily acyclovir and have not had any further noticeable breakouts, although I did notice one or two occasions when my lips started to burn again, with the same sensation I had the first time around. No ulcers or blisters ever materialized with that episode, but again, I was taking acyclovir. I thought perhaps the acyclovir would create a false negative on the HSV-2 test.

So, essentially my questions are, given the length of time he has had HSV-2, the infrequency of any outbreaks he has, the fact that we are extremely careful to always use condoms and the fact that it appears I may have contracted HSV-2 orally the first time I was ever exposed to his genitals, what is the chance that I will contract it genitally?

BTW, you do a wonderful service and I have read a lot of what you have written on this subject because it seems as if you take a rational, practical and not dramatic approach to the whole virus issue whereas so many other sites seem to have incorrect and inflammatory material posted. Thanks very much!

[Terri Warren]

Yes, taking the acyclovir can cause a false negative on the HSV 2 test. If you want to know if these lesions that you describe are caused by herpes, you’ll need to stop. If you then get a lesion, have a PCR swab taken immediately to see if this is herpes or not. I think the chance that you acquired this orally the first time you gave him oral sex is low but possible. I’m assuming no condoms were used for oral sex. May I ask why he is not taking daily antiviral therapy to reduce the risk of infecting you? That would reduce your risk of infection by almost half. If you did contract it orally and not genitally, the oral infection will likely protect you against genital infection, yes.

And you are most welcome. You have one post left if you have other questions

Terri

• This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Terri Warren.

[lwgoddess1]

Yes, just the one, Terri. Does it make a difference that he has had the virus for so many years and has very infrequent episodes in terms of how often he may be asymptomatically shedding or is it really the luck of the draw always in terms of how often a person sheds? Just curious if he would be considered more contagious or more likely less so because of the longevity of his case. Thanks again.

[Terri Warren]

Yes, people do shed virus less frequently as time goes on but also yes, it is just the luck of the draw if he is shedding on any given day.

We have now completed all three posts. If you have more questions, you can renew your membership.

Terri

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