Transmission possibility

[Confusion]

I have had 1 partner since 2017 no OB or exposure to my knowledge. My partner and I had unprotected sex Feb 12 (and many other days but this one feels like the only relevant one to mention). Feb 15 I noticed some blisters near the anal area, which makes sense as we had anal sex. I got swabbed and it came back positive for hsv 2. I also suspect I may have it orally as well due to some blisters/pain in mouth and throat, we also have oral sex that same night. He went and got a blood test and his hsv 1 is positive as suspected since he gets cold sores but his hsv 2 was negative. Unbeknownst to me he had another sexual partner between Oct2021-Feb2022 (unprotected at least 10 times) with Feb 8th being the last time. He was tested about 3 weeks after last contact with this person. Assuming he is being honest about his hsv 2 result being negative these are my questions:

Is it possible he got it from that person and transmitted to me before an initial OB and before he had antibodies for a blood test to come back positive?

I did notice a bump on him before I had my first OB he said it was an ingrown hair. I didn’t think much of it. If in fact that was a herpes sore could a blood test have given him a false negative?

How accurate is the swab at determining type 1 vs type 2?

Could I really have had this for at least 5 years (probably longer as the encounter in 2017 was once and a condom was used) and he hasn’t gotten it with a very active no condom using sex life?

Thank you.

[Confusion]

I should say no OB or exposure to my knowledge prior to this situation.

[Terri Warren]

Is it possible he got it from that person and transmitted to me before an initial OB and before he had antibodies for a blood test to come back positive?
It certainly is possible

I did notice a bump on him before I had my first OB he said it was an ingrown hair. I didn’t think much of it. If in fact that was a herpes sore could a blood test have given him a false negative?
Yes, that could be

How accurate is the swab at determining type 1 vs type 2?
VEry accurate

Could I really have had this for at least 5 years (probably longer as the encounter in 2017 was once and a condom was used) and he hasn’t gotten it with a very active no condom using sex life?

Honestly, I think the odds of that are low. Has he been taking any antiviral medication that could have altered his test results?

Did you do an antibody test at the time of the first lesions? If yes, that could have helped you know if this was a new infection

Terri

[Confusion]

He was not taking any antivirals. I did not do an antibody test at the time of the first lesion. Would the antibody test tell me anything now?

I’ve read that shedding is highest in your first year. If I have had this for at least 5 years is the shedding highest when I first contracted it or is it highest this year now that I’m symptomatic?

Does valtrex cause hair thinning? I’ve seen and heard conflicting opinions on this.

Thank you!

[Terri Warren]

I don’t think the antibody test would be useful for you to sort out new from old infection this far out from your first recognized outbreak, noh.

Shedding is highest in the first year, that is correct. But if you’ve had this for five years, the shedding will be less and will even less with daily antiviral medication.

Hair thinning is a rare side effect of Valtrex.

Terri

[Author]

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