transmission/exposure chances?

[concerned]

Greetings – I got together with an old girlfriend from decades ago last Saturday night and it evolved into an intimate evening – long story made short, she used her hands on me but I never got the chance to do the same for her as she wanted to get to penetration fairly quickly – we used a condom which remained intact while we were thus engaged…

The next day I get a tearful phone call from her saying she should’ve told me but she has genital herpes and now she is worried that I might get it from her – I was stunned by this news. She said she was not having an outbreak, hadn’t had one since she’d been diagnosed 1 1/2 years ago, but she was afraid that the condom might be enough protection for me. She is no on “suppressive therapy” (her words) as far as taking any pills.

Obviously I’ve been researching all over the net about this and found this website so I need to ask:

what are my chances of contracting HSV II (I think that is right, correct?) in this situation? There was no oral sex, and the condom remained intact, she used her hands on me but I didn’t use mine on her.

I am VERY concerned about this. How soon would I know if I contracted HSV II? How soon should I have a blood test to determine if I now have HSV II?

Thank you so much for being here for me and so many others!!!!!

[Terri Warren]

The risk to you of a single protected intercourse is really low. I would suggest that you obtain a baseline HSV 2 type specific antibody test (do NOT get an IgM test) to see where you stand right now. And I think you should do that right away for clarity. Obviously, if you are positive already then you are at no risk. You can order this test online yourself at many websites without a clinician order.

But again, female to male transmission is lower than the reverse already and with a single encounter? Really low. Be aware of any lesions in the genital area for the next 10 days or so. If you are going to get lesions, you will do so within that time frame.

Please let me know other questions that you might have

Terri

[concerned]

Thank you very much, Terri! At my yearly physical 1 1/2 years ago my Primary Care Physician suggested I get tested for all STDs since I had been very sexually active in my 30s (I am now 65) and had never been tested for STDs at all. Fortunately (luckily) the results came back negative for everything, including HSV I and HSV II.

Good to hear this recent encounter is low-risk. I will certainly keep an eye out for lesions in the near future. One of my concerns was that I’d read “a condom can only protect what it covers” and of course it covers only to the base of the penis.

Thanks once again.

[Terri Warren]

Yes, that’s correct, that’s why condoms reduce transmission by 30-50% but aren’t perfect.

Terri

[concerned]

Having had no sexual encounters after my negative results 1 1/2 years ago at my yearly physical, and provided no lesions show up from this recent one-time encounter, how long should I wait before I get tested to see if I did contract HSV II from this recent encounter? Should I use the test you suggest in your reply above, or…?

Lastly (I think), if an opportunity were to present itself (with someone other than my old high school girlfriend, of course) before I do get tested, would it be best to abstain until I get the results from that test?

I have no desire to cause anyone as much anxiety as I’ve experienced the past few days.

Thank you once again.

[Terri Warren]

Technically, you should wait 16 weeks to get tested for the most accurate results. Again, I think this is low risk for you for sure. The best way to abstain? I would recommend telling any prospective partners that you are waiting to have sex until you have accurate testing for STI’s and don’t want to put anyone at risk of anything. Mutual masturbation is OK so you could suggest that.

This is your final question on this subscription. If you have more questions, please feel free to renew.

Terri

• This reply was modified 7 years ago by Terri Warren.

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