What are the chances?

[Cantsleeep]

Hi Terri-

I am a female who was diagnosed with HSV2 years ago. Over the years I have learned the signs that an OB is looming. I recently had sex with a man and didn’t disclose (it was a spur of the moment – wrong, I know). I do not believe I was having an OB at the time, however, after having sex I was very sore and red. I was incredibly dry during sex and the friction was quite rough. (I had been taking Valtrex inconsistently the week before.)

I panicked a bit and went to my gynocologist 3 days later to have her look at a small white bump (which was there prior to having sex) which she said was a sebaceous cyst. I expressed my concern about a herpes outbreak and she didn’t see any lesions… that said, she didn’t look internally.(UGH!)

10 days post-sex and the guy I had sex with mentioned having a feeling of being lightly hit in a testicle on his right side, a pulsing pain. 4 weeks after he complained of a sore back (felt like a pinched nerve, he was walking like his hip was out and chiropractor said his leg length was off) and winds up barely able to stand with sharp pains when he shifts in a chair). Stretching helps. 2 chiro sessions in 2 days and he is still sore but not as bad. The back pain sounds like sciatica to me as I’ve had it before, however, you can imagine my thought that this is a prodrome-esque symptom.

I am a wreck over this, Google is my worst nightmare. I can’t sleep and am in a constant state of anxiety. I know the only way to know for sure is to disclose and have him tested but this is a complicated situation.

Are internal outbreaks typically strictly internal or usually accompanied by a bump or two externally?
Thoughts on the testicle/back pain as being prodrome symptoms?
What is the female to male transmission rate while on valtrex and not?
One more note: I purposely did not take valtrex after having sex. I did have an external OB 5 – 6 weeks later, my stress level is crazy which is what typically brings an OB on.

Thanks in advance!

[Cantsleeep]

And a follow up question.. can HSV2 be seen on an MRI?

Thanks again!

[Terri Warren]

HSV 2 cannot be seen on an MRI and his symptoms sound absolutely nothing like herpes to me – nothing! While this may not have been a red letter day in terms of your lack of disclosure, I seriously doubt that transmission occurred, at least based on his symptoms. The Valtrex that you took, even intermittently, would help reduce the amount of virus that was present. 100 women have sex twice a week with 100 uninfected men, for one year, will infect 2 out of those 100 men. And that’s 104 intercourses! So you can extrapolate your risk to him from these numbers.

Terri

[Cantsleeep]

Thanks so much for your response!

The sciatica like pain (lower back, going down the leg, etc…) definitely worried me as I know I’ve experienced that dull ache prior to an OB but I have NOT experienced the sharp back pains. And of course any pain near the testicles scares the death out of me.

Can you tell me more about internal outbreaks? Are they typically “silent” meaning you don’t even know you have it? I understand asymptomatic shedding and how one will never know if shedding is occurring but I don’t know much about OBs in the vagina/cervix.

Thanks again!
Have a great weekend!

[Terri Warren]

Herpes would not cause testicular pain so I’m not sure why you are so concerned about that particular symptom. While it is possible to be shedding virus internally, it is sometimes associated with a watery discharge, though not always. Most times, you cannot know when asymptomatic shedding is happening.

Terri

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