February 21, 2015 at 8:17 am #5127

Spectator

Thanks for your reply. I meant to say that I had just two sexual partners in the last 25 years, but I had 4 prior to that. So, the possibility that I contracted HSV 2 many years ago is certainly not out of the question. I do not know if any of my previous partners have been tested and do not communicate with any of them on a regular basis.

I will probably have the western blot just to be absolutely certain, but I have pretty much accepted that I am positive. I was just shocked because I do not ever recall having an initial outbreak, or anything that resembled what I thought herpes would look like.

I do have one spot on my outer labia that seems to get slightly irritated once in a while, and I had always assumed it was just from shaving, or the way I sit, etc (I sit for many hours a day in a chair for work). So now I am wondering if this is the area where I have been getting a very small outbreak (a couple of small red bumps with no real pain or itching). If that is the case, is there anything that can be done externally to reduce shedding or minimize the risk of transmission to a partner? For example, applying lemon balm ointment to this area, etc? I realize that there are likely not any studies about this, but the idea seemed to make sense to me 🙂

Thanks!