aaustralia

Let me start by saying thank you! I’ve found the information and perspective on this forum invaluable in the months since meeting someone with GHSV2. Now that things are starting to get a little more serious, I would love to get your perspective on one last question. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m wondering if anyone has ever intentionally exposed themselves to Oral HSV2 to avoid getting Genital HSV2? I ask because OHSV2 seems more manageable (i.e. fewer outbreaks, less transmissible, etc) and would make me immune to GHSV2 after the antibodies have had time to build up. Is this a crazy idea? Are any of my assumptions wrong? I'm sure we would have heard about this already if it was a silver bullet. Thank you!

I just started dating a woman with GHSV2 a few months ago and would love to get some advice on a few separate topics that weren’t covered in the fact sheets. Is there any research into the effectiveness of washing your genitals after sex? I’m a guy and it seems like an easy win if I can reduce my chance of contracting genital herpes by washing my genitals with an antiviral solution like hibiclens either before or after sex. If so, I’d love to know the recommended antiviral solution / timing that I can follow. Is there any research into the female to male infection rate when the male is circumcised? The following research paper indicates that male circumcision reduces the transmission rate by 28%, but I’d like to confirm with this forum: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/male-circumcision-reduces-risk-genital-herpes-hpv-infection-not-syphilis. Once you contract HSV2 either orally or genitally, can you contract it in other locations? The following link says no (except in the rare case that you contract HSV in both locations at the same time), but I’d like to confirm with this forum: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/herpes-hsv1-and-hsv2/genital-herpes. The woman I’m seeing contracted herpes after having unprotected sex during a one-night stand and has otherwise practiced safe sex throughout her life. I believe her, but have trouble reconciling this with the fact sheet. Sure, shedding occurs ~30% of the time, but there is still only a 10% chance of male to female transmission over the course of a year of unprotected sex according to the fact sheet. Did she just get really unlucky? Is it likely that her partner had an active outbreak? I’m asking because I’d like to have unprotected sex with her at some point and want to make sure I’m interpreting the statistics correctly. My partner gets nauseous when taking Valtrex so she is not comfortable taking it on a daily basis. Any advice for dealing with this? Do the side effects get better over time? Are there alternative therapies with similar benefits / fewer side effects? And if she’s willing to take Valtrex occasionally, how many hours before sex should she take it? 12 hours? 24 hours? Does it even matter if she isn't taking it on a daily basis? And more generally, do you all have any advice for dealing with this on an emotional level? It puts a pretty big strain on the relationship. I have trouble looking past the stigma, especially since she contracted it by practicing unsafe sex - something I have never done. It feels like I am being punished for her mistake. I also have trouble pacing myself in the relationship since the stakes feel higher and it makes me question whether she is “the one” earlier than normal. Thank you so much for any and all help!