Tina94

I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. It will get better though, I promise you that. HSV is a tricky virus and can stay dormant so your first outbreak shows up a while after you were actually infected. I would say that it is not the norm for HSV2 but it can happen. I do think you should wait a few weeks to do the blood work - antibodies for HSV2 won't show up right away. It takes a few weeks for it to establish, so I would wait maybe a month. Otherwise you might get a negativt HSV2 result which might not be the case since the result from the culture said positive for HSV2. Happy to hear that your doctor did a culture directly on the lesion. If that result really showed HSV2 there is not really any doubt that this is what you have. Cultures are very accurate. And yes - the guy you might have gotten this from could very well be asymptomatic. Most people are (around 80% or so). Remember that HSV is a very common virus and after the first year outbreaks seem to lessen. Wish you all the best!

I never experiences any side effects while on acyclovir. Took 400 mg two times a day for a year and never felt a thing. I have read of others who had some troubles with acyclovir: headache, stomach issues and hair loss. I have personally not tried Valtrex. My best advice would be to try acyclovir for a while and see what happens. *Most* people does not experience any side effects.

Thanks for the update @optimist - anyway the risk is so small that it should not become an issue.

Make sure you bf goes to the doctor and has it swapped. No need to worry before you really know what is going on. GHSV1 transmitting to another persons genital is rare.

I totally get your point! For most people it is not a big deal, but for some (like me) who gets outbreaks quite often it is a big deal. And it's okay to feel that way. Accepting this virus is a process and a part of the process is to feel that this is a BIG deal!! That said, it's all a matter of perspective. Eventually you have to accept this and make it become a minor annoyance that pops up once in a while. You're going to be okay! Having herpes is okay. Knowledge is power :-)

Remember that the HSV2 virus is also just a "cold sore" for some. Herpes is basically just cold sores where HSV1 thrives on the upper part of the body and HSV2 thrives on the lower part. Just because you had a cold sore below the waist line, it does not mean that it is HSV1. If I were you I would go to the doctor and insist on getting your sores swapped the next time they show up. GHSV1 is usually a lot milder than HSV2 and for most people it never shows again, and if it does it's usually once a year. Knowledge is power and you need to know your status :-)

Remember that 80% of those who has the virus do not know they have it. Maybe they are asymptomatic or maybe they just have a small itch that they think is a jock itch or a razor burn. When I got diagnosed I felt like I was the only one too who was struggling. But as soon as I started to talk about with a few close friends that I trusted, I found out that one of them has HSV2 as well and all of my friends knew someone who had it too! Suddenly I wasn't alone but I only got to see that because I was open about my status. Hope this can help you just a bit! You are not alone and it is a very common virus!

If you have HSV2 before you met this new guy, the HSV2-virus protects you from getting HSV1. So I am almost certain that the OBs you are having are still your original infection with HSV2 and not a new infection with HSV1. Hope this helps. If you are unsure go to our doctor and get your sores swapped. My OBs seems to worsen if my hormones changes. Stress and not enough sleep does affect me too so maybe have a look into that. Hope you're feeling better!

Definitely find out which type you have. Genital HSV1 is generally a lot milder than HSV2 - 1 outbreak pr year vs HSV2 which is about 5-6 a year approximately. Did you get this virus from your current partner? If so it's not going to affect you that much because you cannot transfer the virus back and forth if you both already have this virus. So there's not much need for precautions if you both are positive. There's no need to worry about pregnancy. Herpes does not affect fertility. If/when you become pregnant, inform your doctor about your HSV status and they can put you on antivirals the last couple of weeks of pregnancy to avoid outbreaks. Some doctors might want to do a c-cection if you have an active outbreak during labour, but even if you gave a natural birth with sores the risk of passing it on to the baby is still very slim (I think I read it is somewhere between 1-2% chance of transmitting it to the baby, so very small!). Since you've had the virus before you get pregnant, the baby will be able to build antibodies before you give birth. The risk is greater if you get a primary infection with HSV while you are pregnant. So no need to worry, but always let your doctor know so they can guide you when it comes to antivirals and giving birth.

If he is okay with the risks that arises when you don't use condoms. I think you should talk about it so he surely understands and knows that there is a risk he might catch it too. A small one but still. If he's okay with that there's no issue in not using condoms.

I was diagnosed with genital HSV1 two years ago after being with my ex-boyfriend. Met a new guy a year later where I had never had any symptoms after the first outbreak a year before. After seeing each for about a month I had a terrible outbreak again and I went to the doctor and had it swapped - it came back as HSV2!!!! The odds are small but it can happen. I would go get it swapped/have blood work done if I were you. You just never know. Message me if you want to know more. Getting over the fact that you have GHSV1 at first is terrible, but then learning you have HSV2 is just the worst pain ever. But it get's better. I hope for you that you still "only" have the HSV1 virus. xx