GHSV1 question about transmission

[amyspectrum]

Hi all, I find myself very emotional typing this but I thought i'd ask this question because I am so so worried. I was recently diagnosed with ghsv1 in December.. after my primary outbreak I had another tiny outbreak exactly a month later (so weird) so i asked my Dr. to put me on antivirals because I am under a lot of stress with graduate school and i have been ok since and no outbreaks since jan. I also wanted to go on antivirals because I am TERRIFIED to transmit this to anyone. My question is how likely am I to give ghsv1 to someone from sex being I am on antivirals ? Is there anyone out there that has had sex plenty of times with specifically ghsv1 and hasn't transmitted?

[mr_hopp]

Genital HSV-1 is actually quite difficult to pass from genital to genital, especially on antivirals (and especially considering that 80% of humanity has antibodies for the herpes virus). And to put it in perspective, I have genital HSV-2 (which sheds 5-6x more than genital HSV-1) — download the e-book and handouts for more details around all that — and have been with my wife for 5+ years and haven't given her herpes yet. I'm on daily acyclovir, but she also said early on in our committed relationship that she wanted to take the risk to not wear condoms. The biggest thing is that both partners are aware of the HSV and can talk about it. Awareness (knowing your triggers and prodrome symptoms) and dialogue (telling your partner if you feel an outbreak possibly coming on) are the 2 biggest ways to keep your partner safe, and of course taking medication and condoms are important, too. Ultimately, it's totally up to you and your partner and what risk level you are comfortable with.