Female genital HSV-2, viral shedding while on period? Risks.

[Guest]

Question: Does a woman having her period, increase viral shedding (either in mass or potency), despite taking Valtrex for 9 days in a row? Or would we say the Valtrex 48% reduction just addresses baseline shedding, and the period moves the baseline shedding level up?

 

Here, a woman with genital HSV-2 for 5 1/2 years (long term), has a mild sign of an outbreak (very small single bump) and immediately takes Valtrex. Bump goes away 2 days later. After being on Valtrex for 9 days straight, she begins to have her period. The period starts off minor to mild (little blood) and then over the course of 12 hours becomes very heavy (lots of blood). I understand menstruating impacts a woman's ability to suppress the virus and that shedding may increase during this time.

 

Additional questions:

 

1. Does it matter where a woman is in in her menstrual cycle? If there's no cramping or pain, and things are smooth sailing, then why would a woman's immune system be compromised and increase shedding? Wouldn't there need to be some hardship in the period to allow the shedding to increase?

 

2. As an academic question, I would think that transmission to the penis, during unprotected intercourse while menstruating and bleeding, would present less opportunity for friction and penetration into the penis, since there is additional lubrication (blood) as opposed to mucous secretions? Also, can we say that since the volume of fluid in the vagina at this point is mostly blood, then the volume of whatever shedding secretions may be there, is mitigated in potency?

 

Thanks for your input.

 

[WCSDancer2010]

Again, @Unhappy1 , be careful with the "clinical" approach. Yes, it's good to ask questions, but overthinking the minutia can drive you crazy.

 

Even more to the point, there is no way to really know all those minutia details, because even with all the studies out there, it's impossible to have a result that can give you any absolute numbers because there are sooooo many variables. Age, diet, stress, immune system function, probably even genetics (they are finding that some people have a gene that helps them suppress HIV without drugs... I wouldn't doubt that there is a similar gene function with HSV).

 

That said... periods are a stress and stress can increase the possibility of an OB..cramping and pain have nothing to do with it....it's more the hormones that cause things to go amock. Look at a woman and PMS.... it's the hormones that cause the mood change.

 

As far as the blood causing more lubrication, yes, it does. Could it help reduce the possibility of transmission. Who the hell knows? I doubt there has been a study about that... maybe you need to become an Infectious Disease Specialist so you can run all the studies to answer these questions ... LOL :)

 

Peace

[Judith]

Hi Unhappy 1,

 

well I am not a doctor but I know that I get my most outbreaks when I have my period so I guess the shedding of H is my higher then usual in that period. Of course it don't need to be, not every woman get with her period an OB or any symptom's, it deepens on the woman's immunsystem .

Check out the video of doctor Leone( you find it on the top) , he said at one point that you even can have viral spreading even if you don't have symptom's but it deepens on every person. Sure if you are in a relationship with somebody it would be saver if you use condoms, it will take the risk down by 50 percent, so it maybe a aver option but it depends on every person. Some couples have unprotected sex and they don't infect anybody they whole live because they health is really stabile..

Decide together, be honest and trust each other...that the most important part. The person with H always should read the symptom's and be honest. thats all