Herpes viral load??

[ChanelChanel]

Okay so I was on a website of this doctor who is suppose to be very informed about Herpes. (I need to find the website again.) I am not sure if she has it herself, but it is possible because she seems to know a lot. She allows visitors on her site to post questions and in one of her answers to a H+ couple. She said something about not having unprotected sex during an outbreak bc you can increase your "viral load". Hmm... What does that mean?? Can it happen while asymptomatic shedding? I'm just curious. Can anyone make sense of this?

[WCSDancer2010]

An outbreak is basically viral shedding on overload - there are so many of the virus that the body attacks them and that causes the blisters. That is what they mean by "viral load".

 

And yes - if you have HSV1 oral it's very, very unlikely you will get it genitally because you have the antibodies to it.

 

And you won't "spread" the virus very easily to areas outside the mouth/genitals....yes, it rarely does happen...usually when you are very first exposed or if you are severely immune deficient.

 

 

[ChanelChanel]

Ok. So unprotected sex could increase your viral load and cause an OB? Well anti-virals reduce shedding... could two H+ partners be able to have unprotected sex as much as they wanted?

[ChanelChanel]

Ok. So unprotected sex could increase your viral load and cause an OB? Well anti-virals reduce shedding... could two H+ partners be able to have unprotected sex as much as they wanted?

[ChanelChanel]

Sorry. I need to stop using my phone bc I don't understand why it keeps doing this lol

[WCSDancer2010]

So unprotected sex could increase your viral load and cause an OB?

 

No - once you have it, you have it... you can't get "more" of it from someone... so if you both have the same strain (H1 or H2) then bonk away sans-condom...AFTER you have swapped STD results for all the other STD's :)

[ChanelChanel]

True that! I'll definitely make sure of that now. Haha. Thanks as always.