ot oh.

[sunshinesister]

Be gentle with me.

 

My boyfriend has HSV2 and we had sex the weekend just gone. The condom came off and he put a new one on immediately (he hadn't ejaculated at this point either, i'm unsure of whether that relevant...) I'm really kicking myself. I have no symptoms but am fully aware that sometimes there aren't any. What is the likelihood that I have H?

 

I researched on the net and it says that you can only get tested if you have an OB and he didn't have at the time and I have no symptoms.

 

Please help and cross your fingers and toes for me!

 

L x

[HerryTheHerp]

Was your boyfriend having an OB? No. Was he on suppresive therapy at the time? If he was, your risk is absolutely minimal.

 

The condom came off. It happens. Since your exposure time was minimal, I'd say your risk is minimal in that regard.

 

Per act, it's estimated that transmission risk is about 4-10% based on the type of exposure you described (assuming he's not on suppressives). I'd say even less based on the duration. However, keep in mind that HSV2 and HSV1 are skin to skin diseases; that means no fluid transfer is needed, and a condom only protects a little area of skin. Thus, if your boyfriend is not on suppressive therapy, he needs to be in order to protect you. If he is, the risk drops to 1-2%.

 

Try not to panic. There are couples who have been together decades without knowing one partner had it; in quite a few cases, there was never a transmission.

 

You can get tested if you are not having an OB. You can do a blood test that will be accurate within 12-16 weeks after exposure. Of course, if you develop an OB, you'll want to go and get a swab done to confirm it. However, I highly doubt that you've contracted herpes based on this exposure.

 

 

[sunshinesister]

Hey Herry,

 

He had a coldsore but no OB down below? Not sure if that makes a difference. I have never had any issues with coldsores in the past either. Thank you so much for replying so quickly. I'm new to all this and you know what its like trying to sleep and everything in your mind races.

 

I've been told by the Family planning clinic that you can only be tested if you have an OB, is this not the case?

 

Fingers crossed for me.

Thanks again,

 

L x

[HerryTheHerp]

He had a coldsore? Ok. Has he been tested for HSV1?

[sunshinesister]

He has both.

[HerryTheHerp]

Ok, well, you'll need to be careful because he can transmit HSV1 to you genitally if he gives you oral sex. This is considerably easier if he has a cold sore at the time.

 

You may want to consider going to a private clinic outside of the GUM system. Haven't been in England in a while, so I don't know what your options are, but you'll want to check. The UK and Canada are notorious for only providing swab tests; which don't do much good for the 80% of people who never have OB's.

 

 

[sunshinesister]

That helps though, more than you think so thank you lots. If you have HSV1 symptoms ie coldsore does this mean that you automatically are about to have HSV2 OB?

[HerryTheHerp]

No, having one doesn't indicate the other is going to break out. However, you will want to be very careful kissing him if he has a cold sore that is active. HSV1 prefers the mouth, and it's very easy to contract it if he has an active cold sore and you're busy exploring your French heritage.

[sunshinesister]

haha, thank you for putting that so wonderfully. I never caught a coldsore before thank god! Well we shall see! I've just messaged you actually:)

[WCSDancer2010]

Sunshine..

 

There's every chance you have HSV1 oral anyway (60% of young people have it by adulthood) ...but because the GUM system won't test you, you won't know unless your parents can tell you if you ever had cold sores as a kid. So just be careful when he's having an OB. There are some good OTC meds for coldsores (Oragel makes a very effective one) that knocks it right back, but I use Ammonium Alum to dry it up ... Boots may carry it and it's really cheap.... tell him to just dab some right on the sore.