Found out 6 months ago that I have HSV2-have two questions:

[JoBe2]

Hi, this forum is wonderfully helpful; as is all the info that Adrial has provided and created. I am very grateful to Adrial for all that he has done, and continues to do, to support, educate & inform. And thank you to all here who help others so much; it truly is a community here that is blessed.

 

My brief background is that I found out in February (6 months ago) that I have herpes; quite sure that I contracted it from someone I had sex with on Dec. 21st. I have had 3 outbreaks so far; the first one (in Feb.), as I've heard is often the case, was the most intense. The last 2 were not too uncomfortable and I feel healthy and good about this new reality of my life. So now it's just about continuing to learn more facts and getting info. I hope you can help me:

 

There are two pieces of information that I cannot seem to find the answer to no matter how hard I look & ask around. I'm hoping someone can direct me to some info on a website or a blog... thanks.

 

1. Is there any way to know when asymptomatic shedding is happening? I've read/heard Adrial talk about body awareness and prodrome symptoms. Where do I find out info on what to sense & be aware of - to know an outbreak may be coming? 2 of the 3 outbreaks I have had have coincided with my period (I've heard this is common). I feel confident that I will know when an outbreak is about to occur. What I am unclear on however, is how do you know when you have asymptomatic shedding happening?

 

2. The HSV-1 strain of the virus can be passed on from a man with a cold sore (or perhaps about to have a cold sore outbreak?) who has oral sex with a woman & passes it on to her. I think this is what happened with me, but I'm not 100% sure. How do I find out if my genital herpes is HSV-1 or HSV-2 ? (or is genital herpes *always* HSV-2?) And, will this information be relevant, and why?

thank you :-)

 

[mr_hopp]

Hey JoBe2!

 

Thanks for the kind words. Our community inspires the heck outta me as we continue to grow in so many ways. So awesome. (I can't wait to meet some of you at our upcoming Herpes Opportunity workshop in September!)

 

To give you some starting points to your questions, here are a few resources to check out:

 

1. Asymptomatic viral shedding and prodrome symptoms:

http://herpeslife.com/what-is-herpes-asymptomatic-viral-shedding/

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-prodrome-symptoms/

 

2. Yes, the information is relevant in that you'll know the shedding/transmission rates (genital HSV-1 sheds much less than genital HSV-2). Since you're passed the 3-month window that it takes for herpes antibodies to build up in the blood to be detectable, the best way for you to find out which strain of herpes you have is via blood test. (Unless you get an active outbreak, then you can have the sores swabbed directly — that is the most accurate way). But if no outbreak, a blood test should work just fine (and it's more in your own timetable of when you go to the clinic). I suggest getting a Western Blot test as opposed to the IgG test (which tends to have a lot of false negatives/positives).

 

Here are some helpful articles/handouts to help make everything you're asking about clear:

http://herpeslife.com/hsv-1-hsv-2-types-of-herpes/

http://herpeslife.com/genital-hsv-1-herpes-and-oral-sex/

http://herpeslife.com/herpes-tests

 

And of course if you have any other questions, please ask away!