Blood test positive for HSV 1 but never had any symptoms - disclosure?

[catlizard]

Hello everyone! I will be as short as I can:

 

I am recently single from a very long term relationship. I have started to date a new (awesome!) guy. We have not had sex yet. I decided to be a responsible adult and get an STD test because I never had one before. It came back positive for HSV 1.

 

However, I have never had a cold sore or sore on my lady parts that I am aware of, and no one I've been with that I'm aware of has had issues in either location as well.

 

So how do I know if I have it orally or genitally!!?? Potentially I could have this in either location.

 

So I'm not sure what I need to tell the new guy I'm dating. I don't want to freak him out with the possibility of it needing to be treated like an STD.

 

How would it sound if I just told him what I've already written and then say like, "and there's a very small chance that it could be genital, and if it WAS, then an even smaller chance you could also get it genitally. If by that small chance you did get it, hsv ONE is very mild and most likely if you even had an outbreak it would likely be only one time (this is the fact my doctor told me), or with very very few recurrences. In fact, I would RATHER have it genitally so if I ever got an outbreak NO ONE would ever know...."

 

Is that okay to say?!?

 

rant below, not related to my question but I need to get it out haha

 

Ugh seriously why is this such a big deal! It's a stupid skin condition that doesn't affect you other than being annoying for a little while (although I know some cases of HSV2 can be really bad). Like, if most people get lets say 4 Genital HSV1 outbreaks per year how is that different to your life than getting 4 colds per year - all annoying, contagious, last for a week, then you get over it and get on with your life. And why is genital HSV WORSE than oral? I would be more embarrassed to have a cold sore for everyone to see than some sores down below no one will ever know about.

[WCSDancer2010]

@catlizard

 

Well, first - what were your results numbers? Many Dr's say you are positive if your result is over 1.1 ... but anything between 1.1 and 3.5 has a 40% chance of being a false positive. So you should check that out before you go any further.

 

Second, odds are it's oral if you do have it. 60% of young people have HSV1 orally by the time they are young adults... usually passed around as a young child.

 

To be honest if it's genital, the risk of passing it on is lower than oral (if you give oral sex) because it sheds less there.

 

most likely if you even had an outbreak it would likely be only one time (this is the fact my doctor told me), or with very very few recurrences.

 

Well I would be careful to not say he's likely only get it ONE time because herpes doesn't play by the so called rules that many Dr's tell people ... but it's fair to say that the OB's are usually milder and more infrequent after the initial one. It's also fair to say 80% of people have it and 80% of them don't know they have it...

 

Best thing is to print out the handouts that Adrial has made and send him here if he has any questions.....but first - check those numbers.... just in case you are in the area of possible false positive.

 

(((HUGS)))