Can masturbating spread herpes to my hand?

[onelongnightmare]

If the virus is always shedding, what will happen if vaginal fluids coming in contact with my hands when there are no sores? Masturbating with open sores during an outbreak is out of the question.

 

Does this mean I should wear gloves since masturbation involves rubbing of skin to skin?

 

I read autoinoculation is rare after the first outbreak but what about when there are small cuts in the hand? Isn't that always a possibility?

 

During sex I like to use my hands for vaginal stimulation. Is that not possible anymore? I am afraid of vaginal fluid entering through microscopic cuts or dry skin on my hands.

 

Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

[fitgirl]

The ladies on the forum with more facts may want to chime in on this one but from what I have learned, once you have genital hsv2 you cannot get it "again" in another location. That was also confirmed by my std specialist. Others may have different information on this topic but that has been my research. I have had the virus for nearly 20 years and I masturbate with or without an OB!!! My men have also done it on me and were just careful to wash their hands. In fact, using sex toys and hands is the best way to enjoy sex while you are shedding (if you know) and having an OB!!

P.S. For the mindset side of things, check out H Opp's e-book and handouts. They're golden. https://www.herpesopportunity.com/lp/ebook

[onelongnightmare]

@fitgirl Thanks for replying! I keep reading about how risky it is to come in contact with skin that's shedding with microscopic cuts on the hands. Ones we are not even aware of. Same applies to someone else touching H+ person genitals with their hands.

 

I see many people posting threads about getting the virus in a completely new area like their hands or face/neck/chest after years of having it. How does this happen if the body has already produced antibodies to prevent autoinoculation? I hope someone can answer this.

 

I suspect that regardless of how many antibodies we have, our bodies cannot protect us if we have cuts such as on the hands. It's a direct entrance with fluid.

And thanks for the rec, I'll check it out!

[onelongnightmare]

Microscopic cuts on the hands rubbing against shedding skin / vaginal fluid or semen is protected if we wash hands with soap and water? I find that confusing because isn't the fluid already *inside* by rubbing? How will soap and water prevent that?

 

Any answers appreciated!

[JessikaRabbit89]

I've had it for a few months and masturbate with no problems of transmission to new areas, even if I forget to wash my hands. I know I've heard in the first few months to a year you're more likely to shed and possibly pass it on to other areas if there is an abrasion or cut somewhere. But I get hangnails and papercuts all the time and still no issues. Still the thought scares me and sometimes I use a disposable glove when I do the deed lol.

[fitgirl]

Open cuts would be susceptible for sure but if the virus is in your body already and you touch it with your hands in the absence of cuts it is highly unlikely it would spread. Hsv2 prefers the genitals at the best of times. I also want to remind everyone that it is smart to learn everything you can about the virus, protect yourself and be cautious but don't let it consume you. Love your body and live your life, enjoy sex, enjoy playing with yourself and other :). Being careful shouldn't hold you back from your sexuality.

[onelongnightmare]

@fitgirl @JessikaRabbit89 Thanks for replying ladies. My other concern is my boyfriend touching my genital area. He tried to last night and I shoved him off of me to check his cuticles. Talk about ruining the mood. :( He's H negative and I don't want to spread it to his hands.

 

Also, if it's spread through vaginal fluid and saliva does this mean he can't come in contact with any of my fluids?

[fitgirl]

It's extremely unlikely to spread it to his hands. If there is only 1% chance of spreading hsv2 to oral, it would be even less likely to spread it to hands. Maybe Adrial can confirm this since I am no expert but that is my understanding. As for the other fluids....the virus spreads directly from the area that has an OB. if you have an OB vaginally, that is the only fluid that would carry it, not in your saliva unless you have an oral OB or are shedding. So you could perform oral on him when you have a genital OB and be totally fine. I hope that helps.

[WCSDancer2010]

The "general rule" is that once you've had H for about 4-6 months (long enough to have a reasonable load of antbodies) you are generally safe ... Yes *occasionally* someone may pass it to another area but be careful of what you read out there in the internet of people passing it to other areas of their body ... either they just acquired it and don't have the antibodies to it and likely touched an active OB (which is probably the case) or their immune system was totally exausted ... OR (bery likely) they have something else going on and are attributing it to Herpes.

 

As for your BF, again, if you don't have an active OB it should be quite safe... Miether my ex hubby nor my 2 post divorce BF's got it anywhere else (my ex hubby got it genitally from me because it was the early 80's and we didn't know what my "rash" was) and there was a LOT of exchange of body fluids over the years :)

[onelongnightmare]

@WCSDancer2010 Thanks. Even with small cuts it wouldn't pass to other areas of my body? Were you careful about your husbands cuticles while he touched you? Also, did you avoid sex during prodrome? Does that mean you're shedding even if you're on valtrex?

[WCSDancer2010]

Again ... the *general rule* is that once the antibodies are established, you won't pass it to other areas. I can't make it clearer than that :)

 

My ex hubby actually got the virus from me because we didn't know my "rash" was herpes (took over a year for him to get it and we had a lot of unprotected sex) ... he got skin cracks in his fingers every winter really bad and never passed it to his hands ... before OR after he got it.

 

I generally avoid penetrative sex during any kind of symptom that *may* be herpes (even when I am sure it's not H) ... but that just gave me and my partners an excuse to find other ways to get freaky :)

 

And yes you CAN shed on Valtrex ... for one thing, different people have better/worse experiences with the antivirals ... you have to figure out if it's helpful for you or not. However, odds are even if you are shedding the amount would be far less than without the meds...

 

 

[onelongnightmare]

How often do you feel symptoms? Is that considered prodrome? Are they mild or severe? Do long do you avoid sex before/after symptoms? Do you believe that is when you're shedding?

[WCSDancer2010]

Honey - after 35 yrs I hardly have OB's and no prodromes ... usually I'm wiping myself when I discover the new OB or sometimes I feel a tingle and just know it's an OB on the way...but I can usually knock it right down in 2-3 days by attacking it with anti-virals and Alum directly on the sore.

I tend to wait 5-10 days after the scab falls off depending on how bad the OB was.

I see you are asking everyone this question... the problem is that everyone's experience with OB's and prodromes and severity is different ...so it's really hard to tell someone what to "expect" because your diet, excercise, age, hormones, stress levels, etc can contribute a lot to an OB.

Here's some prodrome info that may help you :

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

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

[seeker]

good god I hope not or id have sores all over my hands.

[Sunshine42]

I guess everyone is different, but I had it on my finger, my legs, and arm. And the person I most likely gave it to got sores on his legs and neck. I also contracted HSV, along with chlamydia and trichomoniasis while using a condom, then because the emergency room doctor laughed at me and told me it was an ingrown hair, and my blood test was negative, I assumed I didn’t have it and slept with a friend one night. We used a condom and I had no signs of an outbreak, but he and I both got an outbreak a week later. That’s when I went back to the doctor and found out I did in fact have HSV-2. I honestly don’t think it’s responsible to even have any sexual contact with an HSV negative person within your first year. I read a study in a medical journal that said in your first year, asymptomatic shedding is happening 25% of the time. I would never risk doing this to another person. 

[alllgood]

36 minutes ago, Sunshine42 said:

I guess everyone is different, but I had it on my finger, my legs, and arm. And the person I most likely gave it to got sores on his legs and neck. I also contracted HSV, along with chlamydia and trichomoniasis while using a condom, then because the emergency room doctor laughed at me and told me it was an ingrown hair, and my blood test was negative, I assumed I didn’t have it and slept with a friend one night. We used a condom and I had no signs of an outbreak, but he and I both got an outbreak a week later. That’s when I went back to the doctor and found out I did in fact have HSV-2. I honestly don’t think it’s responsible to even have any sexual contact with an HSV negative person within your first year. I read a study in a medical journal that said in your first year, asymptomatic shedding is happening 25% of the time. I would never risk doing this to another person. 

I recently got HSV2 and when i first had it was also told it was an ingrown hair and had sex and the same thing happened to me. I also touched it and swear I have had cold sores on my fingers on both hands and it seems like blisters on my lips... I feel so paranoid now. 

[PaintedToes]

In the updated herpes handbook, it says "Sometimes outbreaks occur in the same place every time they appear, but sometimes outbreaks move to a different location. It should be noted that when outbreaks show up in a new location in the boxer shorts area, it isn’t because the infected person has spread the virus themselves. The virus has just “chosen” to travel along a different nerve to get to the surface of the skin."

But I also just read about this other guy on this site who had blisters all over his body.


Also, when I got checked at the doctor, she said she could barely see anything and that she thought it was just infected hair follicles... But tested it for HSV, just in case... And it did in fact come back positive for HSV2. 


Just some info I've learned and thought I'd share.