Is This Possible?

[Dave]

I was with a woman for 20 years, until I discovered she was having an affair. She already had HSV-1. She was tested before I discovered the affair. I ended our relationship, and was tested discovering I have HSV-2. I was in shock and depressed. We had 20 years of unprotected intercourse and oral sex. I never cheated and never had an outbreak. My doctor ordered another blood test for me, in the hopes that the first one was a false positive, but I was still positive for HSV-2. I contacted my Ex and she was tested again, still only positive for HSV-1. How is it possible that I never contracted HSV-1 from her and she never contracted HSV-2 from me? For all I know, I've had this longer than 20 years.

[MMissouri]

It is very possible. Why? Well, everyone is different and we can't tell you exactly why sometimes people transmit and sometimes they don't. Perhaps since you both had a strain, it provided you some protection against the other.

 

Look around and read some of the facts, it might ease your mind a little. Hang in there.

[optimist]

@Dave HSV2 provides partial immunity from HSV1. Data on whether the opposite is true is mixed but it is my personal opinion that HSV1 likely provides partial immunity from HSV2. Otherwise, it makes no sense to me that only 40% of adults with HSV2 are coinfected with HSV1, considering HSV1 rates usually reach something like 50-60% by young adulthood when HSV2 rates are still pretty low.

 

I had the same experience, finding out late in life that I've been infected for god knows how long, possibly decades, after being in a 16 year relationship in which neither of us had symptoms. I find it's kind of a blessing to not know how or when I got it because it prevents me from directing my anger at someone who may well have been unaware of their status. But I also think it is why I had more anger directed at the whole testing system, because that anger is a normal part of the grief process and had to go somewhere.

 

 

[Dave]

Looking back, I wish I never got tested, which is weird for me to say because I've always believed knowledge is power. This virus has such a stigma in our culture, you'd think the medical community would change that. But to them HSV is nothing more than a fly on the back of an elephant.