Oral Sex and Herpes

[LadyShellisandre]

How do you handle oral sex since you've been diagnosed? Do you have to sacrifice this once you find out you have it?

[MMissouri]

That's purely up to you and your partner. I haven't.

[dani]

Haven't yet had a relationship since being diagnosed, but I kind of feel like oral sex is/should be a non-issue for hsv2. From what I've read and heard from my doctor oral transmission is so rare, and in cases where it does transmit there's almost always only one outbreak. so if anything somebody who has oral hsv2 is just immunized from catching it genitally/probably doesn't need to be so worried about transmitting it to future partners.

[mr_hopp]

Hey LadyShell,

 

I sure hope you don't make herpes cut you off from the world of oral pleasures! ;) Just have an open dialogue with your partner about it and talk about the (minimal) risks. Yet another opportunity to get more intimate with your partner.

 

And like Dani said, transferring genital HSV2 orally is very rare (98-99% of oral herpes is HSV1). And if we're talking about those who have genital HSV1, receiving oral sex carries the same risk for the oral sex "giver" as kissing someone who gets oral herpes outbreaks (aka "cold sores").

 

Here's a really important video for you to watch ASAP (go to the 19:50 mark):

[whoknew]

I watched this video (starting at the 19:50 mark) and understand what was being discussed regarding HSV2 and oral sex.

 

However, as soon as the subject of HSV1 and oral sex came up, the discussion was cut off and went on to something else.

 

Is there another video I could watch regarding HSV1 and oral sex??

[optimist]

Terri Warren recently mentioned a study is underway to get more info on GHSV1 transmission statistics. For now, those statistics don't exist, but she has suggested considering that GHSV1 sheds 1/3 as frequently as genital HSV2 and then applying that math to the existing HSV2 transmission statistics.

 

One thing to consider here is that, according to http://projectaccept.org/who-gets-hsv/, 95% of people have contracted HSV1, HSV2 or both by their 60s. Unless they have a compromised immune system, a partner with HSV1 should have sufficient immunity to protect from GHSV1. Likewise, a partner with HSV2 and a functioning immune system should have immunity to HSV1. So a very small percentage of your peers (5%) are vulnerable to HSV1 or GHSV1 infection.