Oral sex transmission (not during outbreak)

[HeyHgirl]

Sry if these questions have already been asked, or answered, I was trying to find it through the boards and didn't.

 

Question 1:

If I am hsv-2 positive, and I am not having an outbreak, been taking 500 mg Valtrex daily, and someone wants to give me oral sex, can they possibly get hsv2 or hsv1 on their mouth? Specifically from going down on me?

 

 

Question 2:

I do not have HSV1, only 2. What risks does my partner ( who, let's just say doesn't have anything at all) have from recieving oral from me?

 

 

Thanks

[optimist]

This is my understanding as someone who has casually researched this topic:

 

If your partner performs oral on you, there is a very small (non-zero) risk of contracting HSV2 orally. It does happen, but it's very uncommon, which is why overall oral HSV2 rates are very low. The vast majority of oral herpes cases are caused by HSV1.

 

When it does happen that someone is infected orally with HSV2, initial symptoms, if they appear, are visually indistinguishable from those caused by contracting oral HSV1. However, that is typically the only outbreak that will occur and shedding rates are minimal (average 1% per year vs. much higher rates for oral HSV1). Additionally, once antibodies are established, a person with oral HSV2 is no longer vulnerable to contracting HSV2 genitally (and they would also then be greatly protected from HSV1, as well). Of all the type/location combinations of HSV, oral HSV2 is least likely to shed virus and exhibit symptoms.

 

As for performing oral, if you have a genital infection and do not have an oral infection, there is no risk of transmitting virus from your mouth.

[HeyHgirl]

Thanks optimist.

 

Fortunately I could care less about receiving oral. I'm more of a giver in that dept...

 

Appreciate the info!

[HopefulHerpy]

Please stop stating stats that give others the impression that oral herpes (HSV2) is rare. It is anything but. It can evolve into more serious complications; I know from experience. It is not as rare as reported; I think when we're diagnosed, we take the information & don't really investigate where we are impacted. If more of us are swabbed, we'd determine that the rate of oral transmission is much higher than reported.