Any known cases of transmission to children?

[OutOfWit]

Hi I’ve been on and off this site for years. Biggest fear is transmitting to my daughter. I’ve had concerns for 3 years that she may have contracted from me. Never anything inappropriate situation or anything like that. I have a picture of like to share and ask advice. 

[tiredandlonely]

Where is the location of this lesion? It looks like a pimple to me, but you can't diagnose based on a picture. If you are truly concerned, you should bring her to the doctor to have it swabbed and tested. 

I assume you are asking about genital herpes transmission and not cold sores. Herpes is transmitted by direct skin to skin contact. You don't give details about why you are concerned about transmitting this to your daughter. With normal contact/interaction, it would be exceedingly rare (if not actually impossible) to transmit genital herpes to your daughter. 

[OutOfWit]

I am aware. I’ve been on this site for years. I’ve had oral have since childhood. I’ve had symptoms of genital herpes for almost 12 years but never a positive swab. Doctors did agree that it appeared like herpes, and all symptoms burning , itching, nerve pain- I used to get almost like a herpetic folliculitis on my vaginal area and on upper thighs. Before I knew what it was I did all the things that moms do - allow child to sit in your lap as a baby and take baths together. 

 

About 2-3 years ago I took her to the doctor after I noticed a sore on her bottom while in a bathing suit. We were at beach and she complained of something poking her while the sore was present. When I took her to the doctor though it was starting to heal so they did not swab. During that time she was also very itchy and had a lot of discharge that they chalked up to puberty changes. I still see a yellow discharge in her underwear from time to time.

she is a gymnast/dancer and 11.5 now- she was in a bathing suit and stretching yesterday and I noticed the pimple looking sore. It’s right at her Bikini line. Although no hair in the center so it can’t be folliculitis. 

[tiredandlonely]

I think you should talk to her doctor explicitly about your concerns. As I said above, the lesion in the picture looks like a pimple or folliculitis. It does not look like a typical herpes lesion. If the lesion she has is still active, you should get her into a doctor immediately to have it swabbed. If it is no longer active, take her the next time she has a lesion. 

There are many infections that cause burning and itching in women (yeast and bacteria are extremely common). 

Your daughter is pre-pubescent, so what you are seeing could be folliculitis in a hair follicle that is not yet growing pubic hair (so not seeing a hair in the bump does not mean it is not folliculitis)  It could also be just a regular pimple in that area. 

Also, if she is a gymnast and is wearing a lot of tight fitting bathing suits/leotards and being active (ie, producing sweat) while wearing them, these things can very easily lead to folliculitis/acne in this area.

Vaginal discharge is very common at her age. Seeing dried pale yellow discharge in her underwear wouldn't concern me unless it has a foul odor. If so, it could be a sign of infection, but it would be more likely to be a bacterial infection than something else (I don't think it is - I think it's probably normal, but just wanted to mention that constant discharge would be a more likely symptom of other types of infection rather than an established herpes infection). 

This is obviously causing you a lot of anxiety, and I think that getting an accurate diagnosis for both of you is important. 

You say you have had genital symptoms for 12 years and had cold sores since childhood. I assume this is all an HSV-1 infection?

You also say you have never had a positive culture for herpes, but I assume the lesions have been swabbed? Have they been cultured for anything else (yeast, bacteria, etc)? Do you take antivirals? Do your symptoms resolve when you take antivirals? What types of doctors have you seen about your symptoms?

As you know, it is very uncommon to have a subsequent HSV-1 infection genitally if you already have it orally. From the WHO (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simplex-virus😞

Quote

HSV-1 is mainly transmitted by oral-to-oral contact to cause oral herpes infection, via contact with the HSV-1 virus in sores, saliva, and surfaces in or around the mouth. However, HSV-1 can also be transmitted to the genital area through oral-genital contact to cause genital herpes.

HSV-1 can be transmitted from oral or skin surfaces that appear normal and when there are no symptoms present. However, the greatest risk of transmission is when there are active sores.

Individuals who already have HSV-1 oral herpes infection are unlikely to be subsequently infected with HSV-1 in the genital area.

 

If you do in fact have genital herpes and had an active lesion on your thigh and your daughter sat on your lap or came into contact with it during a bath, it is possible that she could have caught this from you.

I still think this is rather unlikely but I do think it is important (because of your anxiety and concern) that the entire situation (your history/symptoms and her history/symptoms) be assessed more thoroughly by a doctor who is very knowledgable about genital herpes. 

I have received a lot of misinformation from well meaning gynecologists, primary care doctors, and dermatologists over the years. If I were trying to get to the bottom of this, I would probably seek out a dermatologist who specializes in herpes infections or an infectious disease doctor who focuses on herpes presentation and transmission.