Hi, I have a couple of questions and hope the answers can help me as well as others.
1) What STI tests should I ask my new sex partner (male) to have?
2) If these tests all come back clear, is it safe in terms of STI to have unprotected (no barrier) sex?
3) My culture from 3.5 weeks ago showed genital Hsv 1. We believe I contracted it from his oral hsv 1 because I have never had any oral or genital symptoms until this my first outbreak after genital contact with his saliva. If this is in fact the case (that I contracted it from his oral herpes), what is the risk for him now to contract genital hsv 1 from me?
4) Is there a chance I had it prior to him, with no symptoms, and it just so happens that sex with him activated it? If so, does this increase his risk for contracting genital hsv 1 from me because what I have now might not actually be "his" herpes?
5) What % risk does he face, for both scenarios?
6) I have faint red spots that linger 4 weeks after beginning the initial outbreak. But the skin seems to be intact, and overall I am so much better, not itching or swollen and no discharge or "weeping." It seems to just be like what's left after a scab has healed. What kind of sexual contact is appropriate at this stage?

Thank you .

1) What STI tests should I ask my new sex partner (male) to have?

There isn't a general list of tests that's recommended for males. He would probably be well served by chatting with a healthcare provider to see what tests they might recommend based on his risk factors. It's not a bad idea for anyone who's been sexually active to have an HIV test at some point; other common STDs for which testing might be sought include chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Again, there isn't a one size fits all approach to testing.

2) If these tests all come back clear, is it safe in terms of STI to have unprotected (no barrier) sex?

No, not a 100% guarantee. A clinic isn't likely to test for everything as a "catch-all" approach. Some STDs, such as HPV, don't have a test that's approved for use with men. Other tests are based on finding antibodies (substances produced by our immune system in response to an infection) and may not be reactive, say, a few days or weeks after someone is exposed.

3) My culture from 3.5 weeks ago showed genital Hsv 1. We believe I contracted it from his oral hsv 1 because I have never had any oral or genital symptoms until this my first outbreak after genital contact with his saliva. If this is in fact the case (that I contracted it from his oral herpes), what is the risk for him now to contract genital hsv 1 from me?

There's no specific figure to say the risk is "____ %" It's obvious the virus can be transmitted while there's an outbreak, but there will be some time each year when the virus is active even with no symptoms present. Now, this probably happens far, far less with genital HSV-1 as compared to HSV-2, but the issue is you don't know for sure just when.

A reasonable risk reduction plan is not having sex while symptoms are present and perhaps using condoms at other times.

4) Is there a chance I had it prior to him, with no symptoms, and it just so happens that sex with him activated it? If so, does this increase his risk for contracting genital hsv 1 from me because what I have now might not actually be "his" herpes?

He could still get genital HSV-1 even if he already has oral HSV-1, but would be much less likely to have noticeable or frequent outbreaks.

5) What % risk does he face, for both scenarios?

See answer to #3 above.

6) I have faint red spots that linger 4 weeks after beginning the initial outbreak. But the skin seems to be intact, and overall I am so much better, not itching or swollen and no discharge or "weeping." It seems to just be like what's left after a scab has healed. What kind of sexual contact is appropriate at this stage?

It depends on whether or not the spots in question are related to herpes, and it's not clear if you're certain about that. If in fact it is a lingering symptom, then assume the virus can be transmitted. Herpes symptoms usually don't last much more than a few weeks, though, so if it doesn't seem to clear have it checked out to make sure it is in fact related to HSV.

I hope this helps.

Best,
Fredo

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ASHA Moderator

can your partner recall ever having obvious cold sores? has he been tested to know his herpes status yet?

if your partner does have hsv1 orally, it's very unlikely that he would contract hsv1 genitally. it can happen but it's very unlikely that it will. we do recommend erring on the side of caution and avoiding sex anytime you have anything going on genitally such as Fred already mentioned.

Go back and be seen and get a proper exam done again. Also ask to be tested for yeast and bacterial infections vaginally too to make sure that neither of them are going on either ( both are common with a newly acquired genital herpes infection, regardless of type ).

I'd avoid sex at this point just because if you still have scabs or irritated skin, sex might just makes things more uncomfortable for you.

betsy

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ASHA Moderator

thank you very much. Your involvement with this site is really admirable.

I actually have been treated for both bv, and then yeast, during the course of this. I even took cipro while on valacyclovir due to suspected uti. I ended up taking a second round of valacyclovir. Finally the lesions are only faint red spots, one month later. no irritation I can feel, per se.

May I also add, for what it is worth, my experience with nighttime itching. I saw on another post that someone asked about nighttime itching and "creepy crawlies" that were driving them crazy. I saw the response from a moderator that nighttime itching is not associated with herpes. I experienced this night itching and creepy crawlies for 3 nights last week (late in the course of this my first outbreak). I have had both yeast and BV before, more than once, and never have experienced the sensations that I experienced for 3 nights last week. Because of this, I tend to believe that nighttime itching and creepy crawlies are in fact associated with herpes. If it werent' for the valuable suggestions I got from the moderators and participants here, I would have been much more miserable. Thank you all for that.

that's more just skin healing, not the herpes virus.

betsy

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ASHA Moderator