Hello

I am doing research and gathering as much information as I can regarding Herpes in order to deal with this STD and to be able to answer questions from any future sex partners.

I have genital HSV type II, am only daily suppressive meds (valtrax), luckily my only siginificant ob was the first one (very painful).

I understand the risks and precautions regarding anal/vaginal sex, however i have a few questions re: receiving oral sex?

1. How much risk is there that i will transmit this virus to a sex partner if they perform oral sex on me without a dental dam/barrier? I understand that the valtrax reduces ob's and shedding days and that giving someone oral HSV II is rare, but are there any statistics/percentages on the risk?

2. Can the virus be transmitted through vaginal fluid while receiving oral sex, specifically the fluid ejaculated from orgasm?

3. Is it true that if I had unprotected vaginal sex (no condom) while taking valtrax daily and if there was no active ob at the time- that my partners risk of not contracting the virus only falls from 99% to 98%? In other words if on daily suppressive meds the addition of the condom is only adding an extra 1% protection?

regards

sciencechick72

p.s. thank you to all involved with this message board and ashastd.org--its a great resource and whenever I talk to anyone about herpes, I direct them to that website.

Welcome to the board

what testing did you have done when you were diagnosed? do you have hsv1 or hsv2 genitally?


1. How much risk is there that i will transmit this virus to a sex partner if they perform oral sex on me without a dental dam/barrier? I understand that the valtrax reduces ob's and shedding days and that giving someone oral HSV II is rare, but are there any statistics/percentages on the risk?

no we don't really have stats for hsv2 to the oral area like we do for genital hsv2 infections. It can be transmitted orally but the risk is low in general and you being on suppressive therapy lowers it even more. If you and your partner are concerned you can also add barrier protection when performing oral for even more protection. it's totally up to the 2 of you.

2. Can the virus be transmitted through vaginal fluid while receiving oral sex, specifically the fluid ejaculated from orgasm?

It's the contact with the genital area that is the issue more so than the actual fluid. Yes the virus can be in your vaginal fluids but it's the heat and friction of sex/oral sex that helps transmit it, not just actual contact with the virus.

3. Is it true that if I had unprotected vaginal sex (no condom) while taking valtrax daily and if there was no active ob at the time- that my partners risk of not contracting the virus only falls from 99% to 98%? In other words if on daily suppressive meds the addition of the condom is only adding an extra 1% protection?

correct. condoms are only a 30-40% reduction in transmission.


keep asking questions as you have them

betsy

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ASHA Moderator

thank you for your speedy response.

I had a culture swab done by my gynecologist, after it came back as hsv positive, i asked them to type it and was told it was hsv type 2.

I was diagnosed in November 2008 and have been taking valtrax ever since.

do you think i should get a blood IgG herpes test done in addition?

I have not had intercourse with anyone since my diagnosis mainly due to being in a combat zone for most of 2009, but now that I am back and trying to date again, I have had to get my head out of the sand, face reality (I pretty much ignored any feeling about having herpes while deployed), do research and start to accept my condition.

Most importantly I remind myself that I am not the virus, I just happen to have it!

I am still the same person, but I do feel strongly about informing a potential partner about my condition before any sexual activities, so thats why I joined this board. Plus I recently found out a friend of mine has it too, which helps a lot, someone to talk to and share knowledge, experiences with.

I am very bothered by the fact that herpes testing is not automatically included in the general STD tests? I see a lot of people share that concern. Was wondering why that is? Why arent the policies/rules/procedures on that being changed? Is it governed by state/federal laws or health insurance companies?

Also the fact that the medical community is undereducated or misinformed about herpes is very worrisome too. My friend received her results from an ER doctor and he did nothing to hide his disgust and revolt at her for having this virus- so not only was she devastated by bad news but the manner in which it was done was traumatic for her.

regards

Glad you made it back home safe and sound

You had your lesion culture typed so no reason for a blood test unless you just want to know your hsv1 status too.

So why don't they test routinely for hsv? Well preaching to the choir on that one here as I'm sure you know. CDC recommends testing for hiv which only 1 out of 100 adults has but not herpes which 1 out of 2 has hsv1 and 1 out of 4 has hsv2. Having hsv2 increases your risk for hiv too so you'd think that they'd start recommending routine screening for it but they haven't. Medicine still has a long way to go in its thinking when it comes to diagnosing herpes. Yes it is a nuisance virus more than anything for the vast majority of people who have it but it can be controlled and you can reduce transmission if you know you have it. Pregnant women especially should be aware of their status too.

I'm glad your friend and you have confided in each other and can lean on each other I've had several coworkers come to me over the years to talk and it's really helped them to have someone they can talk to without fear of what they will think of them. I'm sorry she got such poor treatment in the ER, I rarely recommend going to the ER for std/gyn issues. Depending on the ER, you might get a trauma surgeon looking at your nether regions. To me, asking them to do gyn care on me is like asking my gyn to do my brain surgery. just makes no sense. broken bones, perfect place to go but for a possible std, it's worth waiting until the morning to get in with your regular doctor or a std clinic. Most practitioners handle their patients with herpes much better so tell her not to think that's the way she'll always be treated.

Have you considered the herpes dating sites? depending on your area depends on how many folks have signed up but it is a nice way to meet others with herpes and get used to talking about it when dating. I used to post on both herpes sites and regular dating sites online when I was dating. Hard enough to find someone you have things in common with so I didn't like to narrow my choices any more than they already were....lol. Was harder to find a man who liked big dogs and didn't think that vegetarian was an exotic contagious disease than it was to find a man who had no issues with my having herpes believe it or not!

betsy

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ASHA Moderator