Likelihood of contracting genital herpes?
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My boyfriend had a sore on his lip (I believe he got it on Wednesday), but we weren't sure that it was herpes. Looking back, it does not match up with the looks of a canker sore. It was on his upper-lip, with a more scab type appearance. He refrained from giving me oral sex just in case. Sunday at about 4 PM however, I gave him oral sex. This was followed by vaginal sex, with a condom, which I now know only reduces likelihood of contraction by 30%. I noticed at about 6:30 PM (two and a half hours later) that I was developing a sore on the side of my lip. Upon research, I found that I could have still had the infection at the time of oral sex, as it can be present before an actual sore appears. It is now Wednesday, three days later. Last night I felt a pins and needles feeling in my vagina for about 20-25 minutes. This morning and afternoon, I thought I was experiencing itchiness but it may be my paranoia. My boyfriend is also not sure if he is actually itchy or if he is just working himself up. Both of us have not shaved in over a week because we are not trying to irritate the area more than it already may be, so that may be contributing to the supposed itchiness as well. I am not experiencing any pain. In your experience, from either a clinical or personal standpoint, what is the likelihood that I have contracted genital HSV-1?
0 likes, 5 replies
Liljade Guest
Posted
The likelihood would be quite high. The one thing I wished people knew about hsv is that it can lay dormant in the body forever. You can literally have no symptoms whatsoever and can be shedding and spreading the virus without even knowing it. An outbreak can take less than an hour to form! Pins and needles, itching and tingles plus feeling fatigue is all clear signs that your body is shedding the virus. The best thing you can do for yourselves is to get checked by a specialist. Could be something else, from my 5 year experience with it, this is exactly how it started. And one in 4 people get cold sores. The society we live in today makes it seem like it's sooooo bad and that you are a dirty person if you have it. But in reality it is nothing more than a pesky skin infection. Wish you all the best!
justsolucky524 Guest
Posted
Ok so maybe I'm a little confused. By the sounds of it he had the sore on his lip and refrained from performing oral sex on you...so you performing oral sex on him or having vaginal sex with him having a sore on his lip would be no risk. If you said you had a sore on your lip or in your vaginal area and gave him oral sex or had sex with either of you having genital sores then that would be different but something on his mouth won't go to your vagina unless it was in contact with your vagina
Liljade justsolucky524
Posted
justsolucky524 Liljade
Posted
While hsv 1 can be transmitted to the genital area it can't be transmitted without contact. Thus him kissing her lips will not transmit hsv 1 to her vagina. If he performed oral sex on her then yes but it doesn't jump from one place to another.
Liljade Guest
Posted
Cold sores are really contagious . If you have a cold sore, it's very easy to infect another person with HSV-1. The virus spreads through direct contact — through skin contact or contact with oral or genital secretions (like through kissing). Although the virus is most contagious when a sore is present, it can still be passed on even if you can't see a sore. HSV-1 can also be spread by sharing a cup, eating utensils, or lip balm or lipstick with someone who has it.
In addition, if you or your partner gets cold sores on the mouth, the herpes simplex virus-1 can be transmitted during oral sex and cause herpes in the genital area.
Herpes simplex virus-1 also can spread if a person touches the cold sore and then touches a mucous_membrane or an area of the skin with a cut on it. So it's best to not mess with a cold sore — don't pick, pinch, or squeeze it.
Actually, it's a good idea to not even touch active cold sores. If you do touch an active cold sore, don't touch other parts of your body. Wash your hands as soon as possible.
Be especially careful not to touch your eyes. If HSV-1 gets into the eyes, it can cause a lot of damage. In fact, if you have a cold sore or you're around someone with a cold sore, try to wash your hands often.