Herpes Transmission Facts
Lots of people ask me how likely it is that they will either contract or transmit a genital herpes (HSV 2) infection to a sexual partner, so I thought I would address that in today's blog.
The first tool in reducing transmission rates is knowing whether herpes is even in a relationship! If two people have no idea that one of them is infected, they can't begin to reduce the risk of transmitting the infection because they don't know there is anything to be concerned about! So testing for genital herpes is the first step - finding out who is infected and who is not.
Let's say you have an infected male and an uninfected female. If they avoid sex during outbreaks, don't use condoms regularly, and don't take antiviral therapy every day, the risk of tranmission is about 10% per year. But if you add condoms, it reduces transmission about about 50%, if he takes Valtrex 500 mg once a day, he can reduce transmission also by about 50%. So you can see that the numbers get very low!
If it is a woman infected with HSV 2 having sex with an uninfected male, given the circumstances listed above again, then the transmission rate is about 4% prior to the interventions of condoms and Valtrex.
Which interventions are appropriate and desirable are decisions that individual couples makes, based on concerns about infection.
I hope this is helpful for those of you wondering about how likely it is that you might infect someone else or get infected yourself.
Terri
Related Topics: Dating and Herpes, Understanding STDs
The first tool in reducing transmission rates is knowing whether herpes is even in a relationship! If two people have no idea that one of them is infected, they can't begin to reduce the risk of transmitting the infection because they don't know there is anything to be concerned about! So testing for genital herpes is the first step - finding out who is infected and who is not.
Let's say you have an infected male and an uninfected female. If they avoid sex during outbreaks, don't use condoms regularly, and don't take antiviral therapy every day, the risk of tranmission is about 10% per year. But if you add condoms, it reduces transmission about about 50%, if he takes Valtrex 500 mg once a day, he can reduce transmission also by about 50%. So you can see that the numbers get very low!
If it is a woman infected with HSV 2 having sex with an uninfected male, given the circumstances listed above again, then the transmission rate is about 4% prior to the interventions of condoms and Valtrex.
Which interventions are appropriate and desirable are decisions that individual couples makes, based on concerns about infection.
I hope this is helpful for those of you wondering about how likely it is that you might infect someone else or get infected yourself.
Terri
Related Topics: Dating and Herpes, Understanding STDs
34 Comments:
I thought that transmission from male to female was about 16-17%.
Do you have information for two women? How easily can the virus be spread during oral contact?
I have a friend who is embarrased of her husband having herpes and wants to come out pregnant, what should she do?
"If it is a woman infected with HSV 2 having sex with an uninfected male, given the circumstances listed above again, then the transmission rate is about 4% prior to the interventions of condoms and Valtrex."
So if i had unprotected sex with a woman one time, then it would be a severely low possibility i have herpes? Considering it is 4% per year.. and that is a lot of sex.
I recently had uprotected with with a HVS2 infected women (one time). She did not have an outbreaks or any symptoms of an infection at the time of intercourse. She is also on a daily medication to prevent outbreaks. How likely is it that I could have infected myself with the HVS2 virus during intercourse? I've been very stressed about this possiblity and just noticed I am getting an oral cold sore, which I'm already prone to getting. Could this be a symptom of me having the HVS 2 virus? or is it independant of one another? Am I also more like to get the HVS2 virus if I alread get the usual oral cold sores?
What is the transmission rate from
an infected female to a non-infected male, using daily Valtrex, but no condom?
I have a friend who found out she has HSV-2. She was very upset so I had her come over. I know she used my toilet. Is there any chance I'll get it one I use the bathroom after her?
Terri, I just got test results back from a Western Blot test which said results were 'indeterminable' for HSV. What does this mean? The test did not break down HSV I from HSV II. An IGG test from 11/05 read neg for HSV I and II, then a Herpeselect test from 2003 read positive for HSV II and not for HSV I. I have only had oral sex 2 x and the last time was in 2001. The question of the hour is of course, do I have HSV at all? Any thoughts?
I have searched high and low for factual statistical numbers on transimission. I finally find it here and my mind is really at ease. thanks Doc!
I have a cold sore it is about 5 days old and is starting to heal. I had oral sex with my partner with no pretection. Now im very worried I may have given him herpes. What should we do?
I've done alot of research on the subject (I have HSV-2) but the one question I haven't been am to conclusively answer the question on is kissing and oral sex. Basically I'd like to know if my infection only appears on my genitals (never any sign its present in my mouth) does that mean that kissing an uninfected person or performing oral sex on an uninfected person is ok and has a zero percent chance of passing the virus on to the uninfected person. If not what is the chances of passing it on orally even though I have HSV-2 and it doesn't effect any other area but my genitals.
Dec9th, 4:39pm
I´ve just been told by a woman I´ve been with that she has HSV2, waiting on tests for HSV1. All others have come back negative.
Since July 05 I´ve only had sex with her and one other woman.
I´ve never had any outbreaks, painful sores, confirmed blood tests, etc. No symptoms at all. Is it possible that I´ve had it this whole time (or longer) and have had no symptoms? Can it stay dormant that long?
Thanks.
I was involved in a relationship with a man with genital herpes. He neglected to tell me this bit of information beforehand, even though he had plenty of opportunities. Over the last 3 1/2 years, I have not had any symptoms. I have not been sexually active for the last 17 months, but recently have experienced an extremely stressful situation. Though I have been prone to cold sores all my life, could this be another form of HSV-1 or should I assume that HSV-2 has been lying dormant for 3 years and I am just now seeing the symptoms? All the information that I've read says that most people will have their 1st outbreak within 2 weeks of exposure, but it's been over 3 years for me. What is this?
I was diagnosed with herpes two months ago, and im finally trying to cope with the fact that I do have it. I thought that my life was ruined but now I have doubts about having the virus. I've never had any outbreaks or symptoms of the virus, and now im seriously thinking about getting a second opinion. Could it be a possibility that I was misdiagnosed?
Why is the medical community so confused and misinformed on the transmission of HSV-1 & HSV-2?
When I was 11 years old I seemed to have what was a Flu, but then started to develop sores around the opening of my vagina. The doctor told me that I had herpes. I never was sexual abused or touched in any way as a child. I didn't even have my first kiss until I was 15. So I never really thought it was the type of herpes that could be transmited from person to person. And my mother never went into detail with me about what I had.
Then when I was about 15 or 16, the same thing happened again. And once again I thought nothing of it because I knew it wasn't a "sexual" transmitted disease".
I am now currently 22, and just yesterday I went to the doctor because I felt the same thing was occuring again.The doctor confirmed it was herpes, but that my oubreaks are about every 5 years. This time I was even more concerned because I am currently in a serious relationship, and never brought up the issue to anyone before because I didn't know I really had it. As well as being very concerned of passing it on now knowing I do have herpes.
Two questions I have are:
1. How could I have possible gotten this, when I never get cold sores and never was touched in anyway as a child?
2. How do I go about keeping a solid relationship now that my partner knows?
can you get herpes from using the same toilet as someone? bar of soap? underwear?
To those of you with Herpes questions for Terri Warren, please post them to our Genital Herpes message board.
Should I take acyclovir as a prophylaxis regimen if I don't have HSV2 and am interested in having sexual relation with someone who has HSV 2?
To the anonymous commenter above:
I'd like to invite you to post your question on Terri Warren's message board.
Informative page you have, It surely beneficial to learn more on this subject. One should learn as much as possible to be able to put it into a good use. Here is another page that is all about genital herpes issue http://www.genetal-worts-information.com/Male-Genital-Herpes.php
I Have A 5 month old baby and a 2 yr old little girl my neighbor told me she has Herpes im freaking out she has ate off my dishes and has held my babies please tell me that they arent going to get it I told her she cant use my bathroom shes taking medicin for it she doesnt look like she has it on her mouth or face just bad ackne please help me know if my babies are safe and me and my husband too.
I Have A 5 month old baby and a 2 yr old little girl my neighbor told me she has Herpes im freaking out she has ate off my dishes and has held my babies please tell me that they arent going to get it I told her she cant use my bathroom shes taking medicin for it she doesnt look like she has it on her mouth or face just bad ackne please help me know if my babies are safe and me and my husband too.
is it possible to transfer HSV1 from a cold sore on your face to your genitals ?
I have a cold sore i han oral sex with my partner with no condom. What are the chances that i have given him herpes
I have a cold sore i han oral sex with my partner with no condom. What are the chances that i have given him herpes
Yes, it is possible to spread the HSV 1 (cold sores)from the mouth to the genital area of another person. I know because that's exactly what my partner did to me. He had no signs of a cold sore. He was intimate with me orally. 14 days later, I wind up with herpes.
Since that time, we have broken up. It has been almost a year. I am petrified to be involved in another relationship. I don't know how to bring up the topic when the time comes, and I am afraid that I will really start to like someone and be rejected because of this. I feel so ashamed, embarrassed, and angry. I don't know if my life will ever be the same.
i recently learned i have herpes 2 with a high level--how could i have contracted this disease if i have not had sex with anyone outside of my husband in atleast 6 years and why are my levels so high--and is it possible for me to have this disease and my spouse not be infected? how could i have contracted it?
I recently found out i had a very low level of type 2 when my pap results came in.
when i was pregnant a year ago and had my pap done it never showed up. i was not having n e kind of outbreak during the last pap i had and i was positive i have been faithful to my partner is it safe to assume he has not been?
i have a similar concern except my level is high a '5'--if i know i have not been active with anyone other than my spouse why is my level so high and is it possible he could be a carrier and not display syptoms? and why now after we have been married for more than 5 years?
I can't believe some of these ridiculous questions. Are we all that stupid? And go to forum where you can actually get a response. Just not the one I go to
I found out my partner has hsv 2 1 month intoour relationship, so MD drewblood & my hsv 2 IGG is 6.9!!! Am I contagious? I have no signs or symptoms!!
Mm. I have been married for 11 years. I am female and the infected one. I told my spouse about it a month into our relationship. We met, dated and got married within a year. I have never transmitted it to him. I am not on anything, nor do we use condoms because after the birth of our child I got fixed. Our child is 9. My breakouts are far apart and few. They last roughly 3-5 days at most. My spouse is not infected. So I want to know how you can transmitt inbetween breakouts. Even people that have cold sores on the mouth. A form of the herpes virus group. It lays dormat, perodically surfacing. The only way another person can get it, is by fluid contact. This is the same thing only on the genitillia.
I am a guy who had sex with a girl that had her first outbreak the day after sex. We used no protection essentially, not till near the end. This is her first outbreak but the dr has confirmed. She did not have the sores the night we were together but did the next day. What are the rates of transmission is such a case? Can herpes be transmitted before the blisters? At anytime? This was not our first encounter. I have never had any symptoms. Is there a test I can have done without an outbreak? Otherwise I am sitting celibate for a year just waiting for an outbreak!!!
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