Herpes infection: him or me? Posted: 11-11-06 14:44pm
I know the basics about herpes but
realistically how likely is it to have it
for over 6 years and never have any
symptoms?
Typically the incubation is 21-90 days
then you get a first outbreak.
I know it can be spread without sexual
contact - but realistically how likely?
I know 100% that my partner has [b]not[/b]
cheated. I know I have not cheated.
I have not slept with another person for
over 6 years, he has not slept with
another person for over 15 years.
Unfortunately I was a bit promiscuous
prior to my current partner.
Neither of us has ever had an outbreak of
herpes. Ever.
My partner now has a herpes outbreak.
How likely is it that I picked up the
infection 6 or more years ago and have
never had an outbreak of herpes, yet have
infected my partner at some point and
surely if that were the case he would have
had an outbreak by now. We have had
unprotected sex, the whole time we have
been together.
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DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
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Sexual Health - Women Answer A1858 Posted: 12-04-06 03:31am
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 (and 1)
causes genital infections in both male and
females and is considered an STD (sexually
transmitted disease). Type 1 HSV can cause
infection of the conjunctiva, skin and
oral mucosa; therefore, it can be
transmitted in non-sexual way. It is the
nature of the herpes virus to stay hidden
(latent) in the peripheral sensitive
nerves and to cause repeated skin/mucosa
lesions (recidivism) when the immune
system becomes weak. Lesions are treated
locally with acyclovir-cream. Infection
with HSV is life-long. If recurrences
happen very often, an anti-herpes vaccine
is indicated as protocol for treatment.
In your case, it is not clear yet if you
ever have had a positive HSV-2 infection
or not. You can request serological blood
analyses to check it out. If you don’t
have antibodies against HSV-2 in the
blood, but local herpes-lesions are
present, that means that your partner did
not contract HSV from you. If there are
antibodies against HSV-2 in the blood, it
indicates that you have had an
HSV-infection in the past.
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