Top 10 FAQ about Genital Herpes Transmission
People who are newly diagnosed with herpes almost always have questions. They want to know who gave them herpes. They want to exactly what they were doing when the virus was transmitted. And they want to know if and when they can transmit the virus to someone else.
One of the reasons questions about genital herpes transmission are so complicated is that both of the most common strains of the virus can infect the genitals. You can get an "oral" herpes infection of the genitals and vice versa. But once you are infected,
- How is genital herpes transmitted?
- I've been faithful to my partner. Is getting genital herpes proof that my partner has been unfaithful to me?
- Is there a blood test for herpes?
- Are some kinds of risky sex riskier than others?
- When is it safe to have sex after an outbreak?
- Can genital herpes be spread by kissing?
- What are the odds of getting herpes when my partner does not have symptoms?
- Can I get herpes from sitting on a toilet seat?
- Can I get herpes from using someone else's toothbrush?
- I accidentally touched someone herpes sore with my finger. What can I do to prevent transmission of the virus.
The transmission of genital herpes is by skin-to-skin contact, most typically through sex. You can't catch it from a sneeze, and the virus does not survive more than a few seconds in clothes, in secretions outside the body, or in bath water. However, scabs that get into washcloths and towels can infect others. And there is a form of herpes known as herpes gladiatorum, passed from wrestler to wrestler after prolonged skin-to-skin, but non-sexual contact.
It's also possible to transmit herpes through auto-innoculation. That doesn't refer to autoerotic activity. It refers to transmitting the virus to a finger or with a finger to other parts of the body. Herpetic whitlow, for example, results when the virus becomes established in the nailbed of a finger used to rub or pick a scab. It's possible to get herpes infections of the eyes and ears, which can be even more devastating than genital herpes.
It's almost always sexual contact; however, that transmits the virus. This can be genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital, or oral-anal.
Not necessarily. About half of people who are infected with genital herpes either don't have symptoms, or don't realize the symptoms they have are caused by herpes. It is also possible that the virus was passed during an asymptomatic outbreak. Here is an example.
Tom and Gina had been together about a year when Gina had an outbreak of genital herpes. Gina immediately assumed that Tom, who claimed that Gina was his first and only love, had either had sex before they met or while they were together. When they both went to see their doctors, however, Tom turned out not to have herpes at all.
In this case, chances are Gina had had a mild infection with the cold sores virus HSV-1 as a child. This primed her immune system to fight off the initial symptoms of the "genital" herpesvirus, HSV-2, which she acquired in a previous relationship. A change in her immune system triggered a much more serious outbreak months or years after the relationship in which she, not Tom, caught the virus.
Or consider another scenario.
Kathy and Richard were very sure they had not had sexual relations with other people, yet they both developed genital herpes outbreaks at the same time. In their case, it turned out that they both had been infected with HSV-1, the cold sores virus, earlier in life, possibly even as children, by sharing a drinking glass with another child. The cold sores virus had been active, but not symptomatic, when they had oral sex. Then they both experienced an immune stress that caused a "cold sores" outbreak on their genitals.
Some recent studies have found that more people have HSV-1 ("oral") herpes in the genitals than HSV-2 ("genital" herpes). The good news is HSV-1 is a lot easier to manage and a lot less likely to cause painful blistering or harm to a baby.
There is a blood test that can tell whether you have some kind of herpes infection. It's helpful if you just want to make sure you can't infect your partner and your partner can't infect you. If it comes back positive, however, then you may want to have a tissue culture test to tell you which kind or kinds of herpes you have or your partner has, so you can decide what precautions are appropriate.
The only time genital herpes is transmitted when the virus is on the skin. If there are blisters, there is more viruses on the skin. If there are breaks in the skin, it's easier for the virus to get inside the body.
Mutual masturbation and frottage are less likely to transmit the herpesvirus than oral sex. Oral sex is less likely to pass the virus than sex with penetration. Penile-vaginal sex is less likely to transmit the virus than penile-anal sex.
The longer you have been with your partner, the more likely you and your partner's immune systems are to have developed resistance to the specific strains of viruses you have.
Generally, people who have herpes are infectious to their partners from the time they begin to feel the very first symptoms of an outbreak (such as fatigue, lower back pain, and itching and tingling) until about 4 days after blisters have completely healed. The greatest risk of transmission is just before and just after blisters form. That's why it is important to know the early-warning signs of an outbreak.
Spreading a herpes infection in the genitals at the very least requires kissing the infected genitals when the body is shedding the virus. Kissing a non-infected body part won't cause a non-infected person to pick up the virus. You are highly unlikely to get an oral infection with your own genital herpes virus if your partner kisses you after performing oral sex; however, your partner may get your infection. An exception to the rule is recent tongue or lip piercing, which may open a pathway for the virus.
There are two different ways to measure the presence of virus on the skin when there are no visible blisters. One is rubbing a swab across the skin and using the swab to grow viruses in the lab. This method finds that people who have genital herpes are infectious about 3 to 50 days a year.
Another method is testing the skin for traces of an enzyme that the herpesvirus releases when it multiplies. This method detects smaller numbers of the virus. The more sensitive method finds that people with genital herpes are usually infectious 30 to 210 days of the year.
Translating this into odds, if you have a healthy immune system, you have about a 1 in 6 chance of picking up your partner's herpes infection even when he or she has no symptoms. But if you have a weakened immune system, your chances are about 2 in 3.
No. Buttocks skin is generally too tough to be penetrated by the virus.
Yes, if they have an active herpes infection of the mouth. This is a more common route of transmission in adults than in children.
Wash your hands. Warm, soapy water kills the virus.
Knowing the facts about herpes can help you avoid infecting others-and help you avoid infection with new strains of the virus. With the right genital herpes remedies you may enjoy a healthy sex life and possibly long-term freedom from the worst kinds of herpes outbreaks.