How careful can you really be?!!!

[BRIT1982]

Hi guys,

I'm new here. I've been infected now for 2 years and have had 3 OB which is considered rare given my circumstances.

I am allergic to latex, which has meant no sex takes place without a full STD and blood test bt my partner... I am a germophobic and have had 2 partners in my life. However you can never be too careful.

My boyfriend that I had been with for 2 years (we broke up on Tuesday) did all the right things and got fully tested and came back free from infection except for HSV1 which we already knew about that infected his mouth. He had not had a coldsore since being a child.

Once he felt he was getting a coldsore after a couple of months of mutually monogomous dating. He was always responsible and never kissed me anywhere.

I had an outbreak of HSV1 on my genitals shortly after he had this cold sore, but we had been careful and taken all of the necessary precautions. The doctor advised that it was likely that my boyfriend had touched his mouth with his hand and then touched me in that region.

Six months later I had a 2nd outbreak and I was advised that having HSV1, this was very rare and would most definitely never have another. 1 year later - I had a worst one still around my anus... Touch wood, that was about 6 months ago and have not had one since. I only take Valtrex whilst having an outbreak.

Anyways, now that this relationship has ended I am trying to gather information on the likelihood of me infecting other people as my partner and I continued to have unprotected sex for 2 years and he never had any symptoms of OBs on his penis??? I am allergic to latex as I said earlier and have been told that if my new partner has cold sores it is near on impossible for me to infect them.

What are your thoughts given the information you have gathered?

xx

[Gayla]

If a person...

has herpes, they can't get it again.

It has never happened, that I am aware of, where a person has cold sores and contracts it down south at a later time.

It's also my understanding that type 1 offers some resistance to type 2 but type 2 offers more resistance to type 1.

So that's something to keep in mind too.

If you have type 1 you could get type 2, though you'll have some resistance. Now if you have type 1 you won't get it again.

If you become involved in a relationship with someone that doesn't have it, suppressive therapy is something to consider. It helps reduce the risk considerably.

Hope this helps - I'm sure there will be others to chime in, that's the good thing about these boards, you can gather many experiences by people who live it and draw your own conclusions on what will be best for you.

Gayla

[amy3]

You can try polyurethane condoms. They help protect against STI's. They are more expensive than latex.

http://secure.condomania.com/products.asp?dept=45

[ouch]

Ok. Here is where I get confused. You say that if you have type 1 for example, you can NOT get it again...(ie. you get cold sore, you are not going to get it on your genitals, via fondling,foreplay, kissing, whatever)

Is that what I am understanding???

But yet, I read all the time you CAN transmit the virus from other parts of the body during an outbreak. (spread from lips to eyes....vagina to anus...etc.) So why couldn't you give it to someone genitally, even if they already have it....it IS spreading it, right?

This is why I am always so confused ..... I can never get a straight answer, everyone, be it on here, or in the doctors office, seems to give a different answer. It is making me batty. Sure once you have the disease, you HAVE it...but I believe you CAN transmit it somewhere else...on your own body or someone elses......

Anyone have a definitive answer? It would sure help me out alot in understanding this crap!

[amy3]

I'm not sure there is a definitive answer. Herpes alwasy seems case specific.

It's my understanding that it can be spread to other areas in the early stages of the disease before your body has built up antibodies for it.

But once you have built up antibodies it's hard to spread the same virus around.