The Exaggerated Fear of the Risk of HSV Transmission

[SweetChilli]

I would like some feedback on some thoughts I have had for some time now. It’s about the - in my opinion - very exaggerated fear of the risk of HSV transmission in society. People: HERPES IS NOT EASY TO TRANSMIT. In fact, statistically you are much more likely of getting (or making someone) pregnant, than catching herpes from a person who has it.

Pregnancy is a relevant comparison to catching herpes for the following reasons:

-          If you make a decision to keep the baby, it’s completely and totally life changing (much more than HSV)

-          It could effect future relationships and dating options (not everyone wants to date people with kids, not everyone wants to date people with HSV)

-          It’s very very costly (much more than antivirals etc)

If you are a female, you have a choice about your pregnancy. But not everyone are open to having an abortion, and may "have to" choose to keep it. If you are a male, the choice isn’t even in your hands! Same as with HSV, you don’t have a choice to have it or not once you get it.

OK, let’s get down to statistics and further to why I’m comparing HSV with pregnancy:

CHANCE OF PREGNANCY

MALE CONDOMS:

•  PERFECT USE: 98% chance of NOT getting pregnant, per year. (= 2 out of 100 couples still get pregnant each year with perfect condom use)
•  TYPICAL USE:  85% - 98% chance of NOT getting pregnant, per year.

CONTRACEPTIVE PILL:

•  PERFECT USE: 99% chance of NOT getting pregnant, per year.
•  TYPICAL USE:  92% - 99% chance of NOT getting pregnant, per year.

NO PROTECTION AT ALL:

15% chance of NOT getting pregnant per year

Source:  http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/article/statistically-safe-sex/

Now, let's compare this to herpes transmission if you have a partner who is HSV positive.


CHANCE OF HERPES TRANSMISSION

• USING MALE CONDOMS ONLY: 95-98% chance of NOT catching herpes, per year.
   
• USING ANTIVIRALS ONLY: 95-98% chance of NOT catching herpes, per year.
   
• USING BOTH MALE CONDOMS AND ANTIVIRALS: 98-99% chance of NOT catching herpes, per year.
   
• NO PROTECTION AT ALL: 90-96% chance of NOT catching herpes, per year.

Source:   https://herpesopportunity.com/downloads/herpes-opportunity-disclosure-handout.pdf


As you can see, you are much more likely to get pregnant with typical condom use, than you are of catching herpes (even if you use zero herpes protection).

Who here is generally terrified of getting pregnant or making someone pregnant when they have sex with a condom? Not very many, I would think? So why are people so scared of herpes transmission when the risk is substantially less?

I was with my ex partner for 6 years. A few months after we started dating we decided to just using contraceptive pill to not get pregnant. I read up on it and saw there was a 92-99% chance of not getting pregnant per year. Did I ever consider not having sex or going on the pill because there was a 1-8% risk of getting pregnant? NO, in my eyes 1-8% was such small risk it was basically impossible.  Did I get pregnant during those 6 years? NO. Do most people catch herpes being with someone who has it? NO. YES, it can happen, but statistically you are very very very unlikely to - and most people don't.

When people have one night stands, do girls disclose “We will use a condom but FYI there is a 2-15% risk per year that I will get pregnant anyway and if I do I will keep the baby and you will then become a father and be tied to me and pay child support for the rest of your life.” NO, in peoples opinion if you use a condom pregnancy doesn’t happen – because the risk is extremely tiny. Yet with herpes, we are expected to disclose even during one night stands despite transmission being even less likely with meds and condoms than pregnancy.

My bottom line is, society should look at the risk of catching herpes from someone who has it like they look at the risk of getting pregnant: IT’S VERY UNLIKELY.

When I disclose my HSV2 & 1 status, I simply say, “If we use condoms and meds the risk of you catching it is LESS than the risk of me getting pregnant while using condoms, about 1% per year”. Simple, true and people can relate to what a tiny risk it actually is.

And even if you do catch it – it’s not even that big of a deal for the majority of us. Having a baby though, is. For everyone.

Keen to hear people’s thoughts on this!

Thanks for reading.

 

[hopingforthebest08]

This is what I try to tell myself with my boyfriend that it's a small risk I'm taking. However, what scares me is that he contracted hsv 2 (without precautions) however his risk was supposed to be even smaller considering he is male and that concerns me.

i don't know if that's much feedback but the stats you list definitely give some hope.  

 

 

 

[WilsoInAus]

20 minutes ago, hopingforthebest08 said:

This is what I try to tell myself with my boyfriend that it's a small risk I'm taking. However, what scares me is that he contracted hsv 2 (without precautions) however his risk was supposed to be even smaller considering he is male and that concerns me.

i don't know if that's much feedback but the stats you list definitely give some hope.  

 

 

 

It is would seem quite probably that your boyfriend was infected from someone who didn't know they had the virus. This changes the chances very markedly. For a responsible person like your partner using your agreed precautions, the risk is as stated above and maybe even lower.

[Atrapasueños]

Si el hsv no fuera tan fácil de contraer no existiría una población de 4000 millones con hsv al menos eso es lo que dice el OMS

 

If the hsv was not so easy to contract there would not be a population of 4000 million with hsv at least that's what the oms says

[Atrapasueños]

In America, there are 178 million HSV-1 carriers, all of them younger than 50 years.

The herpes virus is so easily transmitted that there are now millions of people between the ages of 15 and 49 infected worldwide, which is equivalent to almost two-thirds of the global population.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease is generated by the HSV-1 virus, which causes cold sores and is transmitted through kissing or mouth contact with the genitals. But a variation, produced by the VSH-2 virus, can also cause genital herpes and is spread by having unprotected sex.

The WHO warns that, despite increased hygiene conditions in developed countries, there is an increasing risk that the teenage population will contract the virus through great contact.

40% of new cases of herpes are by hsv-1

[SweetChilli]

Atrapasuenos, yes, there is a large population with HSV, also as WilsolnAus points out above it's easier to contract if the infected person is unaware of their status. There are also millions and millions of people that get pregnant despite using condoms, contraceptive pills, even a combination of both. It does happen to millions - but it's still very very unlikely. There are 7.5 BILLION people on this earth. Hence, say if 2% of the population get infected with HSV each year that's 150000000 people per year. Yet 98% or seven billion three hundred fifty million people remain uninfected. 

See where I'm getting at? Of course the sums of infected people are large, because there are so many people on this earth.

The stats above remain true, if you are aware of your HSV status and take precautions, you are very very unlikely to spread it.

 

[SweetChilli]

Hopingforthebest08, Yes, you need to look at the risk exactly the same as you look at the risk of getting pregnant using a condom, or even more unlikely than that. Also again as WilsolnAus points out if you are aware of your status the risk of spreading it is even less.

I contracted HSV2 after hooking up with a guy ONCE - with a condom. What are the odds!? I couldn't believe it. However from what he tells me he didn't know he had it (in fact he still claims it wasn't from him) - if this is true he definitely wasn't taking meds, maybe he only got it recently meaning he would have shed more, maybe he wasn't aware he had symptoms at the time. Either way, it does happen, just as people get pregnant despite using every precaution. 

But if you are with a partner who has it, is aware, and you two take every precaution, the risk you are taking is so tiny it's hardly even worth worrying about. Try to relax, the stats above do not lie!  

[Lisajd]

You say you contracted it with a condom but don't forget genital herpes is the whole boxer short area so the condom does not cover everything.  And I think whilst I don't necessarily agree with the abortion if you get pregnant you can do something about it if you get herpes you I stuck with it for life

[Atrapasueños]

Creo que existen personas que les gusta tener hsv lol

 

I think there are people who like to have hsv lol

[Atrapasueños]

Entiendo lo que dice, pero le daré un ejemplo 702 millones de personas viven en extrema pobreza cuantas personas que viven en pobreza o en extrema pobreza tienen el presupuesto para comprar medicamentos? 

@SweetChilli

I understand what you say, but I will give you an example. 702 million people live in extreme poverty how many people living in poverty or extreme poverty have the budget to buy medicines?

[SweetChilli]

@Lisajd Yes - I'm (these days) fully aware of the fact condom doesn't 100% protect, all I meant is that it's very unlikely, but unlikely doesn't mean impossible. Regarding your comment re abortion; I disagree, because not everyone wants to/ is able to have an abortion = if they get pregnant they are forced to have it = no choice, also if you are a male, it's not your choice to make = if the female chooses to have it you are stuck with a child for life too. Hence why I made that comparison. For the record I don't disagree with having abortions but that's another discussion entirely  
 

@Atrapasueños  I don't understand how your example is relevant to this topic?

 

[Seeker1960]

I don't know about the "exaggerated risks"  of getting herpes is son relevant here. Most if not all seem to have caught it without try too hard. I used a condom and still I wound up here with a lifetime membership to the H club.

I do believe if someone know they have it then they can take as many precautions as possible but even then its a possibility that they will transmit it to someone.

So the stats sound great but for me they don't matter because I'm in the 2% of the unlucky group to get it.

[Atrapasueños]

No entiende mi ejemplo le explicaré mejor usted dice que es muy poco probable de contraer hsv teniendo precauciones usando condón antivirales y teniendo relaciones sin brotes el hsv esta en todo el mundo mucha gente pobre tiene hsv pero como van a comprar antivirales o preservativos si aveces no tienen que comer o pagar las deudas o una ayuda de sector salud yo no sólo pienso en mi también pienso en la gente que no tiene que comer pero tiene que vivir con sus enfermedades su ejemplo esta bien pero sólo es para gente que tiene la posibilidad y aún así no es seguro no contagiar a otra persona

 

You do not understand my example I will explain you better you say that it is very unlikely to get hsv taking precautions using antiviral condoms and having intercourse without outbreaks the hsv is around the world many poor people have hsv but as they are going to buy antivirals or preservatives sometimes Have to eat or pay debts or a health sector help I not only think of me I also think of people who do not have to eat but have to live with their diseases their example is fine but it is only for people who have the possibility and It is still not safe not to infect another person

[MoniqueLow]

5 hours ago, Seeker1960 said:

I don't know about the "exaggerated risks"  of getting herpes is son relevant here. Most if not all seem to have caught it without try too hard. I used a condom and still I wound up here with a lifetime membership to the H club.

I do believe if someone know they have it then they can take as many precautions as possible but even then its a possibility that they will transmit it to someone.

So the stats sound great but for me they don't matter because I'm in the 2% of the unlucky group to get it.

Great to be so unique, right? x-(

I hope it works like that also the other way and I will win a lottery one day....