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Asymptomatic Herpes and increased HIV Risk?
I was diagnosed with genital herpes over a year ago and as mentioned in another post in the free forums I recently had vaginal sex with a female csw , fully protected and condom did not slip or break , I have not had a outbreak in 3 Months and take suppressive therapy , I just need to know if my risk of HIV is still high as I have read that having herpes increases chance of catching HIV ? Any info would be greatly appreciated , I know It was wrong but am very worried about the situation I stupidly put myself in . Many thanks in advance for your replys.
A related discussion, iwante help hiv dr hunter handsfield important was started.
A related discussion, Hiv exposure from possible herpes was started.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Actually, 6 weeks is conclusive, given the nature of the exposure. Any additonal testing is optional; if done, you can rest assured the results will be negative. You need not post any further results. Take care.
Hello doctor , greetings from the UK , just an update to let you know my 6 week rapid finger test was negative , I know this is not conclusive but I have read many times this is unlikely to change so am feeling a bit more relieved :-) will let you know my conclusive 3 month result
Thankyou Doctor was just worried as I had read the similaritys between my symptoms and ARS symptoms and the timescale also matched but you have put my mind at rest and I think it is probably just normal flu I have going on. Regards , Mark
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Those symptoms should not concern you. When someone suspects his or her own symptoms have a psychological origin, usually s/he is correct. And by the way, I doubt you have enlarged lymph nodes, which are difficult for nonprofessionals to self-diagnose. But if you remain in doubt or concerned, you need to see a doctor or clinic about it.
Hello doctor just a quick update and wondering if you think I should be worried atall , exactly 2 weeks after exposure I had a dry throat start with swollen lymph nodes in arm and throat and slight headaches . No fever is present , Am hoping the symptoms are just anxiety driven but just wanted your opinion . Regards , Mr needs to stop thinking with his trousers :-(
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Depending on where in North America your partner was from, being African American may raise the chance she was infected, but still it is unlikely. You correctly understand everything. You really shouldn't lose any sleep over the risk of catching HIV.
Take care and stay safe!
Take care and stay safe!
Many thanks for your reply , I am HSV2 infected , you have put my mind at ease to know that my use of a condom will still be just as safe regardless of my herpes infection , what you find on the internet does not state this . Also the reason I was so worried is that the female was of African ethnicity but living in England . The act lasted for around a few minutes and I stopped before I ejaculated once I realised what I was doing was wrong . But as you say even if she was definitely infected with HIV then it is still very unlikely with condom use I could have been infected , please correct me if any of what I have said is wrong , many thanks again .
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum and thanks for this question. There are important misunderstandings about herpes and HIV risk, so it's an important question.
First, which virus is the cause of your genital herpes? The HIV risk is increased with HSV-2, but not HSV-1.
In people with HSV-2, the average risk for HIV is roughly double what it would be otherwise. Being on suppressive treatment does not change the risk one way or the other; people with HSV-2 have an equal increased risk of HIV regardless of herpes treatment. Also, presence or absence of herpes symptoms makes no difference. Whether people have overt, easily recognozed recurrent outbreaks or are entirely asymptomatic -- i.e. only with a positive HSV-2 blood test -- the increased risk of HIV is the same.
That's the (slightly) bad news. There is also a bunch of good news about it. First, for there to be any risk at all, first you have to be exposed to HIV. If you always have safe sex, i.e. consistent condom use with new or high risk partners, you're not going to catch HIV regardless of your herpes. Second, the large majority of heterosexual women in the US and other industrialized countries, including sex workers, do not have HIV. If you stick with female partners who aren't injection drug users, or with other special risk categories, you're unlikely to ever be exposed, let alone infected. And remember that in the event you are unlucky enough to have an HIV infected partner who is not on treatment, and if you don't use a condom or it breaks, the average female to male transmission risk through vaginal sex is about 1 in 2,000. With HSV-2 doubling the risk, that chance becomes 1 in 1,000 -- still very low!
Looking at it another way: As a wild guess, given your apparent sexual proclivities, you might have 1 in a million chance of catching HIV someday. If that risk is doubled due to HSV-2, it means your lifetime risk would be 1 in 500,000. Low enough to be no cause for worry. I don't know if this risk estimate is accurate -- this is only a guess. But the point is that a double risk due to herpes really doesn't mean very much for people whose risk is very low to start. Things are different for those with high risk lifestyles, e.g. gay men, injection drug users, etc; for such persons, having HSV-2 could significantly increase the risk of HIV.
So my advice is to continue to use common sense in selecting partners and in using condoms for vaginal or anal sex. Then regardless of your herpes, you can be confident you'll never catch HIV.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any brief follow-up questions, including your HSV type, if known.
REgards-- HHH, MD
First, which virus is the cause of your genital herpes? The HIV risk is increased with HSV-2, but not HSV-1.
In people with HSV-2, the average risk for HIV is roughly double what it would be otherwise. Being on suppressive treatment does not change the risk one way or the other; people with HSV-2 have an equal increased risk of HIV regardless of herpes treatment. Also, presence or absence of herpes symptoms makes no difference. Whether people have overt, easily recognozed recurrent outbreaks or are entirely asymptomatic -- i.e. only with a positive HSV-2 blood test -- the increased risk of HIV is the same.
That's the (slightly) bad news. There is also a bunch of good news about it. First, for there to be any risk at all, first you have to be exposed to HIV. If you always have safe sex, i.e. consistent condom use with new or high risk partners, you're not going to catch HIV regardless of your herpes. Second, the large majority of heterosexual women in the US and other industrialized countries, including sex workers, do not have HIV. If you stick with female partners who aren't injection drug users, or with other special risk categories, you're unlikely to ever be exposed, let alone infected. And remember that in the event you are unlucky enough to have an HIV infected partner who is not on treatment, and if you don't use a condom or it breaks, the average female to male transmission risk through vaginal sex is about 1 in 2,000. With HSV-2 doubling the risk, that chance becomes 1 in 1,000 -- still very low!
Looking at it another way: As a wild guess, given your apparent sexual proclivities, you might have 1 in a million chance of catching HIV someday. If that risk is doubled due to HSV-2, it means your lifetime risk would be 1 in 500,000. Low enough to be no cause for worry. I don't know if this risk estimate is accurate -- this is only a guess. But the point is that a double risk due to herpes really doesn't mean very much for people whose risk is very low to start. Things are different for those with high risk lifestyles, e.g. gay men, injection drug users, etc; for such persons, having HSV-2 could significantly increase the risk of HIV.
So my advice is to continue to use common sense in selecting partners and in using condoms for vaginal or anal sex. Then regardless of your herpes, you can be confident you'll never catch HIV.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any brief follow-up questions, including your HSV type, if known.
REgards-- HHH, MD
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