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Can hsv2 be transmitted to other parts of the body after digital penetration?
I have hsv2 and take Valtrex daily as suppressive therapy. I was digitally penetrated and was not experiencing an outbreak at the time. I do not have hsv1. The finger that was used to penetrate my vagina was placed in my mouth. Is it possible that herpes was transmitted to my mouth or my partner’s genital area or his finger?
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So I'll address you first, then your partner.
You have antibodies already for hsv2. These are things that develop every time we get an infection and they help us fight it. With herpes, they develop usually within a few weeks up to 12 weeks after exposure, and they stay with us forever. Once we have those, we can't get the same strain again in a different location on our bodies. You don't need to worry about hsv2 anywhere else.
Also, and this is for you and your partner, hsv2 doesn't really like the mouth. It can infect the mouth, but it's rare.
Your partner might get something called herpetic whitlow, if he had a break in the skin, but that's also rare. Herpetic whitlow usually happens in those who work in dentistry who have their fingers in people's mouths, and their patients have hsv1.
You are not nearly as infectious as you think you are. Practically speaking, you would only infect someone if they have actual penetrative sex with you. It takes some friction with direct genital skin on skin contact to transmit, and that's the kind that sex provides.
I don't know if you've ever seen transmission rates, but we know those.
Ghsv2 transmission, female to male, over the course of a year, assuming sex 2-3 times a week (I use "female" and "male" for brevity, but I mean nothing more than the parts you have. Your gender identity is yours.):
Only avoiding sex during an outbreak - 4-5%
Adding condoms OR daily suppression - 2-3%
Adding condoms AND daily suppression - 1-2%
So if you are taking Valtrex daily, your male partner has a 97-98% chance of NOT getting it each year. You can find all this in the herpes handbook - https://westoverheights.com/herpes/the-updated-herpes-handbook/ That's free and written by Terri Warren, one of the world's leading herpes experts. You can read it right on your phone or computer.
I hope this helps, but let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
You have antibodies already for hsv2. These are things that develop every time we get an infection and they help us fight it. With herpes, they develop usually within a few weeks up to 12 weeks after exposure, and they stay with us forever. Once we have those, we can't get the same strain again in a different location on our bodies. You don't need to worry about hsv2 anywhere else.
Also, and this is for you and your partner, hsv2 doesn't really like the mouth. It can infect the mouth, but it's rare.
Your partner might get something called herpetic whitlow, if he had a break in the skin, but that's also rare. Herpetic whitlow usually happens in those who work in dentistry who have their fingers in people's mouths, and their patients have hsv1.
You are not nearly as infectious as you think you are. Practically speaking, you would only infect someone if they have actual penetrative sex with you. It takes some friction with direct genital skin on skin contact to transmit, and that's the kind that sex provides.
I don't know if you've ever seen transmission rates, but we know those.
Ghsv2 transmission, female to male, over the course of a year, assuming sex 2-3 times a week (I use "female" and "male" for brevity, but I mean nothing more than the parts you have. Your gender identity is yours.):
Only avoiding sex during an outbreak - 4-5%
Adding condoms OR daily suppression - 2-3%
Adding condoms AND daily suppression - 1-2%
So if you are taking Valtrex daily, your male partner has a 97-98% chance of NOT getting it each year. You can find all this in the herpes handbook - https://westoverheights.com/herpes/the-updated-herpes-handbook/ That's free and written by Terri Warren, one of the world's leading herpes experts. You can read it right on your phone or computer.
I hope this helps, but let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
4 Comments
Thank you for this information. Just some additional information; I have had hsv2 for 17 years and I did kiss him and perform oral sex on him after he put his finger in my mouth but it appears as though the risk of transmission these ways are extremely rare.
No, that's no risk. STDs aren't transmitted that way. Assuming there was any virus active on your skin at the time, there's way too much movement and air involved for it to survive this process. By the time his finger went from your vagina to your mouth, if there was any virus on it, it probably wouldn't have been enough left to transmit anyway.
Then it's introduced to your saliva, and more air with breathing, and it just wouldn't happen.
So you don't shed every day, right? You aren't infectious all the time.
Shedding rates: (and you can find all this in the herpes handbook - https://westoverheights.com/herpes/the-updated-herpes-handbook/)
HSV 2 genital 15-30% (55-110) of days evaluated
HSV 1 genital 3-5% (10-18) of days evaluated
HSV 1 oral 25% (91) of days evaluated
HSV 2 oral 1% (~4) of days evaluated
That rate is reduced when you take Valtrex (how much depends on your dose of Valtrex - usually around half at 500 mg a day, give or take). That means odds are really good that you weren't shedding that day. It also cuts down on how much you shed.
If your partner has only a 2-3% chance of getting it from you per year from actual penetration, he's not going to get it from fingers to mouth to mouth, or fingers to mouth to penis, right?
Please know that you are not a walking, talking infection, okay? You can enjoy sex. :)
Then it's introduced to your saliva, and more air with breathing, and it just wouldn't happen.
So you don't shed every day, right? You aren't infectious all the time.
Shedding rates: (and you can find all this in the herpes handbook - https://westoverheights.com/herpes/the-updated-herpes-handbook/)
HSV 2 genital 15-30% (55-110) of days evaluated
HSV 1 genital 3-5% (10-18) of days evaluated
HSV 1 oral 25% (91) of days evaluated
HSV 2 oral 1% (~4) of days evaluated
That rate is reduced when you take Valtrex (how much depends on your dose of Valtrex - usually around half at 500 mg a day, give or take). That means odds are really good that you weren't shedding that day. It also cuts down on how much you shed.
If your partner has only a 2-3% chance of getting it from you per year from actual penetration, he's not going to get it from fingers to mouth to mouth, or fingers to mouth to penis, right?
Please know that you are not a walking, talking infection, okay? You can enjoy sex. :)
Thank you AuntieJessi. I know it just helps to be reassured. I appreciate your assistance and knowledge ☺️
You're welcome. :)
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
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STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
