Aa
Hsv-2
Hello, first i'd like to give you some background information and than i'd like to ask you a few wuestions. Back in September of this year I found out that I had hsv-2 which I assume you already know is herpes. It showed up on the tip of my penis in a cluster of about four. Thankfully it wasn't painful and it wasn't bad, but none the less it has completely ruined my sex life. It definitely hit me by surprise though. See I think I might have contracted it back in 2012 when I was having lots of unprotected sex. One week after I had sex with an older woman (anally) my penis started to itch and two tiny, I mean tiny white dots appeared right on the tip top of my tip where urine comes out of. Instinctively I thought to my self this is herpes it has to be. So I went and got a blood test that came up negative. I went on to have unprotected sex for about 7months with the same 2 girls until those encounters died down. About three months after that these two tiny dots appeared again in the same location. Again I panicked and got a blood test which came back negative. So I felt in the clear for awhile but refrained from sex which I'm happy I did because it ends I have hsv2 which was determined from a swab test. Man my heart broke, all that potential out the window. It really sucked I'm only 20 and not all the time but definitely some of the time I feel like I really FD up. Anyway So I did get medication (Acyclovir). It's not daily suppressive medication, it's outbreak medication. So I took that back in September and I'm cleared now. But I still masturbate which scares me because my eyes have been itching lately and when I scratch them I feel like I'll transmit the herpes through what doctors refer to as viral shedding. Note- I wash my hands about three times after masturbating. So to sum up my first question. "Can I transmit herpes to my eye after masturbation." Now onto the rest, what are my chances of giving herpes to a female if I wear a condom and I don't have an outbreak at the time? Could I have a worse outbreak than the first? I'd like to add I'm in good shape. Why'd I have negative blood tests those two times but not a negative swab? Could I never have a herpes outbreak again? And finally when do you personally think there will be a cure for herpes? Thank you for taking your time to read this I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks Howard I appreciate you taking the time to help. Just to clear one thing up, I had the two blood tests before the swab test. Also I take acyclovir during outbreaks. I've only had one outbreak in which I used half of my prescription.
Welcome to the forum. If I correctly understand, you have been diagnosed with genital herpes due to HSV2 on the basis of recurrent outbreaks on your penis, but several months later, your blood test remains negative for HSV2. This is unusual -- but with a positive "swab test" (presumably culture or PCR), the diagnosis seems certain. Have you been taking anti-herpes treatment like acyclovir or valacyclovir? Sometimes this can delay a positive blood test.
Self infection of a new part of the body (auto inoculation) occurs primarily during the initial infection and is rare once an HSV infection has been present a few months. Not having antibody might mean your immune system response isn't yet complete, so there might still be a littel risk -- but very little. If you wash your hands with soap and water after masturbating, before putting your hands to your mouth or face, that will prevent any possibility of autoinoculation.
For protecting partners, you're on the right track: avoid sex during an outbreak (even with a condom) and use condoms at other times. In addition, talk with your doctor about a prescription for suppressive treatment. It's simple, just a pill once a day, has no side effects, and signifcantly reduces the chance of transmission. With the combination of condoms plus suppressive treatment, it is unlikely you will transmit the infection. However, there's still not zero risk, so you'll also need to always inform your partners ahead of time.
Unfortunately, an actual cure for herpes is something to hope for in the future. Maybe someday, but not in the next several years.
Finally, I strongly recommend you get the free Herpes Handbook from the Westover Heights Clinic (the home base of Terri Warren, moderator of MedHelp's herpes expert forum): www.westoverheights.com. It's an excellent resource to help people live iwth herpes. Alternatively, Managing Herpes by Charles Ebel and Anna Wald, available from the American Sexual Health Association (www.ashasexualhealth.org) or at Amazon.com. This one isn't free, but it's an excellent resource by two of the world's top herpes experts.
I hope this has helped. Good luck.
Self infection of a new part of the body (auto inoculation) occurs primarily during the initial infection and is rare once an HSV infection has been present a few months. Not having antibody might mean your immune system response isn't yet complete, so there might still be a littel risk -- but very little. If you wash your hands with soap and water after masturbating, before putting your hands to your mouth or face, that will prevent any possibility of autoinoculation.
For protecting partners, you're on the right track: avoid sex during an outbreak (even with a condom) and use condoms at other times. In addition, talk with your doctor about a prescription for suppressive treatment. It's simple, just a pill once a day, has no side effects, and signifcantly reduces the chance of transmission. With the combination of condoms plus suppressive treatment, it is unlikely you will transmit the infection. However, there's still not zero risk, so you'll also need to always inform your partners ahead of time.
Unfortunately, an actual cure for herpes is something to hope for in the future. Maybe someday, but not in the next several years.
Finally, I strongly recommend you get the free Herpes Handbook from the Westover Heights Clinic (the home base of Terri Warren, moderator of MedHelp's herpes expert forum): www.westoverheights.com. It's an excellent resource to help people live iwth herpes. Alternatively, Managing Herpes by Charles Ebel and Anna Wald, available from the American Sexual Health Association (www.ashasexualhealth.org) or at Amazon.com. This one isn't free, but it's an excellent resource by two of the world's top herpes experts.
I hope this has helped. Good luck.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
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.
