Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Have Cold Sores, Gave girlfriend genital herpes, can i get genital herpes from her?

Hello, I have been getting cold sores since I was a kid.  I gave my girlfriend genital herpes after performing oral sex.

My question is, now that my girlfriend has genital herpes that she got from my cold sore virus, can I contact genital herpes from her from performing unprotected sex?

Or could I be immune to it because the virus she has, she got from me?  
6 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Shades33, how was your girlfriend diagnosed with genital hsv? Did she get a blood test, culture swab, or was it just assumed cause you have it orally?  While your chance of contracting hsv-1 genitaly isn't an issue, you can still contract hsv-2 genitaly
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hi grace, what is your medical background or knowledge?
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
Actually it's not rare to have hsv1 genitally at all. In fact in the under 25 years of age range, it's the cause of 70% or so of all newly acquired genital herpes infections. It's quite common. About 1/2 of all folks who contract hsv1 genitally will never get another recognizable recurrence.   Of those who do get recurrences, the average is 1 additional ob the first year and then 1 ob every other year. A small percentage of folks do get hsv1 genital recurrences more often than that.

when one partner has hsv1 orally and the other one has it genitally, it's not likely to be an issue for them. Always err on the side of caution and avoid sex whenever the hsv1 genital partner has anything going on genitally but having hsv1 orally provides you with significant protection against contracting hsv1 on other body parts.

keep asking questions!

grace
Helpful - 0
1174003 tn?1308160819
If you both have HSV-1 you are either immune or highly resistant to getting the infection in a new location.  Avoid sexual contact during times when you an active outbreak is always advised.  Though you really don't need to take many precautions.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
BTW, my bf and I had unprotected sex w a few days ago during my breakout...this was before I knew what I had. She said if I do end up having HSV2 then the chances are VERY high that he has contracted it as well. So unfortunately, you may have as well if it ends up being hsv2. But only testing will tell.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You posted this at the right time. I to am going thru something VERY similar. My bf has hsv1 which is the sores on the lip. I just 3 days ago had the vaginal herpes outbreak. (but he has not done oral on me) Anyways, after many days of crying,,,I just got some positive news. Literally about 10 minutes ago. I called the Health Dept. and I go in tomorrow to have blood work done to see if I am HSV1 or HSV2. Anyways, the lady, whom is an STD specialist) told me that If by chance mine comes back as HSV1 then I will never have another breakout. But if it comes back HSV2 then of course I will continue to have it. She said it is rare for people to get the HSV1 in the genitals BUT if a person does, then she said it will only happen one time. She said once hsv1 hits the genitals it realizes thats not where it is supposed to be. It will run its course and never come back.

So tell your gf to find some where to get tested to see which one she has.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
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.