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Risk of contacting Oral Herpes
Hello.
I wanna know more about oral herpes. My girlfriend told me that she has oral herpes. She has no outbreaks for while and she’s on medication. Am I at risk of contacting if I kiss her?
I wanna know more about oral herpes. My girlfriend told me that she has oral herpes. She has no outbreaks for while and she’s on medication. Am I at risk of contacting if I kiss her?
COMMUNITY LEADER
Have you ever tested for herpes? 67% of the population under 50 globally has hsv1, and the vast majority will never get symptoms. You could easily be one of them.
Getting a test is not easy in a lot of places, and the test misses a full 30% of hsv1 infections, so even if you test, it might not be accurate.
So let's assume for a moment that you don't have it. While we don't have transmission stats for hsv1 like we do for hsv2, we do know that it's contagious when symptoms aren't present. Medication does help if she takes it every day. It's assumed that it works the same as it does with hsv2, and reduces transmission by half.
You can get infected by kissing or by oral sex.
The good news here is that she knows she has it, takes medication to reduce transmission and symptoms, and knows when to avoid contact. Transmission is highest when symptoms are present. If you decide not to date her, which is your choice, your next girlfriend may not know she has it, or may get a false negative on a test, and you could get it from her.
Obviously, it's your choice. I'm honestly not trying to push you into anything, but just trying to give you information. Hsv1 is so common, and unless you are trying to really limit your dating pool, it's going to be really hard to avoid.
If you have a serious germ-phobia or OCD or something, it may be more fair for you both for you to avoid this relationship. If that's the case, just be honest and kind about it. It's always your choice to date who you want to date, for whatever reason, and if you get herpes, you may or may not get symptoms from it - there are no guarantees.
We're here to answer any questions you may have.
Getting a test is not easy in a lot of places, and the test misses a full 30% of hsv1 infections, so even if you test, it might not be accurate.
So let's assume for a moment that you don't have it. While we don't have transmission stats for hsv1 like we do for hsv2, we do know that it's contagious when symptoms aren't present. Medication does help if she takes it every day. It's assumed that it works the same as it does with hsv2, and reduces transmission by half.
You can get infected by kissing or by oral sex.
The good news here is that she knows she has it, takes medication to reduce transmission and symptoms, and knows when to avoid contact. Transmission is highest when symptoms are present. If you decide not to date her, which is your choice, your next girlfriend may not know she has it, or may get a false negative on a test, and you could get it from her.
Obviously, it's your choice. I'm honestly not trying to push you into anything, but just trying to give you information. Hsv1 is so common, and unless you are trying to really limit your dating pool, it's going to be really hard to avoid.
If you have a serious germ-phobia or OCD or something, it may be more fair for you both for you to avoid this relationship. If that's the case, just be honest and kind about it. It's always your choice to date who you want to date, for whatever reason, and if you get herpes, you may or may not get symptoms from it - there are no guarantees.
We're here to answer any questions you may have.
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
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.
