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What risk do I have for developing HSV-2 as a female with oral sex and sensitivity?
Hi, I engaged in some sexual activity with a man who disclosed to me he had genital HSV-2 when we met. Since then, we have engaged in skin-to-skin contact pretty briefly with genitals, and we have performed mutual oral sex last night. I am now regretting it because I didn't realize contractual risk existed outside of penetration (stupid, I know), even if it's low. I also swallowed, and I've been feeling unwell today: brain fog, physical bodily fatigue, a general sense of unease in the stomach, a very mild sore throat, lots of thick phlegm and congestion, and even a little cough. Two months ago I had viral acute bronchitis, but I'd been feeling *completely* better and totally healthy for weeks, up until the next day. I am worried that exposing myself to another virus could possibly strengthen the other dormant virus within me. I should also mention I am *hyper*-sensitive, and not a usual case. I have a higher chance of contracting colds and viruses, due to extreme health sensitivities I'd rather not get into here. I'm very attuned with what's happening. So:
1) I am concerned about contracting HSV-2; less-so about HSV-1 if he did have that as well. No outbreak noticeable, and he is on suppressive therapy for it. What are my chances from the oral sex, swallowing, and the brief rubbing contact we had made?
2) What should I conclude about feeling unwell after swallowing him, other than that he is not in generally great health and I sense that -- the sore throat is an unusual aspect I've never felt, along with 'brain fog' from that, and the thickness of congestion going on about 24 hours after now? How long to expect these symptoms?
3) How soon should I get tested for HSV-2, if they are willing to do so without lesions at risk? If the virus is dormant within the body (entered upon fluid), what does the timeline and risk look like for its manifestation to occur, to know whether or not my body will successfully fight it off? Does it stay within the body always, so it's now within my body, and it's just a matter of antibodies fighting it now?
Thank you so much.
1) I am concerned about contracting HSV-2; less-so about HSV-1 if he did have that as well. No outbreak noticeable, and he is on suppressive therapy for it. What are my chances from the oral sex, swallowing, and the brief rubbing contact we had made?
2) What should I conclude about feeling unwell after swallowing him, other than that he is not in generally great health and I sense that -- the sore throat is an unusual aspect I've never felt, along with 'brain fog' from that, and the thickness of congestion going on about 24 hours after now? How long to expect these symptoms?
3) How soon should I get tested for HSV-2, if they are willing to do so without lesions at risk? If the virus is dormant within the body (entered upon fluid), what does the timeline and risk look like for its manifestation to occur, to know whether or not my body will successfully fight it off? Does it stay within the body always, so it's now within my body, and it's just a matter of antibodies fighting it now?
Thank you so much.
COMMUNITY LEADER
The info I am giving you is based on male to female transmission, as you don't mention your sex. Same-sex transmission hasn't been studied to the extent that opposite sex transmission has, but it's assumed that male to male transmission is higher for actual intercourse than it is for male to female. I'm not assuming anything, and just want to give you this info so you have a baseline knowledge of the stats.
1) I am concerned about contracting HSV-2; less-so about HSV-1 if he did have that as well. No outbreak noticeable, and he is on suppressive therapy for it. What are my chances from the oral sex, swallowing, and the brief rubbing contact we had made?
Chances from getting HSV2 from a one time encounter are very low. If this is a male/female relationship, and he is on suppressive meds, the chances of herpes transmission is about 4-5% a year. (That's assuming intercourse.) If suppression AND condoms are used, it's about 2-3% a year.
Hsv2 doesn't like the mouth, and herpes rarely goes from the genitals to the mouth. Given that he is on suppressive meds, I wouldn't worry at all about hsv2 orally from giving him oral sex. Swallowing has nothing to do with this, as herpes is spread via skin to skin contact, not body fluids. (It doesn't matter what sex anyone is for this - it holds true for everyone.)
The genital to genital contact/rubbing - not knowing how brief this way, or how vigorous, it's hard to say. Given that he's on suppression, though, the chances are pretty low.
2) What should I conclude about feeling unwell after swallowing him, other than that he is not in generally great health and I sense that -- the sore throat is an unusual aspect I've never felt, along with 'brain fog' from that, and the thickness of congestion going on about 24 hours after now? How long to expect these symptoms?
No STD would give you symptoms this fast. If you are feeling ill, it's not from this encounter. Perhaps your bronchitis is making a come back, or it's allergies (check the pollen counts where you live - mine are awful, and I feel similar to how you feel). If that lingers, follow up with your doctor.
3) How soon should I get tested for HSV-2, if they are willing to do so without lesions at risk? If the virus is dormant within the body (entered upon fluid), what does the timeline and risk look like for its manifestation to occur, to know whether or not my body will successfully fight it off? Does it stay within the body always, so it's now within my body, and it's just a matter of antibodies fighting it now?
You can test now for hsv2 with an antibody test - ask for an IgG type specific blood test. This won't tell you if you got it from this partner, but will tell you if you have it already. You can test again at 4 months, though most people will develop antibodies by 6 weeks. (For me, if I hadn't developed symptoms, I wouldn't bother to test again.)
Most people who get symptoms will do so within 2-20 days. This means blisters, not anything else. A lot of people talk about tingling nerves, etc., but those only happen if you have an actual outbreak.
I don't know what makes your immune system "sensitive". If you have a medical diagnosis that causes this, you should talk to your doctor about what may happen to you if you do get herpes. If HIV is the cause of this (and again, not assuming, just trying to cover the bases here), then HIV can change treatment for herpes. Are you referring to your bronchitis as the dormant virus, or something else? You should talk to your doctor about this, whatever it is.
In any case, I don't think you have a lot to worry about, and I hope you feel better soon.
1) I am concerned about contracting HSV-2; less-so about HSV-1 if he did have that as well. No outbreak noticeable, and he is on suppressive therapy for it. What are my chances from the oral sex, swallowing, and the brief rubbing contact we had made?
Chances from getting HSV2 from a one time encounter are very low. If this is a male/female relationship, and he is on suppressive meds, the chances of herpes transmission is about 4-5% a year. (That's assuming intercourse.) If suppression AND condoms are used, it's about 2-3% a year.
Hsv2 doesn't like the mouth, and herpes rarely goes from the genitals to the mouth. Given that he is on suppressive meds, I wouldn't worry at all about hsv2 orally from giving him oral sex. Swallowing has nothing to do with this, as herpes is spread via skin to skin contact, not body fluids. (It doesn't matter what sex anyone is for this - it holds true for everyone.)
The genital to genital contact/rubbing - not knowing how brief this way, or how vigorous, it's hard to say. Given that he's on suppression, though, the chances are pretty low.
2) What should I conclude about feeling unwell after swallowing him, other than that he is not in generally great health and I sense that -- the sore throat is an unusual aspect I've never felt, along with 'brain fog' from that, and the thickness of congestion going on about 24 hours after now? How long to expect these symptoms?
No STD would give you symptoms this fast. If you are feeling ill, it's not from this encounter. Perhaps your bronchitis is making a come back, or it's allergies (check the pollen counts where you live - mine are awful, and I feel similar to how you feel). If that lingers, follow up with your doctor.
3) How soon should I get tested for HSV-2, if they are willing to do so without lesions at risk? If the virus is dormant within the body (entered upon fluid), what does the timeline and risk look like for its manifestation to occur, to know whether or not my body will successfully fight it off? Does it stay within the body always, so it's now within my body, and it's just a matter of antibodies fighting it now?
You can test now for hsv2 with an antibody test - ask for an IgG type specific blood test. This won't tell you if you got it from this partner, but will tell you if you have it already. You can test again at 4 months, though most people will develop antibodies by 6 weeks. (For me, if I hadn't developed symptoms, I wouldn't bother to test again.)
Most people who get symptoms will do so within 2-20 days. This means blisters, not anything else. A lot of people talk about tingling nerves, etc., but those only happen if you have an actual outbreak.
I don't know what makes your immune system "sensitive". If you have a medical diagnosis that causes this, you should talk to your doctor about what may happen to you if you do get herpes. If HIV is the cause of this (and again, not assuming, just trying to cover the bases here), then HIV can change treatment for herpes. Are you referring to your bronchitis as the dormant virus, or something else? You should talk to your doctor about this, whatever it is.
In any case, I don't think you have a lot to worry about, and I hope you feel better soon.
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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.
