Hi Drs. Hook and Handsfield
You both have been incredibly helpful, in fact when Dr. Hook compared my odds to the specificifity of the IGG test, after a day, it largely reduced my concerns.
Since this is my last message (I understand you get to post only 2 messages a month), I hope you can also help me through this final concern.
Although I had a cursory glance at the outside of my ex partner’s genitals, I did not quite make an inspection for lesions, for example, I did not finger her vagina or anything of that sort.
1) How much does the existence of lesions on her genitals change your assessment? I have read a lot of the already posted questions in the past 6 months and I see two, at least apparently, conflicting information: Dr. Hook maintains a onetime unprotected exposure when lesions ARE present is 1 in 1000 whereas Dr. Handsfield suggests when lesions are NOT present, the risk is 1 in 10,000. Assuming my ex partner had active lesions and I missed it, where does this put my risk?
2) Can you please quantify my risk? With the assumption she had genital herpes (HSV2), what is the best case scenario (no lesions on her) and worst case scenario (overt active lesions)?
3) Is it true that 80% of sexually active individuals will have intercourse with someone with genital herpes (HSV2) at one point in their lives? This is a quote from Dr.Handsfield, which also alleviates my concern. But I am not sure if he meant HPV and the abbreviation was misspelled to HSV2.
I appreciate both of your expertise and thank you very much for your service.