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How likely is this HSV
Sometime in July I had an unprotected encounter with a girl I had been dating for a few months. The encounter lasted no longer than 2 minutes. About 2 days after I had been swimming with underwear on and laying in the hot sun. I developed an itchy pink irritation the the scrotum which I then presented to the clinic. The doctor though it was due to a fungal infection and gave me an anti-funal which helped the rash go away in a few days. They did not reccomend testing for herpes.
About six or seven weeks after the encounter I noticed a small red dot next to the opening of the penis. I immediately began freaking out not knowing what this was. It didn't hurt or anything, it looked like a really tiny pimple. The weird thing was that this red dot went away within a few hours.
About two weeks after that I began to feel a tingling sensation around where I saw the red dot. The weird thing was that the sensation would come suddenly at random times and last for a few seconds. This sensation only happened a few times within that week with no noticable changes in the area.
Then about ten weeks after the encounter I began to tightness in the lower abdomen which eventually progressed to lower back tightness. This lasted for about 2 weeks. I sometimes experience groin pain but I cannot tell if it's from exercise or walking. It hurts for about one day and then goes away.
The last part is that over the past few weeks I've notice small patches of pink or area at various spots along the shaft. It is really random and goes and comes in a matter of hours. I also sometimes feel a throbing pain in the shaft which again lasts for maybe a few seconds.
How likely is herpes?
Is it common herpes like this where it is mostly prodromal?
If a sore is present, doesn't it usually hurt to touch?
Is it likely to catch something like this from a 2 minute exposure?
Can herpes symtoms start out as mild and get worse as time goes on?
About six or seven weeks after the encounter I noticed a small red dot next to the opening of the penis. I immediately began freaking out not knowing what this was. It didn't hurt or anything, it looked like a really tiny pimple. The weird thing was that this red dot went away within a few hours.
About two weeks after that I began to feel a tingling sensation around where I saw the red dot. The weird thing was that the sensation would come suddenly at random times and last for a few seconds. This sensation only happened a few times within that week with no noticable changes in the area.
Then about ten weeks after the encounter I began to tightness in the lower abdomen which eventually progressed to lower back tightness. This lasted for about 2 weeks. I sometimes experience groin pain but I cannot tell if it's from exercise or walking. It hurts for about one day and then goes away.
The last part is that over the past few weeks I've notice small patches of pink or area at various spots along the shaft. It is really random and goes and comes in a matter of hours. I also sometimes feel a throbing pain in the shaft which again lasts for maybe a few seconds.
How likely is herpes?
Is it common herpes like this where it is mostly prodromal?
If a sore is present, doesn't it usually hurt to touch?
Is it likely to catch something like this from a 2 minute exposure?
Can herpes symtoms start out as mild and get worse as time goes on?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the Forum. You seem quite concerned about this brief exposure for reason that I don't understand. You do not know that your partner had HSV and, in fact, most exposures to infected partners do not lead to infection. The symptoms that you describe have occurred in a variety of different locations and sound as though they occurred for brief periods of time – this is not suggestive of herpes. In most people herpes outbreaks tend to follow a pattern in which when they recur, they do so in about the same place. Further, initial outbreaks or HSV typically last 2-3 weeks and recurrences in the neighborhood of 3-5 days. Strange sensations that come and go or move around are not at all suggestive of HSV. If I were the health care provider taking care of you, none of the things you describe here would lead me to consider HSV.
How likely is herpes?
Unlikely.
Is it common herpes like this where it is mostly prodromal?
Uncommon. Typically prodromes do not occur without leading to lesions and it sounds as though there have been no instances in which you experienced lesions after the sensations you are describing.
If a sore is present, doesn't it usually hurt to touch?
Yes, HSV lesions are typically tender.
Is it likely to catch something like this from a 2 minute exposure?
Even if your partner had HSV, most exposures do not lead to infection. Logically the duration of exposure does increase the likelihood of infection.
Can herpes symtoms start out as mild and get worse as time goes on?
This too would be most unusual.
I hope my comments are helpful to you. This really does not sound much like HSV to me. I would not worry and see no reason for testing of any sort. EWH
How likely is herpes?
Unlikely.
Is it common herpes like this where it is mostly prodromal?
Uncommon. Typically prodromes do not occur without leading to lesions and it sounds as though there have been no instances in which you experienced lesions after the sensations you are describing.
If a sore is present, doesn't it usually hurt to touch?
Yes, HSV lesions are typically tender.
Is it likely to catch something like this from a 2 minute exposure?
Even if your partner had HSV, most exposures do not lead to infection. Logically the duration of exposure does increase the likelihood of infection.
Can herpes symtoms start out as mild and get worse as time goes on?
This too would be most unusual.
I hope my comments are helpful to you. This really does not sound much like HSV to me. I would not worry and see no reason for testing of any sort. EWH
To put more clearly:
I was unprotected vaginal sex.
I was unprotected vaginal sex.
Thank you for your response. Just to clarify some inconsistency quickly....
It has been stated that most exposures to HSV do not lead to transmission. Is this because there is a certain viral threshold that is needed for infection or is this due to the chance on making contact with a lesion or an area of shedding?
It has been stated that genital HSV sores may be the initial lesions may be unnoticeable or mild red patches but other sources say that at least the first outbreak is obvious. Which is more often the case for the initial outbreak?
There will be no more questions after this. Thanks Again.
It has been stated that most exposures to HSV do not lead to transmission. Is this because there is a certain viral threshold that is needed for infection or is this due to the chance on making contact with a lesion or an area of shedding?
It has been stated that genital HSV sores may be the initial lesions may be unnoticeable or mild red patches but other sources say that at least the first outbreak is obvious. Which is more often the case for the initial outbreak?
There will be no more questions after this. Thanks Again.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
A a general rule, even most direct exposures to any STIs, including HSV do not lead to infection. There are a variety of factors that influence whether or not persons exposed to any infectious disease, including HSV become infected. One element is the amount of virus present, another is the duration of exposure, yet other factors include whether there is friction involved to rub the virus into place.
Most initial outbreaks occur as more obvious sores and blisters but many persons attribute these problems to other causes, saying they though the symptoms would be more severe than they expereinced. A smaller proportion may occur with less typical lesions. EWH
Most initial outbreaks occur as more obvious sores and blisters but many persons attribute these problems to other causes, saying they though the symptoms would be more severe than they expereinced. A smaller proportion may occur with less typical lesions. EWH
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
