A partner of mine said she had genital sores 5 days post relations w/ me. this was 4 weeks ago. I am 47 she is 49. This is a first for both of us. She claims to have been faithful (4 years). I HAVE been faithful. What is up with that.

She was diagnosised w/ Herpes 2.

How long can it be "dormant"? (in her or me)

I have not shown any symptoms. Can I get tested?

Where and how?

Discretion is essential.

TY to all.

Sorry I am so ignorant.

A partner of mine said she had genital sores 5 days post relations w/ me. this was 4 weeks ago. I am 47 she is 49. This is a first for both of us. She claims to have been faithful (4 years). I HAVE been faithful. What is up with that.

First of all, she could have gotten it from her previous partner. Most individuals infected with herpes are not aware of it predominantly because the symptoms are so mild it goes unnoticed. Its debatable but I've read that a majority of people have no symptoms at all. Its possible that your partner got it from childbirth. At this stage, it is difficult to tell how she got it. I mean she could have gotten it from any of her past lovers/partners. Thats why herpes is a growing problem - a lot of people dont know they have it hense speading it.

How long can it be "dormant"? (in her or me)
It really depends. Some people have outbreaks every 2 weeks. Some people have them every month. Some have them twice every couple of years. It really depends on the person. There is a 'trigger' that causes it to reactivate. Sunlight, heat, sex, stress etc

I have not shown any symptoms. Can I get tested?
Yes you can get tested. You have to wait 6-12 weeks for anti bodies to develop. If you get a blood test too soon, its likely that you will get a negative since there is not enough anti bodies present. Hence it is important that you wait 3 months for a hsv2 blood test.

Its easily available. Go to your doctor and say, I would like to test for hsv2. Ask your doctor what kind of tests are available. Some are more accurate than others - Herpes Select, Western Blot - these are very accurate tests for detecting hsv 2

Good luck

Evidently it's been dormant in me for YEARS. I hadn't had sex with my ex-husband in over 3 years, and never when he had an OB. BUT, it shows up NOW, when I just divorced his sorry *** in June.

Its possible that your partner got it from childbirth.
It's actually not possible she got it from childbirth. If that were the case there would be no doubt whatsoever. She would have been sick and most likely would have died (80% mortality rate without treatment, 60% with treatment) and even if she lived would have had a 98% chance of severe brain damage. She would have had outbreaks throughout her life and they would have been all over her body, not limited to her genitals.

The virus can lay dormant indefinately. I have never had symptoms. It's possible that either of you had it without knowing it prior to now. Did she get a type specific test/culture? Or is it assumed type 2 b/c it's genital?

I wouldn't wait 6-12 wks to test. Two reasons...first, the tests actually require 12-16wks for an accurate results. second, it's entirely possible that you already had the virus without symptoms and have already seroconverted. if it comes back negative, I would test again in 12-16wks.

I have not shown any symptoms. Can I get tested?


I was told that there are blood tests but you could get a false positive if you ever had chicken pox or shingles, the same type of virus.

I was told that there are blood tests but you could get a false positive if you ever had chicken pox or shingles, the same type of virus.

This depends on the testing. IgM tests are notorious for false positives. There are type specific IgG tests that can are more accurate in this regard.

Thanks to all.

As for the possibility of her getting it during childbirth, she delivered both her children (12 & 15 yrs ago) by c-section.

Her last partner was her ex-husband .... about 6 yrs. We have both been monogamous.

Thanks.

Mother's don't contract it during childbirth, infants do.

Oh I see, you mean she may have got it from her mother. I see.

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. I believe in my heart based upon the two years of reading anything I can, that most people show signs closer to the time they were infected and not years later. Again, my feelings. Doesn't mean it can't happen. Read between the lines.

On to testing, yes, I would go now. The best way to do this by blood is to get a test right away, which SHOULD be negative because your body has no built up antibodies (or a large amount). I would then get tested in 8-10 weeks again. If the count goes up you probably have it. If it stays low you probably don't. Make sense?

I did one with Healthcheck USA. You go to a lab and they draw blood and ship it off. results are on-line. Cost around $85-$100. Your doctor might be cheaper.

There is no need to be promiscuous to get Herpes. I had only two partners in my life: I was engaged to the first one and got married with the second one. I was every time extremely careful as long as contraceptives and safe sex concerns and my partner and I were monogamous (A1). Though, my now husband had cold sores (which he’s had since he was a child) when we had sex for the first time and I showed symptoms less than 3 weeks after that. In my case, it was Genital herpes. I wish I had been curious enough to go to a page like this one to find out in 5 minutes that oral herpes can cause genital herpes. I could have prevented it.
In any case, I am still working on learning how to live with it and finding out that I had got it from my fiancée then didn’t stop us from continuing with our engagement and getting married. We just try to go through this, talk a lot and treat it as a condition of both of us together, not just mine or his.
If after testing you do not have it, it will only mean that you will not have symptoms, but anyway between the two of you together, there is still a condition called herpes that you both have to live with. Just learn how to live responsible with it and it won’t interfere with your life (don’t let it happen :nono: )