I just found out my boyfriend had herpies. I know some about this but not a lot. He said some things that I've never heard before so I want to make sure he's telling the truth or not.

He said that it has affected his anal area. I thought it only affected the penis and the surrounding area. Can it spread to your leg? I really need help on these things so I can confront him with questions on some of the things he has told me. Please help me deal with this I'm scared I'm going to get it and I've been with him for 7 months. We've used protection some of the time but not always.

Please help me :confused:

First off, Herpes is not a death sentence it is only an annoyance. You can spread your herpes infection to other parts of your body, but the virus favors some areas. What does your bf have HSV1 or HSV2? You should get tested. Herpes is a virus that can lay dormant for years and then appear so it is difficult to tell who you got this virus from. Unless you request testing for herpes it is not part of your STD tests. How do you know you did not pass this virus to your BF? SOme people have the virus and never had any symptoms at all. If you get coldsores then you have herpes. Coldsores=oral herpes and you can get this by sharing drinks and eating utensils, kissing etc. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR QUEST! I hope I was of much help to you.l

Richards4,
The comments by lysineuser are pretty much right on, but a couple things should be clarified.

Once you have developed the antibodies, you won't spread the virus to other parts of the body. Even during initial primary outbreak, spreading the virus to other parts is rare. But never say never.

The norm is oral hsv1 and genital hsv2. Oral hsv2 is very rare, and genital hsv1 is gaining in numbers because of oral sex and people not realizing a cold sore is the herpes virus.

An oral outbreak is usually just above/below the lips, but can be close to the nose or on your chin.

A genital outbreak can be anywhere in the 'boxer shorts' area. While infection penetration usually happens where the skin is thinner (ie, the penis), an outbreaks just travels the nerve path to the skin surface.

Herpes affects everyone differently. 60-80% of the population has oral hsv1 and 1 in 4 adults (over the age of twelve, yes 12) has genital hsv2, yet 90% don't know it.

There are other things more important than herpes to leave or stay in a relationship.

As lysineuser says, herpes is an annoyance.