Just exactly how much protection does a condom provide a penis from Herpes?

For men, it protects just the area the the condom covers. Any skin exposed (scrotum, inner buttocks, side of legs etc) could potentially be susceptible to the virus. Herpes is trasferred from skin to skin contact. I hear there are certain spermicides that kill the herpes virus, but the lengths and time and effectiveness I'm unsure of. It also is killed when exposed to air.

Definitely seek more indepth answers from other board members and doctors.

[This message has been edited by justnotfair (edited 03-26-2003).]

Originally posted by justnotfair:
For men, it protects just the area the the condom covers. Any skin exposed (scrotum, inner buttocks, side of legs etc) could potentially be susceptible to the virus. Herpes is trasferred from skin to skin contact. I hear there are certain spermicides that kill the herpes virus, but the lengths and time and effectiveness I'm unsure of. I think KY can kill the herpes virus too. It also is killed when exposed to air.

Definitely seek more indepth answers from other board members and doctors.

JNF, I've never heard that KY has any effect on HSV. Do you remember where you heard that? I too have heard that some spermacides may hinder the virus, but I believe I've also read that it shouldn't be relied on to do this. It may be a bonus in a protection strategy (like protecting against HIV too) but should not be assumed to to be a major factor in it.

It's true that condoms offer only very limited protection against herpes transmission, for exactly the reasons you give.

TheOneInFour

Originally posted by TheOneInFour:
JNF, I've never heard that KY has any effect on HSV. Do you remember where you heard that?

This was such a long time ago and I believe it was off of a website. I did some searches after I posted and didn't see much information that supported that claim. Its probably better to just disregard that statement. Nonetheless, I had my doubts about the effectiveness of spermicides; even moreso concerning does it wear down as activity and sweat continue during relations.

Thinking about the easiness to transmit the disease (or any other for that matter) can be a bit scary. I guess the only methods to ensure safety is abstinence, condoms, and/or avoid contact during attacks.

While condoms do help protect you, they offer very little protection, especially for males. The reason for this, is because herpes outbreaks in women are generally outside of their vagina, the places that your pubic region and scrotum come in contact with during intercourse, and where condoms don't cover.
I'm not sure if you know that your partner has herpes or if you're just curious, or whatever. But if your partner is on daily supressive therapy, the risk that you'll get it from her can be decreased dramatically, especially if you use condoms as well. Of course, it's never 100% unless you practice abstinence.
But also keep in mind that as many as 1 out of 5 adults have genital herpes. And that you can also contract HSV type 1 from receiving oral sex from someone who has had cold sores, even if they don't have visable cold sores anymore.

But also keep in mind that as many as 1 out of 5 adults have genital herpes.

My question then is how many of the 1 in 5 NEVER have symptoms. I understand having symptoms, and not thinking it is herpes, but what about those who are totally symptom free. How many are there of those? Thanks!

Hi BH,

It actually averages somewhere between 1 in 4-5 people who have genital herpes, which can vary greatly depending on demographics like gender, race, country, etc. As many as 90% of people with genital herpes are estimated to be undiagnosed, typically because they don't get symptoms or because the symptoms they get aren't recognised as being herpes. (I was one of them for many years.)

However, just because someone doesn't get symptoms doesn't mean they can't pass it on. Rates of asymptomatic viral shedding average about 3% of the time, but this varies greatly with the individual and their situation. Some studies have clocked shedding rates at over 75% in rare individuals. I don't know for sure but I suspect a higher rate of shedding tends to happen to people who have contracted herpes in the past year (since their bodies are still building up antibodies), as well as people who have an overtaxed immune system due to illness or stress.

The rate of shedding (and therefore transmission) can be greatly reduced by using antiviral drugs on a daily, preventive basis. Many people have found success with various alternative health remedies to reduce their rate of outbreaks, but there are no studies regarding if or how much this might therefore reduce viral shedding. Valtrex (and I believe Acyclovir) are the only treatments (that I'm aware of) that have been studied specifically for reduction of shedding, which were very successful.

Hope that helps!

TheOneInFour

[This message has been edited by TheOneInFour (edited 03-27-2003).]

As many as 90% of people with genital herpes are estimated to be undiagnosed, typically because they don't get symptoms or because the symptoms they get aren't recognised as being herpes. (I was one of them for many years.)

What were the symptoms that you did not recognize, if you don't mind my asking?

Originally posted by bobhogan:
What were the symptoms that you did not recognize, if you don't mind my asking?

Well, I'm embarrassed to say that mine were pretty obvious -- classic mega-blisters! But there were several reasons why the obvious was missed:

(1) I never seemed to be at my doc's when I was having an OB, so he didn't actually see it for many years.

(2) The site was the top of my buttocks -- not a place I would have expected genital herpes to be.

(3) Being on my backside, I couldn't really see it, so I always thought it was just a minor infection like a zit or something. It just felt like a swollen area that sometimes oozed fluid (sorry for being gross), like a zit.

(4) When I described it to my doc, he thought it was probably an ingrown hair (a common misdiagnosis). I went on that assumption for a long time.

(5) Denial can sustain you through times of ambiguity. In a way I guess I didn't really want to know.

My then-partner finally took a look at my request and freaked out! What I'd thought was about a quarter-inch across he said was about the size of a quarter. (!!) By that time we both suspected herpes, but the conventional wisdom at the time was that as long as I wasn't having an OB, I couldn't pass it on (which I later found to be VERY untrue). We just treated it with respect, like any other infection, avoiding shared towels, etc.

So I didn't consider it a huge priority to get it checked out. When I finally did, the swab test came back as HSV-2. I'd had it for probably 8 years by that time. I didn't find out the truth about being contagious between OBs for another 5 years. Thankfully, to my knowledge, I've never passed it on.

I now recognise that the itching, tingling, swelling and pressure I get at the start of an OB were always there prior to OBs but I didn't know what they were. Some people get only sensory symptoms like that. Some also get flu-like symptoms with swollen lymph nodes, which I don't get.

Hope that helps!

TheOneInFour