Chances of catching Herpes from wife? - Sexually Transmitted Diseases Message Board

Howard52 · 04-20-2005, 07:11 AM

My wife thinks she has Herpes from 15 years ago. (Probably her ex). Is it possible to have unprotected sex and not transmit the virus to me? Most doctors we talk with seem to think as long as my wife is alert to her symptons, and we are relatively careful, that we can engage in unprotected sex with very little risk of me catching it. One doctor thinks the chances are great that I've already have been exposed to it and may have caught it, but just don't show symptons. I love my wife; she is the most wonderful person on the planet. I'm not going to let this affect our activities. But, any guidance or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Howard52

last1 · 04-20-2005, 08:09 PM

MOre than likely, you've already been exposed and have no symptoms. You may want to go online and see what's out there. Treatments seem relatively painless although the disease itself is not. I'm really glad that this won't change your feelings for your wife becuase,first of all, are you absolutely sure she contacted it first? Anyway, good luck.

Howard52 · 04-21-2005, 04:40 AM

Thanks for the reply. My wife had an outbreak 13 years ago, before we were together. Since then, I think she has had maybe three other outbreaks. They last about a week. She has a prescription she takes when it comes on, and it goes away quickly. These outbreaks only occur during extremely stressful times of her life. I don't know much about it, but she seems to suffer far less than what I hear others do. Is there a medical test for this? Thanks again.

sparkleflower · 04-21-2005, 06:54 AM

There are reliable blood tests, such as the HerpeSelect gG type specific blood test. You can ask your doctor if you're concerned. However, after all this time, it's probably a sure thing you've been exposed. You may already have it and not have symptoms (I have herpes, and have never had an obvious outbreak), or you may just never have caught it in the first place. Your wife's experience is pretty typical. Usually the first outbreak is the worst, and any subsequent outbreaks are much milder. There is medication you can take if you do have an outbreak, or if you have frequent outbreaks you can go on suppressive therapy. But it sounds to me like there's no point in taking any extra precautions (aside from avoiding sex during her outbreaks), unless you're really worried about it. Herpes isn't really anything scary.

Howard52 · 04-21-2005, 05:42 PM

Thank you! I appreciate your comments. This is pretty much what my doctor has said, but it is good to hear it from another source. I feel loads better!