Sexual Health Buzz

Here’s the question:

Thanks so much for your great website – it has made my learning I have HSV-2 a lot more bearable!!  I got my first symptoms (and assume my first exposure) back in July, and just recently had the antibody test confirm it’s HSV-2.  I unfortunately passed it on to my now-boyfriend before I was aware of any symptoms, so we’re dealing with it together.  There’s a question I haven’t been able to find an answer for anywhere on the internet and was wondering if you had come across any opinions in your research.  If he and I are both HSV-2 positive, and one of us has an outbreak but the other doesn’t, is it likely to cause an oubreak in the “clean” person if we have sex?

Here’s my answer:

If you both have HSV-2 you are not going to pass it back and forth. You can’t contract what you already have over and over again.

I hope that makes sense.

Now I will say that sometimes the friction from sex can trigger outbreaks. I know that was the case for me when I first contracted it. It didn’t seem as if I could have sex without somehow getting an outbreak because of the friction.

What seemed to help me with that problem was going on suppressive therapy with Valtrex.

13 years later I don’t have that problem any more.

So if either of you is having problems with frequent outbreaks see your doctor to make sure nothing else is going on and maybe talk about going on suppressive therapy.

What do you think?