Soapbox Monkey’s STD post made me wonder about something. A few months ago my best friend’s fiancee found out she had tested positive for genital herpes. She had a sore on her genitals, which ended up being concluded as being herpes (she is currently under treatment for it). My friend, upon this discovery, immediately had himself tested for herpes but the test came up negative .
Obviously she didn’t get it from him. This raises the question, where did she get it from? She had been in an exclusive relationship with my friend for 2 years. My friend and her own friends vehemently deny the possibility that she had slept around (not that I have anything against her, but I’m still not ready to rule that possibility out). If what they claim is true, and she has been faithful, how do you just spontaneously get herpes?
She had other sex partners, but the thing is that this thing would have had to been dormant for over two years which really has me scratching my head. She has been very frank about it, which makes it easier to discuss, but this whole ‘virgin birth of a herpy’ does kind of make me wonder…
These things really can lie dormant for a ridiculously long time. It’s unlikely that such a thing could happen, but the thing about a one-in-a-million chance is that every million times or so, it pops up.
As you may know, herpes is very common and A LOT of people are asymptomatic carriers.
My suspicion is that she did get it from a past partner, and it had been quietly kept in check by her immune system until some small weakness/stress/etc. gave it this chance to emerge.
However, it is in fact possible to give yourself genital herpes by touching a cold sore on your lip and then touching your own genitals, so that is a possibility too.
First of all was she tested to find out if the herpes in her genital area is herpes 2.
Cold sores or fever blisters are herpes 1
Genital herpes is herpes 2
It’s hard to tell them apart if you don’t actually test the herpes for typing. You can have herpes 1 on your genitals and you can have genital herpes on your mouth.
95% of all American have had a cold sore, so that means they have herpes 1. Most test positve for it by age 5. Herpes never goes away, it sits dormant in your body. It can stay dormant for years.
Herpes 1 (oral) isn’t thought to be passed on in it’s dormant state. Herpes 2 (genital) can be passed on whether it’s active or not.
Not all outbreaks are the same. You’re friend could’ve had a very mild case and it went dormant for years.
She could’ve also gotten genital herpes on her mouth and thought it was a cold sore (oral herpes - type 1). Then later it reactivates in her genitals
Note that, even if she hadn’t had other sex partners, herpes is one of those diseases that you can get from, say, sharing a towel with somebody. Since she has, it’s incredibly likely that she just got it from one of them who was asymptomatic at the time.
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