HSV-1 disclosure

[aroraborealis]

[Poll #1705763]

Comments

[dbang.livejournal.com]

I'm curious why you disclose always before oral sex, but only sometimes before kissing, when HSV-1 is more easily transmitted to mouths than to genitalia?

[sandhawke.livejournal.com]

I had a doctor recently tell me, as part of her standard safe sex lecture, but with remarkable emphasis, that a person with a cold sores should be especially careful not to perform oral sex on a woman, because the worst infection site for HSV is female/genital. She was fairly graphic, too.

[dbang.livejournal.com]

HSV-2 yes. HSV-1 genitally tends not to be so much, at least according to my reading. HSV strains in their "non-preferred" sites tend to be less bad than in their preferred sites, and also harder to transmit.

Not all "cold sores" are HSV-1 though. Most are, but since they can occur from HSV-2, unless you KNOW which strain it is, you can't assume.

[entrochan.livejournal.com]

Largely because the odds that someone has previously had oral contact with HPV is far higher than the odds that they have had genital contact.

[dbang.livejournal.com]

The odds are catching the same strain in one location that you already caught in another are **extremely** small. (They are protected by the same anti-bodies) So if they have been exposed orally already, then they are protected orally and genitally. The odds that they are vulnerable to infection are pretty much the same regardless of where their exposure was...but the odds of transmission are higher orally than genitally. So you are warning the group with the lowest likelihood of catching it instead of the highest.

(I assume when you say HPV you mean HSV-1)

[entrochan.livejournal.com]

Yes, HSV-1's what I meant. Damned 3-letter acronyms with the same first and last letter.

There are also elements of "you talk about these things before sex" and "genital HPV seems like a far worse thing to get than oral".

[dbang.livejournal.com]

"genital HPV [er..HSV yes?] seems like a far worse thing to get than oral"

And this, right here, is the heart of the issue I have. Why?

HSV-1 genitally is generally milder/less painful than oral and harder to transmit.

It isn't just you, lots of people seem to think this. Sore mouth = ok. Sore pussy = bad. I don't really get the distinction.

[entrochan.livejournal.com]

From a purely practical point of view, I don't have to put clothes on my mouth. And it's fairly easy to avoid things rubbing against it. And it is much easier not to touch it. I would also rather have an HSV blister on my lip than on, say, my armpit or the back of my knee.

[entrochan.livejournal.com]

Do please note, though, that *if* I've had a recent outbreak or feel one coming on, I do disclose before kissing.