Herpes

Can you get genital herpes if someone with Herpes Simplex virus 1 (cold sore) gives you oral sex??

I am not sure since they are two different herpes viruses, but even still can it be given to someone who receives oral sex from someone who has a cold sore at the time?

Public Comments

1. Yes. I knew a guy that got herpes from his wife giving him oral sex when she had a cold sore. It can happen.
2. yes you can, both are contaigous
3. no, its a compltely different strand that affects a specific area of the body so won't cross over, I think there might be a differt type of oral herpes that might cross over but I don't believe it is the cold sore strand since most are saying the opposite as I am, I suggest doing a websearch on the matter
4. Yes.
5. Yea!
6. yes very true
7. yes, if contact is made with irritated skin it can be passed
8. yes also if you kiss someone with a cold sore then give oral sex... its easily caught.. thats y i dont have oral sex :D
9. HSV is transmitted during close contact with an infected person who is shedding virus from the skin, in saliva or in secretions from the genitals. This horizontal transmission of the virus is more likely to occur when sores are present, although viral shedding, and therefore transmission, does occur in the absence of visible sores. In addition, vertical transmission of HSV may occur between mother and child during childbirth, which can be fatal to the infant. The immature immune system of the child is unable to defend against the virus and even if treated, the infection can result in inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) that may cause brain damage. Transmission occurs when the infant passes through the birth canal, but the risk of infection is reduced if there are no symptoms or exposed blisters during delivery. The first outbreak after exposure to HSV is commonly more severe than future outbreaks, as the body has not had a chance to produce antibodies; this first outbreak carries a low (~1%) risk of developing aseptic meningitis.
10. For a person who has had herpes cold sores from herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), it is unlikely for HSV1 to be transmitted to the genitals through oral sex. Having been infected with HSV1, the immune system has already manufactured, and kept on reserve, antibodies to this virus. Thus, when the virus is encountered again, the immune system is already well acquainted with its enemy and can initiate a quick and efficient counterattack. On the other hand, for someone who has never had herpes cold sores before, infection with HSV1 through oral sex can result in a true primary episode of genital herpes. By some estimates, 50 to 90% of the American adult population carry antibodies to HSV1.
11. Yep.
12. Yes. If you have never had hsv-1 on your mouth - i.e. you do not get cold sores - you can very easily get genital herpes type 1 through oral sex. Neither I nor my sister caught cold sores as children and we BOTH caught genital herpes type 1 from partners who got cold sores by the time we were in our mid twenties. However, if you DO get cold sores on your mouth caused by hsv-1, and 6-8 out of 10 people have hsv-1 on their mouths, you are very unlikely to get it genitally through receiving oral sex. Because your body has already been exposed to the hsv-1 virus, it produces antibodies to protect you against a further attack. Hsv-1 causes about 95% of oral cold sores (the rest are caused by hsv-2). Hsv-1 also causes 50-70% of genital herpes infections - more than hsv-2 does. It wasn't always the case - most genital herpes infections used to be caused by hsv-2. This change is for two reasons. Firstly, the numbers of young people with hsv-1 on their mouths is dropping. We have become aware of spreading cold sores, so we try not to. So from a high of 90-100% of young people having hsv-1 orally, we are now down to about 60% among teens. This leaves the rest of them who don't have it susceptible to catching it as an adult in other places - there are still such a high number of people with it that exposure to it is very hard to avoid. The second reason is the increase in oral sex, which means the virus has the chance to spread to people's genitals. You also don't need to have a cold sore to spread it. Like genital herpes, an oral infection with hsv-1 is quite often infectious with no symptoms - asymptomatic shedding of the virus. Annd oral hsv-1 is actually more infectious than genital hsv-2. My boyfriend hadn't had a cold sore for months. So if you meet a young woman with herpes, statistically she is more likely to have genital hsv-1 than hsv-2. In some populations hsv-1 as the cause of genital herpes is reaching highs of 75-80% as the cause rather than hsv-2. On the plus side, it is supposed to be milder, but for me it isn't. I still have an average of about 6 outbreaks a year.