Question:
I just got diagnosed with genital HSV1. I had cold sores as a kid so assume positive already for HSV1 orally. I have a couple possible sources and wanted some input.

Boyfriend gets a cold, cold resolves and he develops what looks like an ingrown hair on his pubic hair. He says this happens to him occcassionally following a cold and is a very common scenario in Russia (where he is from) to end a cold with a "cold sore" somewhere on the body (I dismiss this as folk medicine initially... and assume ingrown hair.)

Approximately 10 days later, I notice the sensation of a cold sore coming on on my mouth. Nothing develops but I feel like one is going to start for a day or two.

Four more days later I get first blister on my vulva and get tested the next day with the results being HSV1.

So, if he gets tested he is going to come back positive for HSV1 (since he had mouth cold sores as a kid) and that info isn't going to be revealing, right? Could I have gotten the genital HSV1 either from his "cold sore" in his pubic hair OR from my mouth cold sore cross-infecting myself? Are either scenario possible and is there a way to determine where it came from?

Then, if he is possitive and I am possitive (and at some point he develops another genital sore that get cultured and is HSV1) do we need to take precautions or are we as infected as we are going to be and don't have worries so long as we are together?

Answer:
The fact that he gets cold sores in different places is a good indication that he probably has both HSV 1 and 2. You can contract HSV 1 from someone who has is orally through oral sex. But if he had a blister downstairs it was probably GHSV 2. Basically you both need to go get a blood test done to determine what types you both have. Abstain from sex until you get the results.

Answer:
He has a blister genitally and then I develop genital HSV1: doesn't it make sense that he probably has HSV1 genitally? What am I missing here? Why do you make the assumtion that he would have HSV2 if I developed HSV1 after he sprouted a genital blister. What am I missing in my understanding? Yes, we both need a blood test but I am trying to follow your logic and it isn't making sense to me. Please help me to understand!

Answer:
It's very unlikely that someone would have the same type in two different places. Normally your own body's immune system prevents that. Now it is possible (but not likely) that if he contracted HSV 1 orally as a child & touched himself genitally after touching an open blister on his mouth when the virus was still new to his body that he self innoculated or spread the virus on his own body. This is not common though for oral to genital transmission of HSV 1. So if this highly unlikely scenario did happen...he could transmit HSV 1 genitally to you. When you both get blood tests, not only will you know what types you each have the number of antibodies your bodies have built up(because that is what the tests indicate...antibodies to HSV in your system) will indicate a possible length of time for having the infection. The higher the number...most likely the longer you've had it. Hope this information helps.
Hopeful1234

Answer:
Stacy, you can surely reinfect your self on some other spot. It is called autoinoculation. I have experienced it personally.

For those who say otherwise, lets use simple logic. Once you get infected with Herpes, it can recur right. I ask what is recurrence ? It is herpes travelling from the nerve cell to your skin cell and infecting healthy skin cell. This appears as sores/blisters. Well if your are so immune, why does herpes recur ? If herpes can infect your skin during recurrence, what is stoppping it from infecting another part of your skin ?

As I understand, Herpes does not move around on its own. We help it move around by scratching or touching sores and touching another part. Many times you wont even notice that you are doing so. Not every such action may result in infection as there are other factors involved. The point is it may. So dont be comfortable with this virus thinking you can not spread it on your self. Although it may not be as bad but you did move the virus to another spot and you have made your situation worse.

Just look at how the virus works. Once it enters the skin cell it replicates. While in the skin cell, your antibodies have no effect on the virus. It will reproduce and may even infect neighbouring cells by fusing the wall of the cells, creating one giant cell. Since the virus is moving from cell to cell, it is not effected by antibodies which are outside the cell. The virus also moves to nerve cells during the replication process at some time. Eventually the cells would rupture releasing billions of virus. At this point the antibodies and your immune system will try to wipe it out. Looks like the only hard part is entering the skin cell. Besides the presence of virus, heat and moisture are required for infection. The virus also needs to go inside your skin. Keep in mind it is very small, and it may not be hard for it to slip into some tiny crack. I think when we scratch we may cause tiny openings in skin our selves. Besides we also have pours, not sure if that could be another door. If you have herpes, you have the virus factory that produces billions of viruses. Try your best to not let herpes expand its factories on you or others.

Answer:
"]It's very unlikely that someone would have the same type in two different places."

If 30% if new cases genitally are HSV1 and 60-80% of adults have HSV1 orally how can this be so unlikely? I had cold sores as a kid, and now I have HSV1 genitally as an adult following my lover breaking out in a genital sore. I have a nice positive culture as well as both of us exhibiting so many symptoms. Still waiting on his blood test though. If it is so unlikely then why have such a concern over HSV1 genitally?

Answer:
I have HSV1 orally and genitally. Although it doesn't reoccur as much on the genitals I still have a few outbreaks that are very MINOR. Recently I'm actually having an outbreak that is medium intensity. I believe it is possible that he had HSV1 on the genitals and spread it to you, but it is more likely that he had HSV1 on the mouth and spread it via oral sex (unless of course that wasn't the case.