Living With Herpes
Q: My boyfriend went down on me while he had a cold sore. A few days later I ended up with three little spots on my genitals. They were painful, but not that bad. I went to see a doctor and she thought there was no way it was herpes, saying that flare-ups are very, very painful. But, we did a test anyway, and lo and behold, I have HSV-1.
I guess I’ll be living with herpes from now on—but I’m not really sure what to expect. Like, I didn’t have a lot of pain during my flare—was that just my tolerance or can I expect it to get a lot worse? Is there a way to avoid flare-ups? How often do people usually have outbreaks?
A: What you caught is oral herpes on your genitals rather than genital herpes (HSV2). Flare ups vary from person to person. Some people experience very mild symptoms or none at all while for others it can be far more uncomfortable. There’s really no way to tell who will experience what and how. Generally speaking, the first outbreak is usually the most severe, so let’s hope this will be the worst of it for you. As to frequency, that’s also difficult to predict. It could occur rarely or more often. If you get outbreaks regularly, then speak to your doctor about getting antiviral medications. This will help to prevent further outbreaks and diminish the risk of transmission. But pay attention to outbreaks as you will need to practice safe sex so as not to infect your partners