herpes: genital, or oral?
Stop thinking of herpes as being EITHER oral OR genital. Think of them as type 1 and type 2, and as somewhat mutually exchangeable. It's not like Herpes 2 is the new Mono, because it doesn't easily infect the mouth and therefore cannot spread like wildfire via kissing (unlike its cousin, Herpes 1). However, it is more easy for Herpes 1 to infect the genitals. Let me explain.
Herpes 1 is the kind that USUALLY causes cold sores, and appears on the mouth. It might be the most common virus in the world. Herpes 2 is the kind that USUALLY causes sores or lesions in the genital/anal region.
Both viruses can live in either region. However, I was told by a nurse that type 2 "doesn't like" the mouth, so it's less likely to get it there. But I think that's how I got it, unless I got two false positives, or unless someone is lying to me about having type 2 on their junk.
So, most people do not understand how you can get "genital" herpes on your mouth. Well, it's no magic. If you give oral sex to someone who has herpes 2 (down there), you can get it on your mouth, and then spread it to others through kissing (or other oral contact). The same would be true if they had type 1 on their genitals. But how would someone have type 1 "down there"? Well, if you have type 1 on your mouth, and give oral sex, you could transmit herpes 1 onto your partner's genitals. Likewise, if you had type 2 on your mouth and gave oral sex, you could transmit it to someone's genitals. I am pretty sure the symptoms (if you ever have any) are worse for type 2, though. Remember: the TYPE of herpes that you have does not change depending on the region where you have it. "Genital" herpes could actually be a case of type 2 OR 1.
Thankfully, according to the Westover Clinic, autoinoculation is uncommon. This means that you cannot easily spread herpes from one part of your own body, to another. Hypothetically, you might think that if your partner goes down on you, then kisses you, you could be spreading the virus to yourself. Not likely.
Either type can be spread when no sores are present.
You can get tested specifically for type 2 (and type 1, I am fairly certain), but that won't tell you how you acquired it (orally or genitally), although sexual contact is more likely the reason. Make sure that you request that kind of test- I am not sure that it is always available. Older tests do not differentiate between types 1 and 2.
A false negative can occur if you are tested too soon after exposure for your body to build up antibodies. They say it takes 3-6 months, but I was told that one month might be enough. Maybe if you're really healthy, you're body will develop antibodies sooner than average?
A false positive can also occur because, as I was told by the same nurse, "the test is imperfect." There is a clinic here in Portland that specializes in Herpes. Whenever they get a test that is below something like 3.5, they send it on to this other lab, Focus Technologies, where the results get confirmed.
If you're like me and you're going crazy trying to figure out how the hell you could possibly have gotten this thing, it's nice to get your results "confirmed," especially when they're almost ambiguous even according to less stringent standards. I haven't done that yet, bc it's expensive and I have other reasons for holding off for now.
If you're really into knowing your results, you should know that the type-specific test is (always/most likely) going to give you a result of either "positive" or "negative," but that these terms correspond to a number, or a score. Your score will fall in either the Out of Range, In Range, or Reference Range. These ranges correspond with Negative, Positive, and Equivocal.
So, if your score is less than .9 then you're in the clear. If your score is .9-1.1, no one knows for sure. And if you're greater than 1.1, it's for sure. Ask your nurse for the score you got. Personally, I would go with what the advice nurse said: these tests are not perfect enough for a .01 difference to tell you for certain what your status is. My (first) score was only 1.13. That pissed me off.
Herpes 1 is the kind that USUALLY causes cold sores, and appears on the mouth. It might be the most common virus in the world. Herpes 2 is the kind that USUALLY causes sores or lesions in the genital/anal region.
Both viruses can live in either region. However, I was told by a nurse that type 2 "doesn't like" the mouth, so it's less likely to get it there. But I think that's how I got it, unless I got two false positives, or unless someone is lying to me about having type 2 on their junk.
So, most people do not understand how you can get "genital" herpes on your mouth. Well, it's no magic. If you give oral sex to someone who has herpes 2 (down there), you can get it on your mouth, and then spread it to others through kissing (or other oral contact). The same would be true if they had type 1 on their genitals. But how would someone have type 1 "down there"? Well, if you have type 1 on your mouth, and give oral sex, you could transmit herpes 1 onto your partner's genitals. Likewise, if you had type 2 on your mouth and gave oral sex, you could transmit it to someone's genitals. I am pretty sure the symptoms (if you ever have any) are worse for type 2, though. Remember: the TYPE of herpes that you have does not change depending on the region where you have it. "Genital" herpes could actually be a case of type 2 OR 1.
Thankfully, according to the Westover Clinic, autoinoculation is uncommon. This means that you cannot easily spread herpes from one part of your own body, to another. Hypothetically, you might think that if your partner goes down on you, then kisses you, you could be spreading the virus to yourself. Not likely.
Either type can be spread when no sores are present.
You can get tested specifically for type 2 (and type 1, I am fairly certain), but that won't tell you how you acquired it (orally or genitally), although sexual contact is more likely the reason. Make sure that you request that kind of test- I am not sure that it is always available. Older tests do not differentiate between types 1 and 2.
A false negative can occur if you are tested too soon after exposure for your body to build up antibodies. They say it takes 3-6 months, but I was told that one month might be enough. Maybe if you're really healthy, you're body will develop antibodies sooner than average?
A false positive can also occur because, as I was told by the same nurse, "the test is imperfect." There is a clinic here in Portland that specializes in Herpes. Whenever they get a test that is below something like 3.5, they send it on to this other lab, Focus Technologies, where the results get confirmed.
If you're like me and you're going crazy trying to figure out how the hell you could possibly have gotten this thing, it's nice to get your results "confirmed," especially when they're almost ambiguous even according to less stringent standards. I haven't done that yet, bc it's expensive and I have other reasons for holding off for now.
If you're really into knowing your results, you should know that the type-specific test is (always/most likely) going to give you a result of either "positive" or "negative," but that these terms correspond to a number, or a score. Your score will fall in either the Out of Range, In Range, or Reference Range. These ranges correspond with Negative, Positive, and Equivocal.
So, if your score is less than .9 then you're in the clear. If your score is .9-1.1, no one knows for sure. And if you're greater than 1.1, it's for sure. Ask your nurse for the score you got. Personally, I would go with what the advice nurse said: these tests are not perfect enough for a .01 difference to tell you for certain what your status is. My (first) score was only 1.13. That pissed me off.