Genital herpes

HSV-1 or HSV-2 genitally, does the type change anything day to day?

Diagnosed genitally and told it is HSV-1 rather than HSV-2. Everyone talks about them as if they are interchangeable but nobody has told me whether it makes a practical difference to me.

new_leaf 2 months ago

NoteMember experience, not medical advice. Symptoms overlap between infections and only a test can tell them apart.

3 replies

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

greytide 2 months ago

It does make a difference, and it is generally the better news of the two.

Genital HSV-1 typically recurs much less often than genital HSV-2. Some people get a first episode and then very little afterwards. HSV-2 genitally tends to be the more frequently recurring one.

kite_and_string 2 months ago

The practical follow on is that people with genital HSV-1 are less likely to need daily suppressive treatment, simply because there is less to suppress. Worth revisiting with your clinic after you have seen what your own pattern looks like over the first year.

third_shift 2 months ago

One thing not to skip when you tell a partner: where the virus is matters more than which number it is. HSV-1 is extremely common orally, and oral to genital transmission is exactly how a lot of genital HSV-1 happens in the first place. Worth both of you understanding that rather than focusing on the label.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.