Recently diagnosed with herpes type 2 with very mild symptoms

[Hubbletroop]

Where to start?
Ive recently started a new relationship. 6 weeks in and it’s going really well.
last week I popped in to my local sexual health clinic as I had some discomfort down there, assumed it was due to friction. I mainly went though, as I have a cervical polyp that has been bleeding since I’ve become sexually active again.
Anyway, the nurse who saw me said that the area of discomfort didn’t look alarming at all, but swabbed it anyway.
to my surprise, I got a text saying I’d tested positive for herpes type 2!!
my partner has zero symptoms of this whatsoever. It’s all very strange.
all other tests came back negative.
we’ve both spoken about it and come to the conclusion it’s just one of those things. I’m absolutely fine. No big outbreak of sores or anything. Just that one tiny bit of discomfort last week.
anyone have any experience of this? Thanks

Sorry to hear this.i have no personal experience of this but i know a lot about sexual health due to a previous charity role.
When was your last relationship before this partner.
Did this partner seem very chilled when you discussed? Have you felt unwell in last 6 weeks

Thanks for replying. Last partner was over a year ago.
Yes he was lovely about it. Just spoke about it like adults really. He felt responsible as he sometimes gets cold sores, but it can’t have come from a cold sore as it’s type 2. I explained it could be me, it could be him, so no punt playing the blame game
as far as I can remember, I haven’t felt unwell recently

If his cold sores are type 2, then yes it could have come from him.

You can get both type 1 and type 2 on mouth or genitals

Did you not get tested after your last partner? STIs are prevalent due to lack of common sexual health practice. New relationship, ensure you are both STI free at least before ignoring basic protection.

The nurse said facial cold sores are type 1, and I have type 2, so I couldn’t have caught it that way?

Facial coldsores are more likely tobe HSV1, and genitalherpes more likely to be HSV2, but you can get either facially or genitalia because it's spread by touch, and faces and genitals can meet for this to happen, plus hands etc.

In any case, it can lie dormant for years - you could have been infected that far back and not known. If you've mostly been asymptomatic, you might not realise - it's only because of feeling uncomfortable that you got checked now.

You shouldn't be having sex if you currently have symptoms.

The nurse is wrong, and it's a little shocking a healthcare professional would be so misinformed. As PPs said, you can get either type 1 or 2 facially or genitally, they just have preferred habitats.

Type 1 is usually milder, and more likely to cause repeat outbreaks on the face and fewer on the genitals. Type 2 is usually more severe, and less likely to cause repeat outbreaks on the face and more frequent ones on the genitals.

Herpes is most frequently spread when a person is asymptomatic but shedding the virus, so you could have caught it either from your current partner or a previous one, without them showing any signs of it at the time.

Just FYI I have type 2 on my shoulder - you can get type 1 or 2 anywhere in fact and as @OtterlyAstoundingsays, type 2 is just more commonly found on your genitals but type 1 is surging up in that area too

did you have an active sore? It sounds unusual that she swabbed skin and not a sore

and @Frostinglethere’s no reliable way of knowing if someone has hsv1 or 2. They are not in normal sexual health screenings and only show up in blood once you’ve had a first outbreak. You can carry it unknowingly up till that point. I tested negative for years before my first hsv2 outbreak on my shoulder and only now test positive.

@Booooooooom Shedding transmission is fairly low and using a condom would reduce that further. Six weeks into a new relationship and OP has an outbreak, would suggest she got it from new partner rather than her dormant, asymptomatic HSV2 suddenly woke up.

He may not have known he had it, but I would doubt either of them had blood tests before embarking on unprotected sex.

If he was chilled about it he may of well known he had it.

Yeah I reckon it was him and he knew. That's why he's being so 'lovely' about it. Most people quite rightly would be a bit shocked if it had never ever crossed their mind that they had it and had never been tested. People who are naive about it are usually a bit freaked out.

So his calm, kind reaction seems like it's too good to be true. Possibly. I guess there's no way of knowing for sure. It's much more likely to be from him than being dormant though. Whether he knew or not.