Hi there! Last month I had my first outbreak. I wasn't aware of my condition and it was a very scary and traumatic time. Im in a better place now although I do have my moments of grief, anger, and self pity. During the time of getting my positive result and my next doctors appointment I did my best to educate myself to how to live and thrive with HSV2. I went to the doctors today to find out that I do not actually have HSV2 but HSV1 in the genital area. This caught me a little off guard and I wasn't sure I had any questions other than.. soo does this change anything? My doctor said other than a lesser chance of severe outbreak everything is practically the same. After leaving I realized I do have one specific question. I think I already know but I haven't been able to find any specific answer online. HSV1 and 2 other than having slight differences the main one is the area it prefers correct? Since HSV1 prefers the mouth it ends up living in the nerves behind the ears. HSV2 in the lower spine… But I have HSV1 in my genitals.. so does this mean my HSV1 is in my spine? or did it travel all the way up into my head (seems unlikely). The reason Im concerned about this is that when I thought I had HSV2 it was made clear to me that I can not pass it orally (unless I pass it by my hand or skin contact etc. All I mean is that the virus is not in my mouth and if were even possible to avoid all skin contact, i understand its not, that I can't give it orally, only with genital contact, when I am the giver rather than the receiver). I am still pretty sure that this is the case however now considering I have what is more commonly known as oral herpes in my genitals I realized I should ask if it does go all the way back into my head and if I should expect any oral breakouts but most importantly am I safe to perform oral sex without a condom? I don't know if its petty or not but being able to have ONE thing I can be a little more free with was helping me cope a bit (lol) I understand that a condom is always a good idea but I really really would like to have an answer for this as I don't want to spread the infection just because not using one (while performing oral sex) makes me feel a bit better about my condition at this point. ( I should also point out that I have a regular partner who is aware of my condition and we are very open and safe). Other than that is there any real major difference that I should be aware of? Or am I correct in feeling like there really isn't any difference in the way I have to adjust my lifestyle now that I have this virus. Thank you for your help!!

Home / Answered Questions / Hi there! Last month I had my first outbreak. I wasn’t aware of my condition and it was a very scary and traumatic time. Im in a better place now although I do have my moments of grief, anger, and self pity. During the time of getting my positive result and my next doctors appointment I did my best to educate myself to how to live and thrive with HSV2. I went to the doctors today to find out that I do not actually have HSV2 but HSV1 in the genital area. This caught me a little off guard and I wasn’t sure I had any questions other than.. soo does this change anything? My doctor said other than a lesser chance of severe outbreak everything is practically the same. After leaving I realized I do have one specific question. I think I already know but I haven’t been able to find any specific answer online. HSV1 and 2 other than having slight differences the main one is the area it prefers correct? Since HSV1 prefers the mouth it ends up living in the nerves behind the ears. HSV2 in the lower spine… But I have HSV1 in my genitals.. so does this mean my HSV1 is in my spine? or did it travel all the way up into my head (seems unlikely). The reason Im concerned about this is that when I thought I had HSV2 it was made clear to me that I can not pass it orally (unless I pass it by my hand or skin contact etc. All I mean is that the virus is not in my mouth and if were even possible to avoid all skin contact, i understand its not, that I can’t give it orally, only with genital contact, when I am the giver rather than the receiver). I am still pretty sure that this is the case however now considering I have what is more commonly known as oral herpes in my genitals I realized I should ask if it does go all the way back into my head and if I should expect any oral breakouts but most importantly am I safe to perform oral sex without a condom? I don’t know if its petty or not but being able to have ONE thing I can be a little more free with was helping me cope a bit (lol) I understand that a condom is always a good idea but I really really would like to have an answer for this as I don’t want to spread the infection just because not using one (while performing oral sex) makes me feel a bit better about my condition at this point. ( I should also point out that I have a regular partner who is aware of my condition and we are very open and safe). Other than that is there any real major difference that I should be aware of? Or am I correct in feeling like there really isn’t any difference in the way I have to adjust my lifestyle now that I have this virus. Thank you for your help!!

Hi there!Last month I had my first outbreak. I wasn’t aware of my condition and it was a very scary and traumatic time. Im in a better place now although I do have my moments of grief, anger, and self pity. During the time of getting my positive result and my next doctors appointment I did my best to educate myself to how to live and thrive with HSV2. I went to the doctors today to find out that I do not actually have HSV2 but HSV1 in the genital area. This caught me a little off guard and I wasn’t sure I had any questions other than.. soo does this change anything? My doctor said other than a lesser chance of severe outbreak everything is practically the same. After leaving I realized I do have one specific question. I think I already know but I haven’t been able to find any specific answer online. HSV1 and 2 other than having slight differences the main one is the area it prefers correct? Since HSV1 prefers the mouth it ends up living in the nerves behind the ears. HSV2 in the lower spine… But I have HSV1 in my genitals.. so does this mean my HSV1 is in my spine? or did it travel all the way up into my head (seems unlikely). The reason Im concerned about this is that when I thought I had HSV2 it was made clear to me that I can not pass it orally (unless I pass it by my hand or skin contact etc. All I mean is that the virus is not in my mouth and if were even possible to avoid all skin contact, i understand its not, that I can’t give it orally, only with genital contact, when I am the giver rather than the receiver). I am still pretty sure that this is the case however now considering I have what is more commonly known as oral herpes in my genitals I realized I should ask if it does go all the way back into my head and if I should expect any oral breakouts but most importantly am I safe to perform oral sex without a condom? I don’t know if its petty or not but being able to have ONE thing I can be a little more free with was helping me cope a bit (lol) I understand that a condom is always a good idea but I really really would like to have an answer for this as I don’t want to spread the infection just because not using one (while performing oral sex) makes me feel a bit better about my condition at this point. ( I should also point out that I have a regular partner who is aware of my condition and we are very open and safe).Other than that is there any real major difference that I should be aware of? Or am I correct in feeling like there really isn’t any difference in the way I have to adjust my lifestyle now that I have this virus. Thank you for your help!!

HSV 1 and HSV 2 (Herpes Simples Virus 1 & 2) are both part of the Herpes family and they attach themselves to the nerves in the area of the first outbreak. So this means that if you have an outbreak in the genitals that is caused by HSV 1 the virus is in that area and will end up attached to the nerves that are at the base of the spine.

Your doctor was right in telling you that HSV 1 infections in the genitals rarely cause recurring outbreaks.

It is possible to pass HSV 1 or 2 from the genitals to the genitals or mouth of a partner is they do not have this virus so it is recommended to avoid sexual contact during any outbreaks and to use a barrier such as a condom or dental dam at other times. Because it is less likely for the type 1 virus to be present on the genitals, it is less likely the virus will be passed to a partner than if you had type 2 on your genitals.

Finally, you can not pass the virus to a partner if they all ready have the same type so it is possible for your partner to be tested to see if they have the same type in their system as many people carry this virus and have no outbreaks.

Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.

Health Nurse

For other readers, please feel free to leave a comment, or let us know if this was helpful.

This answer was posted on June 26, 2014.

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