If a man who already has HSV-1 (that occasionally breaks out on the lips), receives oral sex from a woman who has an active outbreak of HSV-1 on her lips, can the man get an infection on his genitals?

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Home / Answered Questions / If a man who already has HSV-1 (that occasionally breaks out on the lips), receives oral sex from a woman who has an active outbreak of HSV-1 on her lips, can the man get an infection on his genitals?

If a man who already has HSV-1 (that occasionally breaks out on the lips), receives oral sex from a woman who has an active outbreak of HSV-1 on her lips, can the man get an infection on his genitals?

Hi there,

Thanks for your question. The answer is no, the man will not get an infection on his genitals. After your first outbreak of Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), your immune system will create antibodies to that type of HSV, and it will will not be able to infect you in any other site. So, if the man has HSV-1 around his mouth, he will not get HSV-1 again in his genitals. The antibodies may also give some protection against the other type of HSV, but this is not 100%.

The bottom line is that if you both have the same type of HSV (in this case, HSV-1), and it is not your first outbreak, you cannot give eachother an infection in a new site.

Let us know if that answers your question,

Health Nurse

This answer was posted on June 8, 2014.