A service provided by the BC Centre for Disease Control
In the years since SmartSexResource launched, we have developed a library of questions asked by you, and answered by our expert sexual health nurses.
Our answered questions library cover a broad range of sexual health topics and common questions we hear at our clinics.
Hi
The first time you get herpes simplex virus (HSV) and you get symptoms such as a sore, it will usually show up in the general area of contact. This is known as a primary outbreak.
After this first outbreak, HSV travels up the nerve and becomes inactive in the nerve cells close to the spine. It may become active from time to time (recurrent outbreaks). With recurrent outbreaks, the virus travels down the nerve to the surface of the skin where a sore may appear. Sometimes there is no sore but there is virus on the skin. This is called asymptomatic shedding.
With genital HSV, recurrent outbreaks can show up anywhere in the “boxer short” region. This is because the same group of nerves supplies the genitals, thighs, lower abdomen, anus, rectum and buttocks. Recurrent outbreaks can show up in the original place of contact, or they can show up in different places in the “boxer shorts” area with each outbreak.
It is also possible to get a” non-primary” first outbreak. This can happen in people who have HSV, but did not notice any symptoms when they first got it. A person may get their first symptoms (sores) years later. The sores in a “non-primary” outbreak can show up anywhere in the boxer short area.
For more info check out our herpes page.
Feel free to contact us by chat if you want to speak to a nurse.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more information.
Health Nurse
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Hi
Without all of your medical information and test results, it is difficult to answer some of your questions. For example, it is not possible to tell you what the 4.77 value means because interpretation of results depends on what type of test you had.
There are some things to know when using blood tests to diagnose HSV.
Depending on the test, there is a small chance of false positive and negative results.
A positive blood test tells you that HSV is probably in your body, but it does not tell you where it is in your body. Since many people have no symptoms, there is no way to know if they have HSV on the mouth, genitals, fingers or another part of the body.
In your case, a positive result tells you that you have the virus in your body, but it does not tell you whether the sores on your pubic area are HSV 2. The positive test result may be from a previous contact with HSV in another area of your body. For this reason, the BC Centre for Disease Control lab recommends swabbing the sore as the best way to test for HSV.
After the first outbreak of genital herpes, future outbreaks can appear anywhere in the `boxer shorts” area. This means HSV that first appears on the penis or labia, could come back in that area or in other areas such as the pubic area or bum.
I recommend you go back the health care provider who did the test and ask for more information. If you still have the sores on your pubic area, you could also ask your health care provider to swab the sores.
Have a look out our HSV page for more information. You can also check out the links at the bottom of that page for more information.
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
Hi
Genital herpes is a virus that affects the nervous system. As you know, it can cause the symptoms that you describe, such as shooting pains down the limbs and headaches.
However, it sounds like the symptoms you have are a bit different than what you usually get when you have a herpes outbreak.
Since it is not possible for me to diagnose something online, I recommend that you see a health care provider. That person would be able to do a physical exam, review of your medical history and testing as needed. This ensures that you get an accurate diagnosis and the best treatment or follow up for your health concern.
You mentioned that you have had around 8 outbreaks in the past year. There is antiviral medication than can lessen the number of outbreaks. It requires a prescription, so you would need to talk to your health care provider about that.
Let us know if you need help finding a healthcare provider.
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.
Hi.
In men, we mostly diagnose HPV, when we see the warts. If we don’t see them, we don’t test for HPV on the skin.
We do know that about 90% of people will “clear” the virus within 2 years. That may mean that the virus is completely cleared from your body, or it may mean that the wart virus stays in the cells, but is dormant. The warts may never show up again, but they can also return at some future time.
Pregnancy and some illnesses can cause HPV to return, but sometimes they come back for no obvious reason.
Click here if you want more info on HPV.
Please leave a comment to let us know if that 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.
Hi.
When people get condyloma acuminata (HPV or warts) it is hard to know if it is a new infection or an old infection that has come back.
We know that about 90% of HPV will clear within 2 years. HPV can stay dormant in some cells and may never show up again, but it can also return.
Pregnancy and some illnesses may be a factor, but sometimes warts just start growing again with no clear cause.
Click here for more info on genital warts
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more info.
Health Nurse
Hi.
The most common symptoms that people can feel when they get HIV include fever, rash, swollen lymph glands, muscle and joint pain and fatigue.
Ear pain or ringing in the ear are not commonly associated with a seroconversion illness.
If you are worried and would like to get tested or talk to a health care provider, check out our clinic finder for an STI clinic near you.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more info.
Health Nurse
Hi.
The risk for getting or passing HIV when you give a blow job is very low, but there are some things that could increase the chances. These include bleeding gums,sores in your mouth or a sore throat.
It is hard to say whether getting dental work would increase the risk for HIV. It may depend on the health of your gums, the kind of dental work you had and the amount of time between seeing the dentist and the blow job.
There is a higher chances of getting or passing other STIs with blow jobs including gonorrhea, chlamydia or syphilis. Herpes and HPV can also be passed from mouth to genitals and vice versa.
If you are getting or giving blow jobs, it is a good idea to get routine testing. Often STIs have no noticeable symptoms and the only way you know you have one is to get tested.
Check out our clinic finder, if you need a place for regular testing.
Please leave a comment to let us know if this answers your question or if you need more info.
Health Nurse