T O P I C R E V I E W
BiGoddess
Member # 23917
posted 10-15-2008 11:29 PM
...So. My girlfriend and I were making out the other day, and all was fine and dandy. But the next day she realized she had a cold sore. Am I, like, absolutely guaranteed to get oral herpes now? About how long will it be before I know? Also, how do I tell if I have a cold sore? I sometimes get sores/blisters in my mouth from wearing my retainer, but how do I tell the difference between these and a cold sore? I'm not terribly concerned either way (oral herpes is not going to even come close to ruining my life), but I'd just kind of like to know what's up.
Ovan
Member # 38429
posted 10-16-2008 06:27 PM
As long as she didn't have the cold sore the day you were making out, you should be just fine. And no sores/blisters in your mouth are not cold sores, cold sores are blisters that are normally around the outside of the mouth.
Heather
Member # 3
posted 10-16-2008 07:19 PM
I'm just flying through, stopping home between other job and dinner, but wanted to make sure I clarified the misinformation here. A person is most likely to transmit oral herpes to someone else when they either a) have an active sore or b) are getting one. In fact, many health orgs suggest that the day BEFORE a sore is obvious is the most contagious time. So, no: it's not as simple as someone having a sore or not. As well, it is understood that Herpes can be transmitted -- though is far less likely to be -- even when there are neither active sores nor about to be active sores. Possible, but much less likely. Ultimately, we can't make any real predictions about how likely you will be to contract oral herpes from this. There's just no way to predict that. But if you did, you will often have a sore within two to ten days. If you don't get one in that time period, it's relatively safe to say you didn't contract it. But here's the pertinent part for you, BiGoddess: if your partner now has it, it's not like you can give her what she already has. And if you have another partner after her, you'd want to mention your previous partner had HSV-I regardless.
BiGoddess
Member # 23917
posted 10-16-2008 08:13 PM
Thanks! Now, in the event that I have gotten oral herpes, do I need to worry about passing it back and forth with my current girlfriend? Like, if we're kissing when I have an active sore, will she then be more likely to have a flare-up, or does it not make a difference?
eryn_smiles
Member # 35643
posted 10-17-2008 02:34 AM
Hi Bigoddess, If both of you had oral herpes, no, the scenario that you describe would not trigger a flare-up. These are some factors that CAN trigger flare-ups: -Minor trauma/injury to the mouth and lips -Other infections including coughs and colds -Ultraviolet radiation (sun exposure) -Hormonal factors (in women, flares are not uncommon before periods) -Emotional stress -Operations or procedures performed on the face -Dental surgery But in many cases people have eruptions where no reason is evident.