Hello and thank you for sending your question.

Your question is a very good one and I will provide you with some information and recommendations here.

Evidently you have had a blood test which looks for antibodies to specific viruses. The blood test has shown that at some point in the past you were exposed to cold sores. It is impossible to know at what point you were exposed to the virus. You may not have even had any cold sores in the past. The virus never gets eliminated from your body but your immune system generally keeps it under control unless you were under extreme stress.

Thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you found my response to be helpful and informative. If you have additional concerns please let me know.

Dr. Robert

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Hello and thank you for your follow-up question.

One thing that is important to understand about HSV 1 is that this is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease. This is usually a consideration with HSV 2.

Again the type 1 variety causes cold sores around the mouth. In this sense there is no real concern regarding sexual intercourse or intimate contact.

You may have sexual intercourse without a condom as long as you understand the other consequences that could be involved in that case including possible exposure to sexually transmitted diseases or possible pregnancy.

Thanks again for your follow-up.

Dr. Robert

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