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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Contagious Are Cold Sores?

On Thursday I got a cold sore and started taking Valtrex immediately. On Saturday I forgot I had it and during a love making session with my husband I kissed him and he gave me oral sex. What is the likely hood of transmission from my mouth to my own genitals. My husband has never had the cold sore virus before.
Wed, 30 Nov 2016
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Hi there,

I understand your concern, but the herpes simplex virus causing your cold sores can sometimes be passed even when you don't have the sores. So the chances that your husband has already caught the virus is extremely high. Many people carry the infection without ever getting any symptoms or sores, which might be the case with him.

Regarding transmitting the virus to your own genitals, this is uncommon because your body has already developed antibodies to the virus, and it is unlikely to settle on new areas in the body. This is why the cold sores usually appear in the same areas around the mouth, because it hides in the nerve cells where it can't be detected by these antibodies, and track out through the same nerves when it reactivates.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have further questions.

Regards,
Dr. Teh
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How Contagious Are Cold Sores?

Hi there, I understand your concern, but the herpes simplex virus causing your cold sores can sometimes be passed even when you don t have the sores. So the chances that your husband has already caught the virus is extremely high. Many people carry the infection without ever getting any symptoms or sores, which might be the case with him. Regarding transmitting the virus to your own genitals, this is uncommon because your body has already developed antibodies to the virus, and it is unlikely to settle on new areas in the body. This is why the cold sores usually appear in the same areas around the mouth, because it hides in the nerve cells where it can t be detected by these antibodies, and track out through the same nerves when it reactivates. Hope this helps, let me know if you have further questions. Regards, Dr. Teh