Herpes contacted through sexual conduct. What are the unusual ways to contact genital herpes?

Hi bspaniel,

Thanks for asking your question.  Though I'm not a doctor, I do have herpes and am knowledgeable about it so I think I can help you.

It would be very rare to contract genital herpes by some other means besides sexual contact.  It is more likely that you contracted herpes several years ago and never noticed symptoms.  Even if you had been tested before, and the results were negative, there is a chance the test results weren't accurate.  It seems crazy, but it is possible you got herpes when you were much younger and it lay dormant in your system for this long.

I suppose there could be other ways of contracting genital herpes without having sex.  For example, it could be possible to contract it by sharing a wet towel, or a bathing suit, or something like that with an infected person.  But even then, that person would have to be having an outbreak for it to get to you, and it would still be quite extraordinary.  It is not likely you caught it from a toilet seat or something of that nature.  Recently a team of wrestlers all passed around the herpes virus, but they were in close contact with each other and having outbreaks.   

My guess would be you've had it all along and never knew.  If you'd like more information, I suggest you check out the Genital Herpes Basics, Causes and Risk Factors, and Transmission sites.  Maybe they can shed some more light on your situation.

PJ