When performing oral sex, if I am not infected with anything, is there herpes cannot transmit?

Hi Curious,

Thanks for your question.  I'm not a doctor, so I can't give medical advice, but I do have herpes and a good understanding of the disease.  

HPV and HSV are two very different viruses, which both have multiple types within their virus family.  The only similarities they share are that they are both STDs and they are both incurable.  Once the viruses are in one's body, they stay there forever, with or without symptoms.  (There is some debate around HPV and that theory, but, to be safe, we'll assume they are both incurable.) 

You say your boyfriend has HPV, Human Papilloma Virus, which is commonly known as warts.  There are dozens of strains of HPV.  Some are the kind that give you warts, bumps which aren't painful.  Other strains don't give warts, but could potentially cause cervical cancer in the future.  Since you said your boyfriend had one outbreak, I'm assuming that means he had warts and they were burned off.  If you give him head or have sex with him, there is always the chance that you can catch it, but it's not definite.  Depending on the strain he has, the HPV could cause cancer (cervical or, as recently reported, throat cancer).

The disease you're confusing HPV with is HSV, Herpes Simplex Virus, which is commonly known as herpes.  This disease is typified by painful blisters that are treated with oral medication.  It does not cause cervical cancer.  Genital herpes can be transmitted to ones mouth via oral sex.  And the reverse is true as well.  

These diseases are both very common and there are many people with them that have successful sexual relationships with non-disease carriers.  It is important to be safe by never having contact while your boyfriend is showing symptoms, and to practice safe sex as much as possible by using condoms.  It's also helpful to have good communication with your partner to eliminate any confusion or misunderstanding.

I hope this has been helpful.  I also recommend you check out Genital Herpes Prevention since the methods for preventing the spread of HSV and HPV are generally the same.  Also, The Basics of Genital Herpes, as well as Genital Warts, to become more informed of both diseases.