Before I answer your question about oral sex, you need to understand that if your partner is shedding even without outbreaks and you are using a condom, a condom reduces the rate of infection roughly 30%-- you are still at risk of getting herpes. With her taking an antiviral drug such as Valtrex and you using a condom, the rate of infection drops by roughly 80%. Check out this website:http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/giving-your-partner-herpes/. People have even become infected without sexual intercourse but through physical skin contact with the thighs, buttocks and genital areas.

With oral sex, if she has HSV-2 genital herpes (not HSV-1 in the genital area), you shouldn't get herpes-- it can't reside in the lower spine. HSV-1 (oral herpes) can shed in the lower spine-- therefore causing oral or genital herpes. The above website discusses it.

Also check out: The CDC is a good website:http://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/STDFact-herpes.htm.  People with no symptoms of the virus can infect another person (that's how I got it).

redzs

6/11/12 5:05pm

my question is what is shedding and how would you know when you are shedding?