Can you spread your own herpes to yourself?

Questions and discussions about your bodies and their parts.
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Iwanthelp
not a newbie
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 5:28 am
Age: 32
Awesomeness Quotient: idk
Primary language: English
Pronouns: she, cis so no real issues if I'm misgendered
Sexual identity: bisexual. turns out biromantic as well so yay
Location: Scotland

Can you spread your own herpes to yourself?

Unread post by Iwanthelp »

Hypothetically, if you touched/picked a coldsore on your face and then touched your genitals how screwed would you be in terms of 'potentially transmitting the oral variant to the genital region'?


In case 'hypothetically' wasn't a clue, yeah, I'm a little anxious about "what if I gave myself something permanent that will affect me in the event I hypothetically progress to a point where I have sex aaaaaaaa" because of not paying attention to where I put my damn hands so rip me I guess.
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Sam W
previous staff/volunteer
Posts: 10320
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Age: 33
Awesomeness Quotient: I raise carnivorous plants
Primary language: english
Pronouns: she/her
Sexual identity: queer
Location: Coast

Unread post by Sam W »

Hi Iwanthelp,

The information I can find suggests that this phenomenon (called autoinoculation) is possible, but not very likely. It's especially uncommon after the initial outbreak of herpes, because your immune system has been established against herpes simplex. Does that make sense?

Too, if you're still feeling a bit freaked out, it may help to remember that herpes of any time doesn't prevent people from having happy, healthy sex lives. It can just require some extra precautions, you know?
And you to whom adversity has dealt the final blow/with smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go/turn to and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain/and like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.
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