Scarleteen

My boyfriend recently had a cold sore but we did not have any intimate contact until 6 days after the scab fell off. However, there was still some slight pink discoloration from where the cold sore was. If he had oral sex with me, am I at risk for getting genital herpes in this situation?

Hi Meggyd18,

We have a great resource that can help with this situation, I'll link it here: The STI Files: Herpes.

"Herpes viruses are primarily spread by skin-to-skin contact. Herpes is most easily spread when sores are present, but even if someone does not have symptoms, they can still spread herpes to other people, and transmission can also happen via oral secretions (like during oral sex) including when someone is asymptomatic."

I recommend reading more of the content in the article for further information and guidance. I hope this helps and take care!