Knowledge of a Partner's HSV-2 Status Halves the Chances of Transmission
Most people have heard that engaging sexually with a partner who knows their positive HSV status means that there is less likely an opportunity for transmission. The notion that you’re more likely to get herpes from someone who is unaware of their status and triggers. Until this point, the logic made sense in my mind, but I never had data to support the claim.
Now, I do (to an extent). This study conducted in 2006 by Wald and her team (notable for her herpes research) analyzed the sexual behavior of 199 study participants with herpes:
•HSV-2: 47 men and 87 women
•HSV-1: 25 men and 40 women
All participants were symptomatic (meaning those with recurring outbreaks). I would imagine that the transmission rate for asymptomatic partners would be less.
This study highlights several important themes that I’d like to discuss in additional posts, but for now I want to leave you with this data point. Wald et al. (2006) found that “the risk of HSV-2 transmission was approximately halved when the source partner knew that he or she had genital herpes and informed the participant (p. 49).
This study isn’t perfect or the most inclusive, but it is a scientific starting position.