so...are you in or are you out of the hobby? HSV-II is quite common although exposure to HSV-I (chicken pox) lessens the likelyhood of catching it. There have been many (many!!!) threads on this and it is worthwhile to read them. I do not think ANY provider will tell us her status on this (maybe a few) but it should be noted that once again, sexual inequality strikes again as women are more likely to be infected than men. I guess here we go again...
I spent several months and WAY too much money in the hobby at the end of my marriage. Seeing providers convinced me it was stupid to stay in my sexless relationship, and for that I'm grateful. However, now I'm in a new love-based relationship (and for me, sex propelled by love is so far beyond the intensity of what happens even with a GFE experience, it can't even be described in the same terms as a 10-10 TER episode).
I've done a bit of reading about HSV-II infection, having compiled a reasonably long list of TER reviews, and what I've read is disturbing; e.g., > 90% of female sex workers (the CDC still refers to them as prostitutes) infected. I know many of their studies are based on visits to STD clinics, which is akin to trying to assess the prevalence of alcoholism by surveys taken at AA meetings, but I couldn't come up with ANY data about the prevalence of HSV-II among "high-end" internet GFE providers. Is there any such information?
The scary thing, of course, is that condoms offer only VERY partial protection against transmission, since the lesions are often outside the area encompassed by the "hat".
Ok, I was a little over the top. It was 75%, not > 90%, but it's 15 year old data, and the prevalence in the sexually active population has increased considerably since then, so 90% may not be far off. Here's the reference:
TI - Sero-epidemiological and -sociological patterns of herpes simplex virus infection in the world.
AU - Nahmias AJ; Lee FK; Beckman-Nahmias S
SO - Scand J Infect Dis Suppl 1990;69:19-36.
The CDC also points out that condom use is probably less effective in preventing female to male transmission than it is male to female transmission. There are studies that show that condom use when combined with valcyclovir decreases the infection rate in monogamous couples where the one member has serological evidence of infection and the other does not (the Valcyte is taken by the infected partner to reduce the likelihood of outbreaks (suppressive therapy) or to shorten the duration of outbreaks (active treatment). Viral DNA tests show that viral shedding lasts longer than the obvious rash.
It's amazed me when I've seen porn films (from "major" studios) with scenes where one partner has an obvious outbreak. I'm not a porn collector, so I can't remember specific videos, but I know I've seen them.
From what I can see, that WORLDWIDE study examined data from 18 countries and all 5 continents, and covered a period of 1960-1970 (sexual revolution, unprotected sex), etc, etc.
I don't think this is a particularly current or relevent study to the members of this community.
I didn't read the original paper, but the review in which it was referenced said it was U.S. data regarding prostitutes. Moreover, since 1970 the prevalence in the general population has doubled, so there's little reason to suspect it would have DECREASED among population subgroups.
The basic problem is that there probably isn't good data on "high end" escorts, and since it's generally considered a "nuisance" rather than a fatal or dangerous illness, many infected people who make their living selling sexual favors can easliy convince themselves that their infection isn't something that they need to disclose to their clients. I'll wager that if we posted a direct question here to the providers such as "who can tell us they've had a negative PCR HSV-II test within the past month?" we'd get almost no responses, and I'd be ASTOUNDED if anyone answered, "well, I'm positive but I'm very careful."
And the person who said that because the prevalence in the general population is 25%, anyone who has had >= 4 partners is probably infected is DRAMATICALLY oversimplifying things. For example the odds ratio of being infected for A.A. vs. Caucasian young women was > 5.0 in a recent U.S. study.
isn't that typical? ...oh, well, i guess it says 75% but i figured it's old so it's probably around 90 now...
people throw statistics around like they mean something. half the time they are made up and the other half they are compiled by psuedo-scientific methods that make a true scientist OR statistician want to puke.
Okay, a bit extreme but similar nonetheless.
so...are you in or are you out of the hobby? HSV-II is quite common although exposure to HSV-I (chicken pox) lessens the likelyhood of catching it. There have been many (many!!!) threads on this and it is worthwhile to read them. I do not think ANY provider will tell us her status on this (maybe a few) but it should be noted that once again, sexual inequality strikes again as women are more likely to be infected than men. I guess here we go again...
The good news is that many of the "high-end" providers here are VERY concerned about their health, and are very careful to carry out a regimen of thorough testing and careful observation, which is often the only way to discover HSV.
Before I go on, I'd like to make it clear that I do not have HSV-II, nor am I advocating any relaxation of anyone's practice of self-protection.
There are things to remember about HSV:
1) 1 in 4 adults in the US have it. If you've had more than three sexual partners, you have most likely been exposed already.
2) Not everyone who is exposed develops outbreaks, and so may not be aware of their status. There are anti-body tests (if you get one, ask for a type-specific test), that are designed to indicate exposure to the virus by the presence of anti-bodies in the blood stream. They are designed to be hypersensitive...thus it is more likely to get a false positive than a false negative.
3) There is an unnecessary social stigma associated with HSV-II that is largely absent with HSV-I. It is possible to contract HSV-I through sexual contact and to experience a outbreak of HSV-I in the genital area, though this is not common. The fact is that the health impact for either type is the same: outbreaks are uncomfortable and sometimes painful, but HSV itself remains little more than an inconvenience.
4) While HSV isn't necessarily linked to other STDs, the sheer variety of sexually transmitted illnesses out there generally means that exposure to one is exposure to more than one. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV, or genital warts) and, to a lesser extent, HIV are often found at the same time a diagnosis of HSV is made.
My guess is that the subject has (or will) come up in your new relationship, and you're seeking to reassure her (or yourself) that she isn't going to get sick from having sex with you. The only way to do that is to consult a good physician and get yourself a physical and go through the complete battery of tests.
Yoda
I didn't have the energy to expand upon the issue, but you hit every nail on the head (so to speak!). The stigma is odd considering how common this infection is in the general population. I too am clean thus far. It is an interesting fact that as men reach their 70's (if they get that far) they get outbreaks of HSV2 (or 1) due to a faltering immune system. Most of these men had been symptom free their entire adult lives!