Question about Anne Heche and Herpes

It's only a risk during an outbreak and no one wants to have sex while they're having an outbreak. Babies can also get it if you have an outbreak and vaginal birth. A friend of mine got herpes when we were 24 or so, we're 50 now, she's married with a kid, her hubby doesn't have it. She takes that daily thing, zovirax? Anyhow, no, you don't have to pass it on to anyone else.

Your partner can also take herpes antivirals prophylactically to lower their risk of getting it.

[Quote] no one wants to have sex while they're having an outbreak

So how does it spread then? There's a mini-outbreak with one unnoticed sore and the person isn't aware? I've heard it can be hard to detect visually.

Oh R3 I should clarify, no WOMAN would want to have sex during an outbreak because it would be so painful, but after I posted that answer I thought about it, maybe men aren't in as much pain or just don't care. But you're right, women are somehow getting it from men so...

[quote]It's only a risk during an outbreak

Noooo. A person who isn't having an outbreak sheds about 50% of the virus of a person with an active outbreak and can transit it.

[quote]Your partner can also take herpes antivirals prophylactically to lower their risk of getting it.

Some prescribers do prescribe it, but there is no evidence to support that it's effective. No data from clinical trials in favor of that.

So basically, Ellen played Russian roulette every night, r5?

If you believe Anne Heche was molested by her father. The rest of her family said it wasn’t true and that she was just mentally ill.

Not everyone who has herpes experience s it at the same level. Some have outbreaks so minor it's virtually unnoticeable. Others have extremely painful outbreaks and probably a good chance have similar to pics you find on the web. The same is true for the virus shedding when outbreaks are not happening. Some shed more than others. Taking daily antivirals can greatly reduce shedding as well as using condoms can be helpful but not 100%

There's an episode of The Mindy Project where she has an opportunity to leave her small Obstetrics and Gynecology practice to go work for a more prominent practice that specializes in treating celebrities. At one point Mindy has to choose between continuing to help her needy low income clients or only servicing the Hollywood elite. There's an absolutely priceless scene where the woman who owns the upscale medical practice tells her "The rich and famous need medical help just as much as anyone else, maybe even more so...because they ALL have herpes." I've always thought that was a little insider info about Hollywood being revealed. I think it's true and they know it. Hollywood may seem vast to us outsiders but really it's an insular community where everyone sleeps with everyone. I've always heard that Gwyneth and Brad have it, just to name two.

Anne Heche’s father was a closeted gay man.

Interesting R5, my friend with herpes did take zovirax for years but doesn't now because she said she wasn't sure it did anything. Good to know.

[quote]So basically, Ellen played Russian roulette every night, [R5]?

If Anne was on acyclovir (and I'm sure she was), Ellen's risk of getting infected was reduced by 50%, but wasn't 0. It's not like HIV where undetectable = untrabnsmittable. But hey, maybe Ellen had it to too ?

When I was in school, in the Jurassic era, about 20% of adults had HSV-2. Today the rate is about half that, probably because more people are on acyclovir. It's a very, very, very, common disease. HSV-1 (cold sores) infects about 80% of people. If I had a baby, I'd never let strangers kiss it. The risk of little kids getting infected by adults with cold sores is so great, and csn be really serious.

[quote]Interesting [R5], my friend with herpes did take zovirax for years but doesn't now because she said she wasn't sure it did anything. Good to know

Oh, that sucks! It's actually pretty good at suppressing outbreaks. It's just only so-ao at preventing transmission.

The only study I'm aware of about using acyclovir to prevent transmission was for people who are co-infected with HIV and herpes. And the results were really dismal. They saw absolutely no reduction in transmission among those who took acyclovir. And HIV and herpes are synergistic, if you're infected with HSV-2 you're at a greater risk for acquiring HIV (and transmitting, but I'm not sure about that with treatment as prevention being the new norm,)

R9 Some years ago, one of the gossip sites had a celebrity herpes tree.

Does anyone else remember that?

[quote][R9] Some years ago, one of the gossip sites had a celebrity herpes tree.

Is this it?

R7 I believe she that was molested and that she was mentally ill.

People believe what they want. I'm one of 5 kids. There are two girls and three boys. My father molested my younger sister when we were kids. I know it's true because I walked in on it. When my sister revealed the abuse, the rest of our siblings didn't believe it because he didn't touch them.

R16 horrible. It seems that abusers tend to operate this way, they choose the victim.

People find it hard to believe about her father cause he was closeted gay, so it is hard to believe that a gay man would abuse a little girl. It is usually the straight guys. But, anything is possible. I remember the character played by Helmut Berger in Visconti's the Damned. He had affairs with men, but was also a pedophile abusing little girls and had an incestuous relationship with mother. This was fiction, but different kind of freaks exist.

Oh thanks for that R13, I'll have to tell her it's at least helping her if not her husband too. Yeah I knew about 4 people who got herpes in the 90s and it did seem like it was kind of a backlash to hiv. People were only worried about hiv and didn't even seem to mind other diseases. I think my friend has only had like 2 other outbreaks in her life. Some people think those are good odds considering its been 26 years, and they don't mind risking it.

2 outbreak in 26 years is very good and I can see why she probably thought it wasn't helping her. It's totally unpredictable how frequently people will get them (stres and other things can trigger outbreaks) but it does probably provide some protection to her husband (but not great protection). And as someone above mentioned, some people get infected and NEVER have an outbreak. I don't know if we know why (I don't know that research) but if I had to guess, I'd say folks that get treated when they're first acutely ill may have lower reservoirs, meaning the virus doesn't stake out a place very well, but I'm pulling that out of my ass, so don't quote me on it please.

It seems a logical place to ask if she was ever asked how her stories matched up with no one but her father having hiv

R14, I remember it. There was more than one actually. Here's one.

R14, And here's the one you are probably thinking of.

By the way, R15, that was a good joke.