This is topic So is it sexually transmitted or not?? in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.


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Posted by jimmystermite (Member # 11671) on :
 
Good morning everyone!!

I know this may be a redundant question to some, but I can not seem to find a definite answer..

From what I have learned, it seems pretty plausible and makes sense that Lyme would be transferred to an unborn child, but what about the sexual transfer??

I have been with my s/o for almost 5 yrs now and at the time we met, I did not know that I had Fibromyalgia, much less Lyme.

All I knew is that I wasn't well on most days and no one knew why.

Now, with a definite Fibro diagnosis and a pretty definite certainty that I have Lyme(though no "official" diagnosis), I have noticed some things with him that I question.

He has developed a rash on his left side, that comes and goes, though we haven't figured out what makes it come and go....or even what is causing it.

He has been suffering from RLS the last year or so, and when I met him was a pretty "heavy drinker"..

Not that he drank every day, but when he did, he could "put away" quite a bit (16/17 beers on a good nite)

Now, after 5 or 6, he acts "totally loaded"...

Is it possible that I may have given him Lyme, or could all these things just be normal coincidences??

He seems okay otherwise... I mean he's not showing any signs of neuro problems, YET..

Also, though he has always been one to sleep whenever he is bored or upset, he seems tired ALOT more than he was....

We can not even afford, with me out of work, to get me to a LLMD, how can we afford for him to get sick too??

Did I miss it somewhere in my research?? Is it transmitted sexually for sure or not???

Thanks and sorry if this seems like a really stupid question..
Ellen
 

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Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
 
I think it's more likely that you were both exposed to it by ticks ... NY is a hotbed for them. Many couples/families all get Lyme due to being in the same places together.

There is no definative answer to this question. My LLMD says it's unlikely to be sexually transmitted. Some think it can be.

I definately had Lyme before marriage. I've been married for almost 23 years and hubby shows no symptoms at all.
 

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Posted by Aniek (Member # 5374) on :
 
Ellen,

Not enough research so no definite answer. But, if it is sexually transmitted, like all STDs, it would be much easier pass from men to women than from women to men. It's how we are biologically structured.

You live in NY, so, you might both have separate exposures.

-A
 

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Posted by jimmystermite (Member # 11671) on :
 
I do know that I was sick long before I met him and he appeared healthy when we met.

I would just hate to think that I could have given it to him.

I suppose if Lyme is what is causing his problems, he could have been exposed separately, but it seems like such a coincidence.

He was born on Long Island, lived in FLorida 20+ years and has been back in NY for about 6 yrs now, so who knows??

I thank everyone for their responses, though. I thought maybe I had missed something somewhere.

There just seems to be so much debate over where it can be or not..
 

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Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
 
I don't think so but some people do.

One LLMD studied semen & vaginal mucosa and found them positive by PCR when not on abx but negative when on.

IF it is I think it is like Heptatitis C, which is NOT sexually transmitted MOST of the time but in a small minority of cases- is!!!

TBE viruses have been shown to be sexually transmitted htough!!!! So anyone with an ALS presentation should be careful re protection-!
 

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Posted by lymednva (Member # 9098) on :
 
I was married for 24 years and had Lyme long before I got married. My ex has shown no signs of Lyme.

Just my 2 cents.
 

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Posted by echostef (Member # 12867) on :
 
Yes, yes, yes, according to my LLMD. Not only does he treat Lyme, but his whole family is infected as well. That is why he began treating Lyme in the first place. His wife passed it to their two daughters thru childbirth and sexually to him. He is absolutely adament about this and made sure that both my husband and I understood that we MUST use condoms during intercourse.
I wondered why this fact was not published more publically, but I am certainly not going to second guess him and take the chance of infecting my loved one!!
 

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Posted by GiGi (Member # 259) on :
 
Lyme and co-infections are sexually transmitted as far as I and the doctors who have treated us are concerned.

Per our doctors:
Most people are exposed to Lyme & Co.

Some people don't get ill at all.
Some people only get ill when their life takes a stressful turn or added toxin exposure.
Some people get sick and never seem to get well for a variety of reasons.

Take care.
 

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Posted by JimBoB (Member # 8454) on :
 
Yes your question is redundant.

And NO you will NOT find a definitive answer, because there are none, YET. Maybe in time, but not now.

I also had Lyme before marriage, seven years ago, and my wife has no Lyme either. NEVER had protected sex.

YOUR choice on how you want to go. MOST doctors will say NO, not transmitted. A few self proclaimed LLMD's may.

Jim

PS: He SHOULD be totally loaded after 5 or 6. That would put him WAY over the limit for intoxication.
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Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
 
My LLMD says that sexual transmission is possible, but highly unlikely.

I have Lyme as does my husband and children.

My neighbor has Lyme (as does 7 out of 8 other neighbors),

However, her husband doesn't. In fact he is the only one in a quarter mile

Radius with a completely negative WB other than a 41+ IgG via Igenex.

He also is the one with a known tick embedded in his ear and immediate antibiotic treatment

Upom tick removal. I would say that based on the research I have done,

It is more likely than men can pass bb. It has been found in sperm.

Given that, who knows?

Although, being together and visiting the same places, etc.

Is a more likely way of getting Lyme.

Don't beat yourself up over the unknown. It is a waste of valuable

Energy you need to get well. I suggest you get your s.o. tested via Igenex.

I was diagnosed first. My husband didn't show symptoms until months later.

Hugs,

Geneal
 

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Posted by tailz (Member # 10014) on :
 
I think I had Lyme before I was married. More likely though, we were just exposed to the same mosquitos.

Your significant other could be developing rashes due to electromagnetic field exposure. Have you considered that?

Both of my nastiest rashes appeared when I lived in EMF areas - the first one when I lived in Norfolk and worked on a Naval base - the second when I lived in Royersford close to a nuclear power plant.

I had a different rash in my current home and found, when I measured the electromagnetic fields here with a gaussmeter, that they are much higher than most places are inside.

I think these bugs are flourishing due to these fields, so it's hard to say if he got Lyme from you or if these rashes are electromagnetic-field related.

Get a gaussmeter and see if that is his problem before you blame yourself.
 

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Posted by Lily (Member # 13158) on :
 
I asked my LLMD this week.

He said that it was not transmitted sexually.

He went on to say that we should enjoy our sex life, without condoms, without worry.

I'm new to all of this.

Lily
 

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Posted by barksplinter (Member # 13249) on :
 
I asked my wife's LLMD if I should be tested and he said yes. I was positive. I am having issues but my big concern was whether I was "re-infecting" her through intimate contact, thereby contributing her treatment failures.

Of course I still do not know the answer to that.
 

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Posted by DolphinLady (Member # 6275) on :
 
I've had the opportunity to discuss this with a few top llmds and they said yes it is sexually transmitted based on their research and experience.

These are doctors that speak at lyme conferences and teach other llmds how to diagnose and treat lyme and coinfections.
 

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Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
 
My LLMD also speaks at Lyme conferences and teaches other LLMD's and says it's not ... they just don't agree on this one at all.

Personally, I think it would be more prevalent if it were easily sexually transmitted. I tick bite goes directly into your bloodstream, bodily fluids from sexual contact do not.

The point barksplinter brought up was the one I was more worried about ... if my husband were going to get it from me he already would have, so I was wondering if he should be tested to protect ME from HIM. My LLMD said no, it was not necessary.

I think you need to take the precautions you feel are right. There's just no clear answer, even the experts don't agree. I'm not concerned about hubby, but I must admit, I would have some concern if I were in a different circumstance and getting into a new relationship.
 

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Posted by JimBoB (Member # 8454) on :
 
SO Six, what are you saying, that "hubby" is not as important as a NEW love would be?
Jim.
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quote:

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Originally posted by sixgoofykids:
My LLMD also speaks at Lyme conferences and teaches other LLMD's and says it's not ... they just don't agree on this one at all.

Personally, I think it would be more prevalent if it were easily sexually transmitted. I tick bite goes directly into your bloodstream, bodily fluids from sexual contact do not.

The point barksplinter brought up was the one I was more worried about ... if my husband were going to get it from me he already would have, so I was wondering if he should be tested to protect ME from HIM. My LLMD said no, it was not necessary.

I think you need to take the precautions you feel are right. There's just no clear answer, even the experts don't agree. I'm not concerned about hubby, but I must admit, I would have some concern if I were in a different circumstance and getting into a new relationship.

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Posted by JimBoB (Member # 8454) on :
 
UP
 

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Posted by DolphinLady (Member # 6275) on :
 
Not everyone exposed to lyme will get lyme disease.

Also, it MAY take years, sometimes many many years for the disease to become evident.
 

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Posted by MysteryGirl44 (Member # 10201) on :
 
There are studies to find a definate answer. But I know of many people who have spouses/boyfriends and girlfriends who got Lyme after having sex with their partner.

Good luck to you. Hopefully you both can get to a LLMD soon!
 

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Posted by JimBoB (Member # 8454) on :
 
I sure hope that one of these days SOON, they will actually have some studies that give us the REAL answer one way or the other on this one, so we can stop all the speculation that we see on here several times a year.

As far as "knowing" many people, Mystery, do you know that they ACTUALLY got the Lyme from the partner, and not from a tick, or mosquito, or flea, OR?

Jim
 

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Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by JimBoB:
SO Six, what are you saying, that "hubby" is not as important as a NEW love would be?
Jim.
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Originally posted by pamoisondelune:
My LLMD says that the evidence is conflicting. He said that when animals are put together in a cage just for mating, they don't transmit it; but when they live together in a cage, they do transmit it. He says, Urine is suspect.

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Originally posted by billclo:
I think literally the only way to find out for sure would be to take 2 people, 1 infected, 1 showing ZERO bands of exposure, put them in a plastic bubble for say 6 months, encourage them to have unprotected sex and see what happens.

That having been said, can you see many people signing up for this experiment? I can't. Especially when they see the fine print in the agreement saying that "we aren't sure what will happen, and we aren't sure you can be cured if you DO get Lymes" - which we'll test for according to CDC-protocol and deny you insurance company coverage - forget it is what they'll hear ALOT.

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Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
 
JimBob, I don't think you'd have trouble finding a man for the experiment, but it would be more difficult finding a woman ...
 

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Posted by JimBoB (Member # 8454) on :
 
Six:

THAT is why I suggested three women. They could have a headache, and he still would have a partner most of the time. Are you suggesting ONE woman, and three MEN?

I would think that would be three frustrated men after awhile, and harder to find them, and/or it would be one worn out woman.

Jim
 

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Posted by lymebytes (Member # 11830) on :
 
The Pres of Ilads told my husband and I that we can "ping pong" this disease, not just sexually but through saliva.

The LD bacteria has been found in semen that is fact. I don't think many of us know for sure how we got this disease or how many times we may have been bitten.

I have asked this question to another LLMD who said families have the same risk exposure, their yard, pets, camping, hiking etc.
 

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Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
 
"not just sexually but through saliva..."



How often is it contracted through contact with saliva?

That's the scariest thing I've read in my life!
 

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