[ 06-12-2015, 12:47 AM: Message edited by: Tincup ]
Posted by bis (Member # 45774) on :
Ugh, this is scary. If this is true--I now put my husband's health at risk. How long till there are definite answers!
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Most lyme doctors say that sexual transmission can occur but it is rare.
Mine said that it is more often transmitted from male to female because there is a greater exchange of bodily fluids from male to female.
So, it all depends on how safe you want to be. Some couples use condoms to prevent transmission either way.
I had lyme for 10 years undiagnosed and I never transmitted it to my husband in all that time. As soon as I found out I had lyme and sexual transmission was possible, I had my lyme doctor test my husband through Igenex.
He was negative and he never had any symptoms of any kind. I have been well now for 10 years and still my husband has never gotten ill. So, I never gave it to him.
But, that could say more about his health than anything else. My husband seems to have a very strong immune system, so that may be why he never got it from me.
So, each couple has to decide for themselves. If you wonder when there will be an actual documented proof-positive case of sexual transmission, that may never happen or could be 20 years from now.
The lyme doc who cured me is treating my next-door neighbor and neighbor's wife. He has told my next-door neighbor that he (my neighbor) gave lyme to his wife. I never thought I would hear him say that to any patient in my lifetime. My doc is a well-known doctor who has written a lyme book.
10 years ago, another lyme doc that I recommended to folks used to tell couples that she didn't want to treat just one of them. She found that if she just treated one person in a couple, that person just kept relapsing.
Sure enough, by insisting on testing the wife, she got a wife as a patient in addition to the husband. Food for thought.
There are plenty of old threads about sexual transmission if you want to do a "search" on LymeNet. The subject comes up periodically.
Posted by bis (Member # 45774) on :
Ok great thanks for this info--I am going to see a LLMD in a few weeks and this is definitely a topic I will bring up and will have my husband tested if need be!!
Posted by Lymieloo (Member # 45753) on :
While Lyme as an std would indeed be horrible, we might get some respect. That is, if Lyme patients became the media darlings. Sad that it would probably take a nightmare like that in order to not be treated like he'll.