New partner has HSV-1.

I am asking here as this is all new to me and most online info is all different, so thought I would ask people who live with herpes and know.

He told me he has HSV-1. I think he said last outbreak was maybe 7 months ago. We kissed (made out). I know I don't have the virus because I got an STD panel done after last partner that involved HSV-1 and 2 testing, both negative. So I am wondering in your experiences:

1. How likely am I to get it from kissing when he doesn't have a cold sore present?

2. How likely am I to get genital herpes from him going down on me with no cold sore present?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

@Laura898 Did he specify that his HSV1 is oral and that his outbreak was in the form of oral cold sores?

Yes he did. He said he has been getting cold sores since he was like 3 years old. He said last cold sore was 7 months ago. He told me he does not have genial herpes.

@Laura898 All of this is just my opinion. I think the likelihood of him passing HSV to you outside of an outbreak is fairly low, assuming he is aware of his body and knows when an outbreak is about to occur, but keep in mind that most adults do have HSV1, so the likelihood that you will contract it at some point in your life is very high, whether from him or someone else down the road. In the meantime, because you don't have the partial immunity to GHSV1 (genital HSV1) that comes from having oral HSV1, you *might* want to consider refraining from receiving oral sex immediately after intercourse. I say this because intercourse can result in tiny abrasions that could make you temporarily more vulnerable to contracting the virus at those times. Having said that, the risk of transmission outside of outbreaks is rather small, so if that sounds too limiting, you might want to take that very small risk in order to fully enjoy your sex life.

Of course, you could also consider dental dams if it really worries you. I've never used one. For me, the enjoyment of receiving unprotected oral sex outweighs my concern about contracting GHSV1, but everyone is different.

Thank you for the input. Do you have HSV1?

@Laura898 I don't have HSV1. Being in my late 40's, that's kind of unusual, but I do have HSV2 which can provide partial immunity from HSV1.