Can You Still Pass Herpes Without Having An Outbreak

Why Genital Herpes Comes Back

Genital herpes is caused by a virus called herpes simplex. Once you have the virus, it stays in your body.

It will not spread in your body to cause blisters elsewhere. It stays in a nearby nerve and causes blisters in the same area.

If you can, avoid things that trigger your symptoms.

Triggers can include:

• surgery on your genital area
• a weakened immune system for example, from having chemotherapy for cancer

Myth #: A Blood Test Is The Best Way To Know If You Have Herpes

Blood tests are not always accurate and testing for herpes can be tricky. It can take two weeks to six months after being exposed to herpes before it is detected in the blood. To make matters more complicated, if you are low risk for herpes and asymptomatic, it increases your risk of a false positive result. Because of this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against routine testing for herpes unless you or your partner have symptoms. The most accurate test is when you are able to take a swab sample from a new herpes lesion, but often times the diagnosis is made by a clinician based on your history and report of symptoms.

Because the blood test can be expensive and inaccurate, it is not typically included in a sexually transmitted disease evaluation unless you ask your provider for it specifically.

In short, if you dont have symptoms, you dont necessarily need a blood test. If you do experience an outbreak, a skin swab not a blood test is your best bet for confirmation.

Can I Give Herpes To My Children

No this will not happen. Parents do not need to worry about passing on their genital herpes to children because it is caught through direct skin contact with the affected place when symptoms are present and not from hands or objects. Even sharing a bath with small children is not a problem because herpes simplex virus is not transmitted in water.

Parents do not pass on genital herpes to their children through the normal activities of family life. You dont need to worry about any ordinary family things such as touching, hugging, sharing, etc.

Beds: herpes simplex virus is never transmitted on sheets.

Is herpes on my laundry? No it dies too fast. You can wash clothes together in the same machine, even when a person has a recurrence.

Bathing or showering together will not transmit herpes simplex virus the same is true for Jacuzzis and swimming pools. A child brushing against your upper thighs or abdomen while you have a recurrence wont catch the virus.

Even if you have used the toilet or you have touched the genital area and forgotten to wash your hands, this is not a problem. This virus is fragile and dies when it leaves living cells.

Washing with ordinary soap and water is clean enough theres no need to use any special hand or toilet seat sanitisers.

Children do all sorts of odd things that you cant anticipate, but even if they put your worn knickers on their head they are not going to contract the herpes virus relax and laugh with them.

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How To Know If Its Gonorrhea Or Genital Herpes

Gonorrhea is a bacterial STI that can affect the genitals, rectum, and throat, according to the CDC. The infection is very common, especially among young people ages 15 to 24 years old.

Most women with gonorrhea don’t have any symptoms, and if they do, they are often mild and can be mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection, per the CDC. Symptoms of gonorrhea in women may include:

• Pain or a burning sensation when urinating
• Increased vaginal discharge

Symptoms of gonorrhea in men may include:

• A burning sensation when urinating
• Less commonly, painful or swollen testicles

Rectal infections in men and women may cause no symptoms or cause symptoms including:

• Painful bowel movements

In women, untreated gonorrhea can cause PID, notes the CDC. In men, gonorrhea can cause a painful condition in the tubes attached to the testicles and in rare cases, lead to infertility.

Untreated gonorrhea can also spread to your blood or joints, which can be life-threatening, but this is also rare. Having untreated gonorrhea may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV.

Healthcare providers typically collect a urine sample to diagnose gonorrhea. Your provider may also use swabs to collect samples from your throat and/or rectum.

Treatment with antibiotics can cure gonorrhea, but drug-resistant strains of the infection are on the rise. You should return to your healthcare provider if your symptoms continue for more than a few days after you receive treatment.

Genital Herpes: How Can You Prevent The Spread Of Herpes In Sexual Relationships

Herpes viruses are most likely to be transmitted during an outbreak, so it’s better to not have sex during this time. Herpes can also be passed on to others in symptom-free phases, though. This risk can be reduced considerably by using condoms.

If you have genital herpes, there are some things you can do on your own to protect your partner from infection. The main things are

• not having sex during an outbreak,
• using condoms during symptom-free phases, and
• talking openly with your partner about the disease.

Preventive treatment with antiviral medication may be an option for people who have genital herpes very frequently. This medication inhibits the activity of the virus, thereby lowering the risk of infecting partners.

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Can Genital Herpes Cause Other Problems

For most women, genital herpes does not usually cause serious health problems.

Women with HIV can have severe herpes outbreaks that are long-lasting. Herpes also may play a role in the spread of HIV. Herpes sores can make it easier for HIV to get into your body. Also, herpes can make people who are HIV-positive more likely to spread the infection to someone else.

How Common Is Herpesand Who Is At Risk

Both types of herpes are quite common. The World Health Organization reports thatâgloballyâan estimated 67% of the population has HSV-1. As for HSV-2, estimates suggest that 13% of the population has it. Most of the people in both groups are asymptomatic and many do not know they have herpes.

Women tend to have a higher risk of HSV-2, the most common cause of genital herpes, compared to men. This is because transmission of the herpes virus occurs more effectively from men to women than vice versa. Having multiple sex partners also increases oneâs risk of getting herpes.

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Can I Breastfeed If I Have Genital Herpes

Yes, you can breastfeed if you have genital herpes, but not if you have a herpes sore on one of your breasts. If you have genital herpes, it is possible to spread the infection to any part of your breast, including your nipple and areola.

If you have any genital herpes sores on one or both of your breasts:

• You can keep breastfeeding as long as your baby or pumping equipment does not touch a herpes sore.
• Do not breastfeed from the breast with sores. Herpes is spread through contact with sores and can be dangerous to a newborn baby.
• Pump or hand-express your milk from the breast with sores until the sores heal. Pumping will help keep up your milk supply and prevent your breast from getting overly full and painful. You can store your milk to give to your baby in a bottle for another feeding. But if parts of your pump also touch the sore while pumping, throw the milk away.

Other Impacts Of Genital Herpes

Its important to also remember that there are mental and social impacts of having an incurable STI. Many people with recurrent genital herpes symptoms may feel stigmatized or fearful of pursuing sexual relationships. But people should remember, while genital herpes is not curable, it is manageable, and the outbreaks often decrease over time.

Most people live healthy happy lives with genital herpes .

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Lets support one another.

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Symptomatic Versus Asymptomatic Herpes Transmission

This table summarizes the chance of transmission of herpes when a person is symptomatic and when he or she is asymptomatic .

The table presents information about the overall chance of getting a herpes infection over time, with multiple contacts. Please notice that infected people pass the infection regardless of whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic.

The percentages mentioned bellow are general estimates and may vary from person to person based on immune system strength , skin condition , and race .

Is Genital Herpes Infection Related To Hiv

Herpes and HIV are caused by different viruses. But patients infected with these viruses are more likely to transmit either disease to their sexual partners. Patients with herpes are more vulnerable to HIV infection. People newly diagnosed with herpes should be tested for HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections.

Patients who are infected with both herpes and HIV also may have a higher concentration of HIV viruses in their body because of the interaction between the herpes virus and the HIV virus. When HIV damages a persons immune system, the person may be more likely to shed herpes simplex virus asymptomatically.

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When Is Herpes Most Contagious

Lets start by talking about when herpes is contagious. It might sound obvious, but the first fact to know is this: Herpes is most contagious during an outbreak. That goes for genital herpes and cold sores from oral herpes.

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For genital herpes, you should stop having sex at the first sign of any impending outbreak. According to the World Health Organization, an outbreak may be preceded by mild tingling or shooting pain in the hips, legs, and buttocks .

If your doctor has prescribed you medication, this is the best time to take it to stop the outbreak in its tracks. The CDCs 2015 sexually transmitted disease guidelines state that while Valtrex may be used to treat HSV-2, Acyclovir or Famciclovir can also be used .

You should generally wait until after a herpes outbreak heals and resolves to resume having sex. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, sexual contact should be avoided until the sores dry and the scabs fall off, which takes approximately 10-14 days .

Whats The Difference Between Genital Herpes And Oral Herpes

Because there are 2 different kinds of herpes simplex viruses that can live on many body parts, lots of people are confused about what to call these infections. But its actually pretty simple:

• When you get either HSV-1 or HSV-2 on or around your genitals , its called genital herpes.

• When you get either HSV-1 or HSV-2 in or around your lips, mouth, and throat, its called oral herpes. Oral herpes sores are sometimes called cold sores or fever blisters.

HSV-1 usually causes oral herpes, and HSV-2 usually causes genital herpes each strain prefers to live on its favorite area. But its totally possible for both types of herpes simplex to infect either area. For example, you can get HSV-1 on your genitals if someone with a cold sore on their lips gives you oral sex. And you can get HSV-2 in your mouth if you give oral sex to someone with HSV-2 on their genitals.

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Herpes Diagnosis And Treatment

If you think you might have genital herpes, itâs a good idea to get tested. You can make an appointment with your healthcare provider or a clinic in your areaâor you can take an at-home STD test.

While there is no cure for either herpes type, antiviral medications can effectively reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms. Medications can also minimize the risk of transmitting the herpes virus to someone else.

The Everlywell at-home STD test checks for 6 common STDs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis C, HIV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Your healthcare provider may consider your symptoms along with your test results to arrive at a diagnosis.

Is There A Cure For Herpes Simplex

There is no cure for herpes simplex. Once you have the virus, its a lifelong infection.

What is the outlook for people with herpes simplex?

For many people, the first herpes outbreak is the most severe. Many outbreaks are less frequent and milder after the first year of infection. Some people may have only one outbreak and never have another again.

Herpes infection doesnt usually pose a serious health risk. The risk of a health complication due to herpes is higher in infants and if you have HIV/AIDS, cancer or an organ transplant.

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How Effective Is Medication At Preventing Infection

If you have genital herpes, you will probably be somewhat less likely to infect your partner if you use antiviral medication for prevention. The medications used for this purpose include aciclovir, famciclovir and valaciclovir. They must be taken every day over a long period of time, though. One study showed that over a period of eight months,

• 4 out of 100 people became infected when the partner with the virus took a placebo, and
• 2 out of 100 people became infected when the partner with the virus took antiviral medication every day.

These couples were also advised to use condoms as well but many didn’t use them consistently. So its not clear whether taking antiviral medication can lower the risk of infection even further if you always use condoms anyway, or whether using condoms is just as effective on its own.

Whether or not you would like to use preventive medication is ultimately an individual decision. Many factors can play a role, such as how long you or your partner have had the infection, how frequent and severe the outbreaks are, whether you are male or female, the frequency of sexual contact and whether you use condoms.

How Do I Know If I Have Genital Herpes

Most people with genital herpes have no symptoms or have very mild symptoms. Mild symptoms may go unnoticed or be mistaken for other skin conditions like a pimple or ingrown hair. Because of this, most people do not know they have a herpes infection.

Herpes sores usually appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals, rectum or mouth. This is known as having an outbreak. The blisters break and leave painful sores that may take a week or more to heal. Flu-like symptoms also may occur during the first outbreak.

People who experience an initial outbreak of herpes can have repeated outbreaks, especially if they have HSV-2. However, repeat outbreaks are usually shorter and less severe than the first outbreak. Although genital herpes is a lifelong infection, the number of outbreaks may decrease over time.

Ask a healthcare provider to examine you if:

• You notice any symptoms or
• Your partner has an STD or symptoms of an STD.

STD symptoms can include an unusual sore, a smelly genital discharge, burning when peeing, or bleeding between periods .

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My Partner Has Herpes How Can I Avoid Getting It And And Still Have A Fulfilling Sex Life

I just found out the guy Ive been seeing for a couple weeks has herpes. Im full of questions, but one question I keep dwelling on is, how can people get pregnant without passing on herpes to their partner? How can I avoid getting herpes and still have a fulfilling sex life with him?

Its normal to have complicated feelings after you find out that your partner has herpes. Millions of people are living with herpes, and sharing your concerns with your partner and educating yourself on how its spread are good ways to protect yourself.

Genital herpes is spread from skin-to-skin contact with someone who has it including . Herpes can live on areas of your body that arent protected by condoms , so condoms wont always protect you from herpes. But they do lower your chances of getting herpes.

Here are other ways to avoid getting herpes from your partner:

• Talk with your partner about taking herpes medicine every day, which can lower their chances of spreading herpes.

• Dont have sex during a herpes outbreak, even with a condom. There may be sores on places the condom doesnt cover. Wait until the sores are totally gone, and the scabs heal and fall off.

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Myth #: Herpes Can Affect Your Fertility

Herpes has no impact on fertility, says Hawkins however, people may be confused because there can be an issue with herpes when it comes to pregnancy. If someone is pregnant and gets an outbreak close to when shes going to deliver a baby, that could be problematic, she says. In very rare cases, the outbreak can be transmitted to the baby during birth this is called neonatal herpes and the condition is potentially deadly. In such a situation, doctors may recommend a cesarean to protect the baby from infection.

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There Are 2 Herpes Simplex Viruses That Can Cause Infection

• One causes most genital herpes.
• The other virus can also cause genital herpes but more often causes blisters of the mouth and lips.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that about 1 out of 6 people ages 14 to 49have genital herpes.

Women are more easily infected with herpes than men.