How To Avoid Passing Herpes

What Happens If I Dont Receive Treatment

Genital herpes can cause painful genital sores and can be severe in people with suppressed immune systems.

If you touch your sores or fluids from the sores, you may transfer herpes to another body part like your eyes. Do not touch the sores or fluids to avoid spreading herpes to another part of your body. If you do touch the sores or fluids, quickly wash your hands thoroughly to help avoid spreading the infection.

If you are pregnant, there can be problems for you and your unborn fetus, or newborn baby. See Im pregnant. How could genital herpes affect my baby? for information about this.

What Are The Chances Of Getting Herpes From An Infected Partner

You are less likely to get this from a partner than you think! This person is a safer partner than many others because they have been diagnosed. This means they will avoid sex from the moment they notice the start of an outbreak, until the time when it has totally cleared up. A man with genital herpes can protect a partner easily if his outbreaks appear in the area covered by a condom.

Can Women Who Have Sex With Women Get Genital Herpes

Yes. It is possible to get genital herpes, or any other STI, if you are a woman who has sex only with women.

Talk to your partner about her sexual history before having sex, and ask your doctor or nurse about getting tested if you have signs or symptoms of genital herpes. Use a dental dam during oral sex and avoid sexual activity during an outbreak.

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How Common Is Genital Herpes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 40 million to 50 million adults in the United States have genital herpes. HSV II infection is more common in women and in people who have had more than five sexual partners. Most people with HSV II do not know they have it, because it does not always cause symptoms.

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Before You Think About Sex Focus On Treating Your Herpes

While herpes doesnt need to limit your sexual or romantic life in the long term, its best to take a break from sexual activity once you first find out that youre infected.

Most people with an active herpes infection find out about their status during the initial outbreak of the virus. Initial herpes outbreaks usually happen two to three weeks after you become infected with the virus, but may not appear until weeks, months or even years after initial exposure.

During an initial outbreak, the virus undergoes a replication process in your body, taking over cells and spreading at a rapid pace.

Genital herpes eventually spreads to the spinal ganglia, where it stays as a dormant virus in the body. Oral herpes settles in the ganglia behind the cheek bone. It usually takes two to three weeks for herpes to set up camp in your body before an initial outbreak.

During an initial outbreak, youll notice a variety of symptoms, from flu-like fatigue and muscular aching to a fever. The most obvious sign of a herpes infection is the development of sores on the lips or on the genitals, groin, legs and buttocks.

Our guide to the signs and symptoms of a genital herpes outbreak goes into more detail about the symptoms youll notice during an initial outbreak. It also includes symptoms that are shared with the oral form of the virus, making it a useful resource for either type of infection.

Focus on treating the outbreak once its healed, you can refocus on your sex life.

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If You Have Genital Herpes Already Can It Be Spread To Other Parts Of The Body Such As The Arms Or Legs

No. Genital herpes cannot be transmitted to another part of your body such as your arm, leg or hand after the first infection occurs. If you have genital HSV II, you will not get HSV II at another site in your body. The immune system produces antibodies that protect other parts of your body from infection. However, there are cases where a person has multiple site infections from the same virus. This is usually acquired at the time of the first infection. For example, if someone has never had herpes but then has oral and genital sex with an infected partner, they can acquire the infection at both sites.

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Keep It In Perspective

First and foremost, its important to keep in mind the relative importance of all this. If you were asked to describe yourself and highlight the most important aspects of you and your life, herpes wouldnt make the list. Its something you deal with, but it doesnt define who you are as a person.

In the grand scheme of things, genital herpes is an inconvenience for most couplesnothing more than that. Keep this fact in mind and keep your language positive. Your attitude will also have a lot of influence on how the news is received. If you are positive and upbeat, its more likely your partner will adopt the same attitude. Try not to let the anticipation of a possible negative reaction affect the delivery of your message.

Remember too that this should not be treated as a confession or some kind of admission that you have done something wrong. It is what it isa sexually transmitted infection. The bottom line is that sexual activity is a natural act that most everyone will have at some point in their lives. With sexual activity anywhere by anyone, there is some level of risk.

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Is A Cold Sore Contagious

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus , which is easily passed to other parts of your body as well as from person to person. Its extremely common, with 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 infected by HSV-1 globally, the type that causes most cold sore cases.i However, cold sores can also be caused by HSV-2, which is mainly responsible for genital herpes, a sexually transmitted infection.

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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Protecting Your Partner: Ways To Reduce Herpes Transmission

When people are diagnosed with herpes, one of the first things they think about is how to protect other people.

• How can I protect my current and future partners?
• How can I keep my kids and other family members from getting it?
• Can I prevent transmission or at least lower the risk?

In this section, weâll summarize the most common and practical ways of reducing the risk of transmitting herpes to your partners and other loved ones. First, weâll present some statistical information in tables. That will be followed by frequently asked questions with Dr. Fâs answers.

If you want to know how to protect your sexual partner and your family, this chapter is for you!

How to protect your partner from getting herpes. By STD expert

Herpes Transmission Rates Breakdown

• The likelihood of passing genital herpes to a partner is highest during an outbreak .
• When a person is not experiencing an outbreak, there is a 4-10% chance of transmitting it.

According to studies done by Valtrex, these are the rates of transmission per year of regular sex:

• If partners avoid sex during outbreaks: 4% chance transmission from female to male 8% male to female
• If partners also use condoms or antiviral medication: 2% female to male 4% per year male to female
• If partners also use condoms and antiviral medications: 1% female to male 2% male to female

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How Can I Make Sure I Dont Give Anyone Herpes

If you find out that you have herpes, try not to freak out. There are a few ways that you can stop it from spreading to your partners and other parts of your body.

• Talk with your doctor about taking herpes medication every day, which can lower your 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.

• Learn how to tell when an outbreak is coming, and stop having sex right when you notice these signs. You may feel a burning, itching, or tingling feeling that lets you know youre about to get sores.

• Dont have sex until your sores are totally gone, and the scabs heal and fall off.

• Dont touch your herpes sores, because you can spread the infection to other parts of your body or other people. If you touch a sore, wash your hands with soap and water right after.

• Dont wet contact lenses with spit this might spread your oral herpes to your eye.

• If you have a cold sore on your mouth, don’t kiss anyone especially babies, children, or pregnant women.

• Always tell your sexual partners that you have herpes before you have sex, so you can work together to prevent it from spreading. Telling someone you have an STD can be hard, but herpes is super common and doesnt lead to serious health problems. So try not to be too embarrassed or stressed out about it.

Talk To Your Doctor About Antiviral Medications

There are two brands of antiviral medications available to treat herpes. Either can be used to take daily as a suppressive therapy or episodically when there is an outbreak. Discuss with your doctor how often you are experiencing outbreaks and your symptoms. Together you can decide which, if any, medication is best for you.

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How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Herpes Simplex

Preventing HSV-1

You can reduce your risk of contracting HSV-1 by avoiding physical contact with someone who has a cold sore. People can still spread HSV-1 when cold sores arent present, but its less likely.

If someone has an active HSV-1 infection, avoid:

• Sharing utensils, cups, lip balms or other personal care products.
• Touching the skin near their mouth.

Preventing HSV-2

If youre sexually active, you can take these steps to protect yourself and others from the herpes virus and other STIs:

• Be monogamous with one sexual partner or limit your number of partners.
• Get tested for STIs and complete any prescribed treatment.
• Tell your sexual partners if you have genital herpes so they can get tested.
• Use condoms during intercourse and dental dams during oral sex.

Wash your hands often if you have an outbreak or are around someone with symptoms.

If your sexual partner has genital herpes, these actions can lower your risk of getting the virus:

• Dont have sex when your partner has active symptoms. Condoms may not cover all sores, so you may still get the virus.
• Make sure your partner takes antiviral medication as prescribed.
• Wait to have sex until scabs fall off active lesions.

Common Ways Herpes Is Transmitted

• Both herpes virusesâHSV-1 and HSV-2âare transmitted via direct skin-to-skin contact.
• Both HSV-1 and HSV-2
• Can be transmitted sexually and non-sexually and
• Can affect either the oral or genital area.

HSV-1 transmission

Nonsexual transmission

• Since HSV-1 is mainly stored in the oral area, people with HSV-1 commonly get the infection via nonsexual contact during their childhood from parents or friends.

Transmission during sex

HSV-1 can be spread during sex via oro-genital contact . Once itâs passed to a personâs genital area, it will be stored and passed genitally by that person .

HSV-2 transmission

• People with HSV-2 mostly get the infection during sexual intercourse. HSV-2 is rarely transmitted via genital-to-oral contact

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How Is Herpes Treated

Antiviral tablets like Aciclovir are available on prescription to speed up the healing process. They can also be taken regularly to prevent outbreaks of herpes from occurring. This is a useful option for people who experience frequent bouts of sores and who want to be sexually active without infecting their partner.

Otherwise, herpes clears up on their own within 7-10 days.

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.

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Herbal Remedies May Also Offer Relief

Research supports the use of certain botanical remedies. You may want to try one or more of these:

Long dan xie gan tan This Chinese herbal formula has been used to quell symptoms and reduce herpes outbreaks. Its English name is clear liver fire pills. In at least one study, the formulawas shown to inhibit the activity of HSV-1 and HSV-2.

Chinese herbal medicine is always individualized, and there are other formulas that help too, so it is helpful to consult a licensed acupuncturist or herbalist before starting this formula, says Mindich.

Mushrooms Mushrooms boost the immune system, Mindich says, and thus can help prevent recurrent herpes outbreaks. She recommends mushroom products from the Immune & Protection collection of Host Defense and from Myko San. Eating shiitake mushrooms daily has also been found to have a positive effect on the immune system in a study published in April 2015 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Lemon balm This herb, which is related to mint, has traditionally been used to improve brain function and also has antiviral properties. Records concerning the medicinal use of lemon balm date back more than 2,000 years.

Lemon balm can be prepared and drunk as a tea. It can also be applied to the skin to both prevent herpes to prevent outbreaks and reduce symptoms. Research has shown that lemon balm oil directly counteracts herpes viruses.

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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.

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How Is Genital Herpes Treated

There is no cure for the herpes simplex virus. The blisters usually heal and go by themselves, so you may not always need treatment. There is antiviral medicines for herpes, which can: shorten outbreaks, relieve discomfort and stop symptoms from getting worse.

The antiviral treatment is most effective when you take it within the first five days of symptoms appearing. Avoid touching the blisters as this can also increase the risk of spreading the infection. If your herpes treatment requires you to apply cream to a sore, just gently pat the cream on, being careful not to rub around the surrounding area.

You can ease your symptoms by:

• keeping the affected area clean using plain or salt water to prevent blisters or ulcers from becoming infected
• applying petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, to any blisters or ulcers to reduce the pain when passing urine
• asking a healthcare provider to recommend painkilling creams
• avoiding tight clothing because it may irritate the blisters and ulcers.

Dont have sex until you or your partner have finished your treatment, and the blisters or ulcers have gone. If its your first outbreak, its sometimes advised that you check back with a healthcare provider before having sex again, to ensure that your symptoms have gone.

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