Lively Women

STD Awareness Month: Genital Herpes

by Kristen King on April 29th, 2008

In honor of STD Awareness Month, sponsored by the American Social Health Association (ASHA) and the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), your favorite women’s health blog is going to talk about some of the most common sexually transmitted diseases and infections over the last few days of April.

What Is Genital Herpes?

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex virus (types 1 and 2). There are also other types of herpes, including ocular herpes. The herpes family of viruses is also responsible for cold sores, chicken pox, and shingles. Genital herpes is characterized by outbreaks that take the form of one or more blisters around the genital region or rectum. The blisters burst and take several weeks to heal. After the first outbreak, subsequent outbreaks are generally shorter and less severe. Herpes does not affect the immune system, but having sex with open sores during a herpes outbreak makes you more susceptible to contracting HIV.

How Can I Get Genital Herpes?

Sexual contact is the most commmon way to get herpes, and you can get it through genital-genital or oral-genital contact. So if you perform oral sex on someone who’s having a herpes outbreak, you could get it. If you have anal sex with someone during an outbreak, you could get it. If you have vaginal sex with someone during an outbreak, you could get it. If you have any kind of sex with someone who has herpes not during an outbreak, you could still get it, but it’s most likely during and in the days leading up to an outbreak.

How Do I Know if I Have Genital Herpes?

The most obvious symptom of genital herpes is an outbreak, but some people have such mild symptoms that they may not even know they have herpes. You may also have pain or buring during urination, or a mild fever, which are symptoms that mimic a bladder infection, so without a severe outbreak or knowledge that you had sex with an infected partner, you may miss it entirely at first.

How Do I Treat Genital Herpes?

There is no cure for genital herpes, but there are some options for suppressive therapy to reduce the number and severity of outbreaks. External creams can also lessen the pain of herpes blisters and sores during outbreaks.

Is Genital Herpes Contagious?

Genital herpes is very contagious. It’s most contagious during and immediately preceding outbreaks, but there are also asymptomatic periods called "shedding periods" or "shedding stages" when the herpes virus multiplies in the nerves and can enter saliva, semen, and other bodily fluids and be transmitted in other ways. It can also be passed from mother to baby during childbirth.

How Can I Prevent Genital Herpes?

The best way to prevent any sexually transmitted disease or infection is abstinence. The next best way is monogamy with a monogamous partner (who, presumably, has a clean bill of health). And the next best way is to use a condom every single time. Never have sex with an infected partner during an outbreak. And of course, if you’re in a relationship with a partner who has herpes, you need to figure out a strategy you’re both comfortable with since it’s not going away. Suppressive therapy is one great tool, but there is no guarantee.

Sources:

• FamilyDoctor.org - Herpes: What It Is and How to Deal With It
• American Social Health Association - Learn About Herpes Fast Facts
• Wikipedia - Herpes simplex
• Herpes.com
• Mayo Clinic - Herpes
• Genital Herpes - CDC Fact Sheet

Tags: womens health blog, womens health, women, woman, health, std, sti, sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection, std awareness month, signs, symptoms, how do I know if i have, could i have, i think i have, how do i get, how do i treat, how do you prevent, herpes, genital herpes, lively women, kristen king

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POSTED IN: Awareness, Prevention, Sex, Women's Issues