Reducing Your Risk of Spreading Herpes or Getting Genital Herpes
There are a number of things that we can do to reduce the risk of spreading herpes to our partners, or to reduce our risk of getting herpes from someone else. By using these practices, many people have been successful in NOT spreading herpes to their partner(s). Many people who have HSV2 have NEVER spread it to a partner. However, there are no guarantees. Everyone has a different situation. And your PARTNER’S health and immune system is also a factor. But if you use some or all of these practices, your risk of transmitting the virus to your partner(s) might be much much lower.
1) Make sure that both you and your partner(s) have *actually* been tested for herpes. MOST people with genital herpes have few or no noticeable symptoms. And believe it or not, MOST doctors do NOT include a test for herpes when they are testing their patients for other common STDs. So 90% of the people who have genital herpes DON’T EVEN KNOW IT! Reducing the risk of transmission of herpes and other STD’s requires that both partners KNOW their status for herpes and other STD’s PRIOR to becoming intimately involved. Unless your partner has taken one of the newer, very reliable type-specific herpes blood tests at least 12-16 weeks AFTER their last intimate encounter, there is always the chance that they might have acquired the herpes virus prior to sleeping with you. This goes for other STDs as well. So if you have intimate relations prior to your partner being tested, and they later develop symptoms and test positive for herpes, you will NEVER KNOW if your partner got herpes from you or if they had it BEFORE you, but just didn’t know it. Remember, 20-25% of US Adults have genital herpes, but 90% of them DON’T KNOW IT. Asking your partner(s) to get tested prior to your getting involved may seem awkward, but unless you and your partner don’t care about spreading STD’s, it’s a very reasonable thing to ask someone to do. Frankly, now that herpes is so easy to diagnose via type-specific blood tests, everyone should be doing this. The medical profession will eventually catch up…but in the meantime, we need to ask our partners to get tested for herpes and other STD’s as soon as a physical relationship looks likely. Also, if you find out that your partner already has the virus for genital herpes, then you don’t have to worry about giving them an STD that they ALREADY have! Testing is part of the solution. Let’s be pro-active on the herpes testing front.
View or download this list of reliable blood tests for herpes, from the American Society for Social Heath (ASHA) by clicking here.
If you want to be tested anonymously for Herpes or other STDs, check out services like GetSTDtested.com, and others listed on our page for Herpes Diagnosis.
2) Condoms: These will only help prevent transmission if the area that they cover is the same as the area where you or your partner has outbreaks or asymptomatic shedding. In many cases, condoms do not cover the area where the outbreaks or shedding occurs. Condoms still may be effective as contraceptives.
3) Suppressive Therapy: In studies, Acyclovir and Valtrex (a derivative of Acyclovir/Zovirax) taken daily have been shown to greatly reduce the risk of transmission to a non-infected partner. In one study, taking Acyclovir daily as suppressive therapy was so effective, that the percent of days that patients were shedding the virus was reduced to less than 1%! So suppressive therapy along with the regular and proper use of condoms is highly effective in reducing your risk of transmitting herpes to a non-infected partner. Read about the latest research here – http://depts.washington.edu/herpes/art_treatment.htm
5) Self-Monitoring: Some people can *tell* that they might be having an HSV2 outbreak – because they feel a tingling or other sensation – even if it never turns into a sore or any other visible symptom. Many people feel things like this in advance of a real outbreak. Other people may feel things like this – but then the outbreak never happens. In any case, if you abstain from intimate contact – from the moment you start feeling some tingling or any other unusual sensation – whether or not it turns into an actual outbreak – then you are likely to significantly reduce your risk of transmission. There are no published studies about self-monitoring, so you just need to go by common sense.
6) Low-stress Lifestyle: Many believe that stress increases the occurrence of herpes outbreaks. Stress may also decrease your auto-immune defenses. So if you and your partner both avoid stress, you should theoretically lower your risk of having outbreaks and being potentially infectious – as well as lowering your risk of “catching” this or another virus from other people.
There are so many things that you can do to help lower the potential risk of transmitting HSV2 to your partner. Depending on your particular situation, your risk might be higher – or lower.
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Bottom line – is that you CAN significantly reduce your risk of transmitting HSV2 to your partner, even when you are having no outbreaks. If you take all of these precautions, you might, in fact, be a safer partner than someone who has not been tested recently for STD’s and is taking no particular precautions. Just using a condom, for instance, does not guarantee against the spread of many STD’s, including herpes. Since most people have not taken an HSV-2 type specific blood test at least 12-16 weeks after their last sexual partner, they might possibly be carrying and spreading the HSV2 virus without their knowledge, and may display no particular symptoms.
The only difference between US and THEM (the general population) is that we KNOW what we have and we can do something about it. At least 20% of THEM are really part of US, but they just don’t know it. Asking our potential partners to get tested may seem awkward, but just think of the favor you will be doing for yourself and everyone else – if someone who has it, finally learns that they have it and can start doing something about it.
For more information, we recommend that you check out our Herpes Links and Information Page.
Can you transmit herpes even if you are not having a break out ?
Yes, 70% of new cases of genital herpes are the result of having sex with someone who had NO VISIBLE SYMPTOMS of genital herpes, but was shedding the virus “asymptomatically” (without noticeable symptoms).
Can asymptomatic herpes only be spread through contact with the area where the lesions erupt?
No. It’s possible that someone might be able to asymptomatically shed the virus from a place that they don’t know about because they cannot see it. And yes, it’s also possible that they can shed the virus from the same spot where they do occasionally have visible outbreaks. It’s the invisible outbreaks that might be happening in a place you don’t know about – that’s something you cannot help.
Can you spread genital herpes when having oral sex?
Both HSV1 and HSV2 can cause “genital herpes”. Up to 80% of Americans have HSV1, which is usually associated with “cold sores” around the mouth, but can also be transmitted to the genitals via oral sex. Up to 30% of new cases of genital herpes are due to HSV1 – and most of the time, it’s been transmitted via oral sex. Since most people (up to 80% of Americans) have HSV1 – whether or not they ever have noticeable cold sores – and since most people do not use any sort of “protection” during oral sex, it’s actually becoming more and more common for people to get herpes on their genitals from oral sex. For more info, go to:
http://www.datingwithherpes.org/how-did-i-get-herpes/
I been dating a girl who has finally told me she has Herpes… We had sex once but I wore a condom. she said she was not shedding and wasnt breaking out when we did it. should I be safe??
There is no way of anyone knowing for sure when someone is or is not potentially shedding the herpes virus asymptomatically -unless they are participating in some sort of clinical study where their genital area is swabbed daily and tested for traces of the virus. However, most people shed the virus less and less over time, and if someone is taking daily Valtrex or Acyclovir as suppressive therapy, then the occurrence of asymptomatic shedding is dramatically reduced. If your partner is taking Valtrex or Acyclovir daily as suppressive therapy, and if you used a condom properly, then you have a very low risk of getting herpes.
Since @ 20%-25% of adult women in the US have HSV2, but most of them don’t even know it, you are probably more at risk for getting herpes from someone who doesn’t know that they have it, and is taking no precautions to protect you, than from someone who knows they have herpes and is taking the recommended precautions.
Because it is quite likely that 1 in 4 of your previous partners had HSV2, whether or not they knew it, it makes sense for you and everyone else to ask your doctor to give you a type-specific herpes blood test so that you are aware of your herpes status. Most doctors do NOT test their patients for herpes when they are testing you for other STD’s – unless you SPECIFICALLY REQUEST a herpes blood test. Get tested now! If you test positive right now, then you got herpes from a previous partner because not enough time has passed after your most recent sexual encounter for the virus to show up in your blood stream – unless you were previously infected. If you test negative now, then get tested again in about 4 months if you want to be sure that you didn’t happen to get herpes from this new partner. It takes 12-16 weeks after you get the virus for enough antibody markers to show up in your bloodstream for the blood test to work.
Good luck!
How should you go about using protection/trying to reduce transmission when you and your partner both carry the virus?
Are you saying that you both carry HSV2? Or does one of you have HSV2 and the other has HSV1? Or what? If you both have HSV1 orally, it can still possibly be transmitted to the genitals via oral sex. Using condoms and dental dams properly and taking suppressive therapy (usually daily Acyclovir or Valcyclovir) is the best way to prevent transmission. Make sure that you both get one of the “good” type-specific Herpes IgG blood tests and find out exactly what you have or do not have. Then you can decide what preventative strategies is best for you as a couple. Read our webpage on Reducing Your Risk of getting or spreading herpes:
http://www.datingwithherpes.org/reducingyourrisk/
I’ve had unprotected sex with a new partner. I had been abstinent for a year prior to this. 3 days later had the flu symptoms and felt very sore. Went to the GYN since the soreness didn’t stop. From visual observation, she was confident that I had contracted HSV2. I had blood work done and the results came back positive for HSV2. This all happened within a week and a half from the time of intercourse. (I’ve been in 2 long-term relationships prior to this. Neither of the partners ever experienced any symptoms of HSV2 nor did they ever speak of it. So, i’m assuming that they are both HSV2 negative).
I guess I’m trying to figure out if I could have had it for 12 years and never knew or if I definitely contracted it from the new partner.
Depending on which kind of herpes blood test you took, if it was a type-specific Herpes IgG blood test and it came out positive just 3 days after you first had unprotected sex with your new partner – then it sounds like this might not be a newly acquired infection. You might have had the HSV2 virus foa a long time without having any symptoms. That’s why most people who have herpes – don’t even know it! Any of your past boyfriends may have had HSV2 and had no symptoms and didn’t know that they had any sort of STD. You cannot “assume” that that just because someone has no symptoms doesn’t mean that they don’t have an STD.
I can’t seem to find an answer to this question so I hope you can help,
I’m going on daily suppressive therapy because I want to reduce the risk of transmission to an uninfected partner, My dr. prescribed me Zovirax 800 mg? I’ve heard that Valtrex & Acyclovir reduce asymptomatic shedding etc but Zovirax doesn’t, isn’t zovirax just acyclovir? This was an odd new dr. so if Zovirax does not work like valtrex I’ll make an appt. to see my regular dr. & get another prescription.
I wonder what is the advantage of prescribing zovirax over the other two?
Thank you! I’m very confused…
Zovirax is a brand name for Acyclovir before Acyclovir became a generic drug. So Zovirax and Acyclovir are exactly the same thing – just a different name on the bottle. The recommended suppressive therapy dosage is 400 mg x 2 per day, so 800 mg total per day. Valacyclovir (same thing as Valtrex) has the same benefit as Acyclovir, but generally 1 tablet per day instead of 2 (not sure of the amount of mg per tablet), and it costs a lot more. Some health insurance plans will cover Acyclovir, but not Valacyclovir. Google Valtrex dosage suppressive therapy for more info.