Reduce your risk
April 25th, 2008 | by admin |Any sexually active person may contract genital herpes. Aside from abstaining from sex or mutual monogamy with one uninfected partner, there are many options a couple may consider to reduce the risk of transmission.
Since one in five persons is thought to have herpes and the majority of people don’t know, if a partner has ever been sexually active, it is possible that she or he could unknowingly have the virus too. Accurate blood tests:hyperlink are available to determine whether a person has antibodies for HSV. Knowing a partner’s status can help a couple make a joint decision about whether they need to take steps to reduce the risk of transmitting HSV.
If one or both partners have herpes, it is important to become educated about herpes, to understand the basics of herpes prevention, and to make decisions together about which precautions are right for you.
If someone has signs or symptoms around the genital or anal region (genital herpes), he or she should not have sexual activity until all signs have healed.
When there are no symptoms present, there is still the possibility of asymptomatic reactivation:hyperlink . Using latex condoms between outbreaks for genital-to-genital contact can reduce the risk of transmission. While condoms don’t always cover the potential sites of viral shedding, they offer useful protection against the virus by protecting or covering the mucous membranes that are the most likely sites of transmission. Furthermore, keep in mind that condoms also help reduce the risk of acquiring another STD.
One antiviral medication for herpes, valacyclovir (Valtrex®), has been shown to reduce the risk of herpes transmission. When a person with a history of recurrent genital herpes takes 500 mg of valacyclovir daily, it can reduce the risk of transmission to a partner who does not have the virus by 50%. It’s likely that a combination of suppressive valacyclovir and condoms provides greater protection than either method alone.
We do not recommend regular use of the spermicide nonoxynol-9 (“N-9”) as it can cause irritation in the genital area, making it easier for some STDs to be transmitted. If a spermicide is used, it should be used with a condom, not in place of one.
If you share your sex toys with a partner, you should put a condom on the sex toy, remove it after use on one partner, and thoroughly clean the toy before using it on a different person or location (mouth versus anal or vaginal area).
If someone has a symptom around the mouth (oral herpes), she or he should not perform oral sex until all signs have healed. When there are no symptoms present around the mouth, using a barrier (such as a dental dam:hyperlink ) or condom when performing oral sex can reduce the risk of contracting genital herpes.
By performing oral sex on someone who has genital herpes, it would be possible to contract oral herpes – but this is rare. Most cases of genital herpes are caused by HSV-2, which rarely affects the mouth or face. Also, and even more importantly, most adults already have oral HSV-1, contracted as a child through kissing relatives or friends.
