If you touch your sores or the fluids from the sores, you may transfer herpes to another part of your body, such as 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, immediately wash your hands thoroughly to help avoid spreading your infection. If you are pregnant, there can be problems for you and your developing fetus, or newborn baby. How could genital herpes affect my baby? If you have herpes, you should talk to your sex partner s and let him or her know that you do and the risk involved.
Using condoms may help lower this risk but it will not get rid of the risk completely. Having sores or other symptoms of herpes can increase your risk of spreading the disease. Even if you do not have any symptoms, you can still infect your sex partners. You may have concerns about how genital herpes will impact your overall health, sex life, and relationships.
It is best for you to talk to a health care provider about those concerns, but it also is important to recognize that while herpes is not curable, it can be managed with medication. Daily suppressive therapy i. Be sure to discuss treatment options with your healthcare provider.
Since a genital herpes diagnosis may affect how you will feel about current or future sexual relationships, it is important to understand how to talk to sexual partners about STDs external icon. Herpes infection can cause sores or breaks in the skin or lining of the mouth, vagina, and rectum. This provides a way for HIV to enter the body. Even without visible sores, having genital herpes increases the number of CD4 cells the cells that HIV targets for entry into the body found in the lining of the genitals.
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You have most likely seen someone experiencing an oral herpes outbreak before. Oral herpes is transmitted through direct contact between the contagious area and broken skin a cut or break and mucous membrane tissue such as the mouth or genitals. In other words, HSV can be passed on through kissing or oral sex.
Herpes can also be transmitted when there are no symptoms present. There are several days throughout the year when the virus reactivates yet causes no symptoms called asymptomatic shedding, viral shedding, or asymptomatic reactivation. If a person is experiencing symptoms orally, we recommend abstaining from performing oral sex and kissing others directly on the mouth until signs have healed and the skin looks normal again.
However, using a barrier such as a dental dam or condom when performing oral sex even though there are no symptoms present around the mouth 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. A primary infection with oral herpes can be similar to a first episode of genital herpes in that symptoms can be more severe.
Elsevier; Accessed April 7, Herpes simplex. American Academy of Dermatology. Ferri FF, et al. Kermott CA, et al. Canker sores. Time; Cold sores. Gibson LE expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. April 6, Lemon balm. Natural Medicines. Accessed April 8, Bauer BA, ed. Making wellness the focus of care. Klein RS. Treatment of herpes simplex virus type 1 infection in immunocompetent patients.
Hargitai IA. If you do develop symptoms, the first outbreak is often more severe than subsequent outbreaks. A healthcare provider can usually diagnose herpes with a physical exam and one or more of the following tests:. You can still have an awesome sex life with herpes!
Treatments are available to help manage symptoms of HSV-1 and HSV-2 and help prevent or shorten the duration of outbreaks. On average, people with herpes experience four outbreaks a year. For many, each outbreak gets easier with less pain and shorter recovery time. Prescription and over-the-counter OTC medications, home remedies, and lifestyle changes are used to treat the symptoms of HSV.
The type of HSV you have will determine which treatments you should use. The goal of treatment is to prevent or shorten the duration of breakouts and reduce the risk of transmission. Antiviral medications, such as valacyclovir Valtrex and acyclovir Zovirax , help reduce the severity and frequency of oral and genital herpes symptoms. Your provider may prescribe a daily suppressive medication if you experience severe or frequent outbreaks.
OTC pain medication can help relieve pain from oral and genital herpes, and there are several topical OTC treatments available for cold sores. Avoiding skin-to-skin contact when you or your partner is experiencing an active outbreak will go a long way. Barrier protection can also help. Adrienne Santos-Longhurst is a freelance writer and author who has written extensively on all things health and lifestyle for more than a decade.
As many as 1 in 2 American adults have oral herpes, while an estimated 1 in 8 Americans ages 14 to 49 have genital herpes. Most infections are…. There are two types of herpes: oral and genital. Find out what each type of herpes feels like.
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