HERPES DATING | HERPES TIPS | STD SINGLES | HIV / AIDS

How you catch genital herpes

You catch genital herpes during sex, by contact with someone who has the infection on their skin. You are most likely to catch it if your partner has herpes blisters or moist herpes sores.

You can also catch herpes from someone who has no visible herpes sores. About 3% of people carry the virus on their skin without knowing that they have it (because it has never given them any symptoms), but they can pass it on to other people. This is one of the reasons it is important to use a condom with a new partner. Condoms give significant protection against genital herpes.

Because cold sores are also caused by herpes simplex virus, you can catch herpes if your partner gives you oral sex when they have a cold sore.

The herpes virus cannot survive for long outside the body, so it is unlikely (but not impossible) that you will catch it from towels.

How do I know if I have herpes?

With herpes, you do not usually have symptoms all the time. The symptoms usually come and go in attacks (also called episodes).

·       The first attack is the worst, and starts between 2 and 12 days after you caught the infection (usually about 4 days).

·       Later attacks (recurrences) are less severe.

·       Some people never get recurrences, some people get them occasionally and a few people get them regularly.

·       The severity of the attacks varies a lot between individuals. At one end of the spectrum, some people have really troublesome attacks. At the other end of the spectrum, the attack may be so mild that the person does not notice any symptoms, which is how people end up carrying the herpes virus unknowingly.

First herpes attack

Women. The first time you get herpes can be very unpleasant. First of all, you may feel as if you have flu muscle aches, feverishness, tiredness and headache. Then small blisters appear on the labia (the lips that surround the opening of the vagina). After 3 or 4 days, they burst to leave small, painful sores. Passing urine may be very painful indeed, and you will probably feel completely miserable and tearful. You may notice that the glands in your groins are swollen and tender. There may be increased vaginal discharge.

After 6 or 7 days, the sores start to scab over and slowly heal. So it can be 3 weeks from when you first started to feel unwell to complete healing.

Men. In men, a first attack of herpes is usually less severe than in women. The blisters and sores may be on the glands (head) of the penis, the foreskin (which may swell up), the scrotum, the thighs, the buttocks or near the anus. Passing urine may be uncomfortable, and there may be discomfort or pain around the anus (back passage). You may feel feverish and generally unwell. The ulcers on the glands or the foreskin heal softly, but those on the shaft or scrotum form scabs as they heal.

The first important step to lowering the chance of passing genital herpes to a partner is to educate him/her. If a partner understands how herpes is spread safe sex could happen. It is important for a partner to understand what herpes is. 

The second step to lowering the chance of transferring genital herpes to a partner is to use a condom. A condom should be used for oral, anal and vaginal sex. A condom is a protect barrier that lowers the chance of a partner coming in direct contact with herpes. A condom is highly effective. A condom may not cover 100% of the genital area. Herpes is almost always spread by direct skin contact. 

The third thing you wantto do is avoid sex if there is an active herpes outbreak, a burning, itching ortingling feeling occur.

A burning, itching or tingling feeling could be a result of herpes surfacing the skin. If herpes is on the surface of the skin a partner is more likely to come in contact with the virus. The fourth thing you want to do is take medicine as needed. Medicine like valtrex could reduce the chance of passing genital herpes to a partner by 50% or more. If you’re planning on taking medicine for herpes it is important to speak with a doctor to see if medicine meets your needs. The fifth thing you want to do is your research. You want research from well known sources. You could visit the following web links to get accurate information about herpes. There are misunderstanding and conflicting information about how herpes is spread.