But I was wrong, on so many levels. I did find love again. Herpes is extremely common , with statistics showing that as many as one in six people ages 14 to 49 in the U. Yet somehow, the stigma persists. I was a sexually active young woman, and for that, I felt I was being rightfully punished.
And so I punished myself — avoiding men and the dating scene entirely. I thought I was disgusting, but I was not disgusting. I was simply unaware.
Herpes might not have any symptoms.
I am now in a happy, committed relationship with my boyfriend, who knows of my diagnosis and loves me just the same. I take my medication daily and he gets tested regularly. I survived, thrived and learned how to live with herpes — and if you find yourself with a herpes diagnosis, you can, and will, too. Simply stay safe and informed. And you can start here. I spoke with Dr.
Vanessa Cullins, MD , the vice president of external medical affairs at Planned Parenthood, to clear up some misconceptions about the herpes virus. Read on for facts about this all-too-common STD and answers to questions about living with herpes. Herpes both HSV-1 and HSV-2 is spread by skin-to-skin contact — which happens often through sexual contact or sexual intimacy, but can also happen during touching or kissing of a completely non-sexual nature, like from a parent to a child.
Although rare, genital herpes can also be spread from a pregnant woman to her baby during vaginal birth. You should stop having sexual contact as soon as you feel warning signs of an outbreak. Warning signs may include a burning, itching, or tingling feeling on the genitals or around the mouth.
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Do not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex — even with a condom — until seven days after the warning signs stop or the sore heals. The virus can spread from sores not covered by the condom. It can also spread in sweat or vaginal fluids to places the condom doesn't cover.
Herpes - Teen Health Source
When a person has oral herpes, "cold sores" or "fever blisters" can show up on the lips or around the mouth. These sores may also show up inside the mouth, but this usually only happens the first time oral herpes symptoms appear. Most people with genital herpes have no symptoms, have very mild symptoms that go unnoticed, or have symptoms but do not recognize them as a sign of infection. Genital herpes symptoms include blisters, sharp pain or burning feelings if urine flows over sores, an inability to urinate if severe swelling of sores blocks the urethra tube from the bladder to outside the vagina , itching, open sores, and pain in the infected area.
When herpes flares up again, it is called a "recurrence" or "outbreak. Some people rarely have recurrences. Others have them often. Herpes is most likely to recur in the first year after infection. Recurrences may be more frequent for people with weakened immune systems. You may have some early warning signs before an outbreak occurs, like tingling, burning, or itching where sores were before.
The warning signs may start a few hours or a day or so before the sores flare up. When symptoms recur, they are usually not as severe as symptoms during an initial herpes outbreak. Both are easy to catch, and they both remain in the body for life and can produce symptoms that come and go. A person who has oral herpes can give a partner genital herpes by giving them oral sex.
The reason for that is that both types of herpes can live on either part of the body and also the eyes. So a person with one type of herpes can give another person the same kind of herpes on a different part of the body. Using condoms between outbreaks will reduce the risk of transmission.
The risk of transmission can also be greatly reduced if the partner with herpes takes a small daily dose of anti-herpes medication. Only a health care provider can diagnose herpes by performing a physical exam and tests. A blood test can tell if you are infected with oral or genital herpes — even if you don't have symptoms.
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Health care providers can also confirm herpes infection by testing fluids taken from the sores. If you think you have herpes sores, get them checked out as soon as possible. Your local Planned Parenthood health center , many other health centers that test for sexually transmitted diseases, private health care providers, and health departments offer herpes tests and herpes treatments.
Although herpes treatment is helpful, there is no cure. However, in most cases, outbreaks become fewer, less painful, and weaker over the course of a few years. If you have herpes, you can take certain medications to help manage the infection. Using herpes treatments is usually very effective in speeding up the healing of sores and preventing them from returning frequently. The only way to know for sure if you have genital herpes is to get checked out by a doctor or nurse. Symptoms may last several weeks and go away. A doctor or nurse can tell you if the sores are caused by herpes by looking at them or by testing fluid from the sores.
The thing is, many people with genital herpes have no symptoms, or have very mild symptoms that go unnoticed. Not sure if you should visit a health center for testing? After that, you may never have another outbreak again. Or you may find that you get one several weeks or months later. Medicine can make them happen less often, and ointments can make sores heal faster and be less of a bother. Your nearest Planned Parenthood health center can help you figure out if you have herpes, give you other STD tests, and help you get treatment.
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If Someone With Herpes Has No Sores, Can It Still Be Passed On?
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