Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog

STD: TOOLS FOR PREVENTING TRANSMISSION OF HERPES

Since it is likely that everyone with herpes infections, whether oral or genital, type 1 or type 2, sheds when they are symptom free at some time or another, one might think “Since practically everyone has herpes, and it’s not clear when it’s safe to have sex, it’s inevitable that I’ll get it if I have a partner who has herpes!” or “I’m going to get herpes anyway, so I might as well give up trying not to get it.” Some people want to do everything they can to prevent transmission of herpes.

Some couples who have been together a while and are planning to remain together may not be as worried about transmitting the virus. In my opinion, it is always a good idea to discuss the question of herpes early in a relationship, before becoming sexually active, so that you can decide together how you want to approach this issue.

Everyone, and every couple, approaches the issue differently. It is best to make decisions based on accurate, current information, not on myths. Likewise it is very important that decisions be made together, as a team. Sometimes the person with herpes thinks it is entirely his or her responsibility, but this is not the case. Facing the question of herpes is often the first difficult decision that a couple makes, and working through this issue can be the first step toward real closeness. Remember: being in a relationship involves confronting thousands of issues over time. Herpes is just one of them.

This section will provide some tools for couples who want to take steps to prevent the transmission of herpes. What can you do to prevent yourself from getting herpes, or how can you keep from transmitting herpes to your partner? The first thing is to know your herpes status. Getting a blood test will tell you your status for both type 1 and type 2 herpes (see the discussion of testing later in this section); you don’t need to be experiencing symptoms to be tested. A couple who know their individual statuses for herpes infections can then make informed decisions about what type of sexual contact is safe and what type is risky. If you or your partner have not had this test performed and thus don’t know whether one of you has herpes, then use a condom to help protect against transmission until you can be tested. As noted earlier, if both partners have the same kind of genital herpes (both have type 1 or both have type 2), then they will not reinfect one another, nor will they trigger outbreaks in one another.

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• GAMES FOR UNATTRACTED COUPLES – INTRODUCTION
• GAMES FOR PERVERSE COUPLES – GAME 1: GENDER REVERSAL (PART 2)
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