Intimate Partners With Herpes

[getSTDtested Administrator]

Intimate Partners with Herpes

Many combinations of partners with and without herpes exist. Sometimes one partner has frequent oral outbreaks only. Perhaps one partner has frequent genital outbreaks. Sometimes both partners have genital herpes while other cases may be one partner has type 1 herpes in the genital area and another partner has type 2 herpes in the genital area. How are recommendations made in these various settings?

To start, the you must remember that it is apparent that any area of skin that has ever been infected with herpes simplex has the possibility of shedding herpes virus out of that area of the skin even when there are no visible symptoms. So, just because a man who has had genital herpes has no obvious symptoms, he may still be shedding virus from the penis. Semen does not carry the herpes simplex virus.

The same consideration holds true for a female that has genital herpes but does not currently have symptoms. She may be shedding virus once in awhile or frequently. It is impossible to know when someone is having this "asymptomatic shedding.”

One of the most common issues of concern is that of performing oral sex when one or both partners having genital herpes. It is a fact that a person who performs oral sex on another person with genital herpes can catch the infection on the mouth. On the other hand, more than 80% of Americans have oral herpes infections, almost always type 1 herpes simplex, though many of these infections are not obvious due to the absence of outbreaks.

Thus, it is important to understand that no clear signal can ever be given that it is completely "safe" for a person to perform oral sex on a partner with genital herpes. This means that the person performing the oral sex might catch the infection on the mouth.

It is not uncommon for oral herpes infections, usually type 1, to be transmitted to the genitals of the partner. This is a common occurrence and is growing to be more and more common, with the incidence of type 1 herpes in the genital area being quoted as low as a few per cent to as high as thirty per cent or more of new cases of genital herpes. So, someone who has oral herpes infections should use caution regarding performing oral sex upon an intimate partner.

A man could wear a latex condom which should, if it remains unbroken, prevent transmission of oral herpes infections to the penis or genital herpes to the mouth. A woman has other options. The woman could place Saran Wrap over the vaginal/clitoral area to prevent either transmitting virus to the mouth of the partner if she has genital herpes or to the vaginal area if the partner has oral herpes.

One quick word about types of condoms is important here. The condom should be latex, not a natural membrane such as "lambskin", which is porous which allows the virus to pass through. Also, the condom should be lubricated, so that friction is diminished. Friction is another common cause of recurring herpes outbreaks. Spermacidal lubrication should be avoided since it can possibly cause irritation of the skin.

A device known as a "dental dam", is available for females with genital herpes to wear while oral sex is performed upon them. This is a square piece of latex that covers the vaginal area and provides a barrier to transmission to the mouth of the intimate partner. As long as the barrier remains unbroken and as long as the outside of the dental dam does not get wet with vaginal secretions, the dental dam should be a useful tool to decrease the risk of transferring genital herpes to the mouth of the intimate partner. The dental dam might also offer some protection to the genitalia of an uninfected female from oral sex performed by someone with oral herpes infection. If a dental dam is not available, a latex condom can be cut lengthwise and used to cover the vagina and clitoral area.

If one partner has genital herpes and the other does not, latex condoms offer the highest degree of protection, though nothing should be considered 100% effective. However, the condom must remain unbroken, must remain in place, and it must cover all areas of the penis that might touch the vagina. Obviously the condom would not protect the scrotum, fingers, or other areas of the male partner’s body if the female is the infected partner.

In many couples both partners have genital herpes. If both partners have been properly tested for herpes and are fully aware of their type, there’s little risk of re-infecting, if at all. There has been some speculation that a person with type 1 can contract type 2 while on the other hand a type 2 infection is believed to offer resistance to a type 1 infection.

Herpes infections occur when the virus is transmitted through a broken area of the skin. Recurrences occur in the same place where the virus first broke through the skin or in other areas served by the same nerve cell. It is possible that when both partners have genital herpes that one partner might insert the infection into additional areas on the partner’s genitalia, causing other areas where recurrences can occur. However, the true risk of this is unknown at this time.

So, it is reasonable that in intimate partners where both have genital herpes, consideration should be taken to avoiding very aggressive intercourse, to consider using latex condoms, and to certainly avoid having sexual intercourse when any partner is having symptoms. As mentioned above, consideration should also be given to the partners being on medication to help prevent or reduce virus transmission.

Where do I go from here?

It has been shown previously that most people with genital herpes shed virus from time to time, sometimes very frequently and sometimes not. Anna Wald of Washington State Herpes Research demonstrated several years ago that acyclovir decreases viral shedding by over 80%. This should imply that the drug, when taken faithfully, may make the partner with genital herpes less contagious. The fairly recent study completed by GlaxoSmithKline on the antiviral drug Valtrex has shown an approximate 73% reduction in risk of transmission of the virus from the infected partner to the non-infected partner.

The author does know several couples personally where one has herpes and the other does not or where each have a different type. In each case, the virus has NOT been transmitted to the uninfected partner. It is a common belief in the herpes community and among those couples where one has it and the other does not, that communication is the key ingredient in minimizing the risk.

Each couple discussed above is married and have chosen not to use suppressive therapy or condoms. Why and how this is preventing the transmission is unknown, but it obviously works. Many have stated just taking the time to know their own body, know their symptoms and their triggers is enough to protect their partner.

Perhaps, in the near future, new scientific and formal recommendations regarding partners and intimacy will be forthcoming in the setting of one or both members having genital and/or oral herpes.

Current studies on possible vaccines are being conducted. It’s realistic to think that a vaccine may one day be available to prevent uninfected partners from catching an infection. Perhaps, too, vaccines will even help people to be able to decrease or eliminate recurrences of the infections. We can only hope.

SOURCE: http://sexeducationforblondes.blogsp...0with%20Herpes

[Monster Magnet]

Herpes is incredibly common. As the article mentions, 80% or so of adults have oral herpes, and approximately 1 in 5 have genital herpes. Most of those with genital herpes aren't aware (probably around 85% don't know!) because symptoms can be very mild, can mimic common things like jock itch or yeast infection, and can be easy to overlook or confuse with another condition.

Herpes can be managed with medication, of course, and outbreaks will heal on their own regardless. Still, medicine can speed healing along and is especially important for those relatively few individuals who have pronounced or frequent outbreaks.

[DeMonterio]

A really important reason not to have sex when herpes sores are present -apart from the obvious that it might be uncomfortable and it's the riskiest time in terms of potentially exposing a partner - is that it makes it easier to contract other STDs you might encounter. This is due, in part, because the herpes sores are broken skin and let things enter the system more easily.