when is it safe to have sex after you...
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when is it safe to have sex after you...
| Fri, 06-18-2004 - 8:27pm |
when is it safe to have sex after you've contracted herpes?
- when the sores fade
- never
- only after treatment, with fading sores
You will be able to change your vote.

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Condoms are effective for other things, such as any worries related to bodily fluids (pregnancy, AIDS, etc.)
Herpes can be transmitted when there are no symptoms present.
There are several days throughout the year (called asymptomatic reactivation, asymptomatic shedding or subclinical shedding) when a person can be contagious without having a symptom.
Any sexually active person may contract genital herpes. Ways to reduce risk include:
If a person with oral herpes performs oral sex, it is possible for the partner to get genital herpes. If someone has a symptom around the mouth (oral herpes), she or he should not perform oral sex until all signs have healed.
If a person with genital herpes has sex, it is possible for his or her partner to get genital herpes. If someone has signs or symptoms around the genital region (genital herpes), he or she should not have sexual activity until all signs have healed.
When there are no symptoms present, using latex condoms for genital-to-genital contact reduces the risk of transmission.
One antiviral medication for herpes, valacyclovir (Valtrex®), has recently been shown to reduce the risk of herpes transmission. When taken daily by a person with a history of recurrent genital herpes, valacyclovir can reduce the risk of transmission to a partner who does not have the virus by 50%. It’s likely that a combination of suppressive valacyclovir and condoms provides greater protection than either method alone.
Microbicides/Spermicides have not been proven to reduce the risk of transmission. If used, they should be used with a condom, not in place of one.
Herpes is transmitted through direct skin-to-skin contact. This occurs when a contagious area comes into contact with a mucous membrane, primarily the mouth and genitals.
Most skin on the body is too thick for the virus to go through.
The sores are fading day by day i can hardly see them myself. Evenually the sores will dissapear, when this happens is it then safe for me to have sexual intercourse?
The sores are fading day by day so im feeling much better, but the whole thing still bothers me quite alot. is it okay to have sex with a condom, when the sores are no longer there; meaning that the area is clear. is it still possible for me to transmit herpes to another even if this is so??
although it may seem like your sex life is over, that is not the case. having a frank discussion about this with your partner may lead to greater intimacy in your relationship. of course there will be some who will not want to engage with you for this reason, but it is best to find this out towards the beginning of a relationship.
it's a bummer to have to deal with it, but it's not the end of the world. as they say, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. educate yourself as much as you can, so you can in turn educate your partners.
one more thing, ask your partners to get a herpes blood test. since most people have oral herpes, learning that they already have a type of herpes may make them more open to being with someone who has a different type.
Edited 6/22/2004 1:06 pm ET ET by sugarbeat
Your sex life is in no way over, you just need to be completely honest with your partners BEFORE having sex with them. That is usually one of the worst things to have happen and ends relationships most of the time - to have sex wtih someone and then find out that they have and STD and now you most likely have it. Good luck and I hope this helps.
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