What If My Partner Already Has Cold Sores On The Face Or Anywhere
If your new partner has had cold sores in the past, this either means that they have the same herpes virus as you, or will have the other type . When you both have the same type, it is highly unlikely that either of you will reinfect the other anywhere on the body. If you have different types and either of you catches a second type, symptoms will probably be slight or non-existent. This is because the antibodies for one type will have some immediate effect on the other type as well. It is called partial protection.
How Can Neonatal Herpes Be Prevented
If you’re pregnant and have a history of genital herpes, tell your doctor or midwife.
You may need to take medicine during the last month of pregnancy to prevent an outbreak of vaginal sores during labour.
Delivery by caesarean section is recommended if the genital herpes has occurred for the first time in the last 6 weeks of your pregnancy.
If you develop a cold sore or have any signs of a herpes infection, take these precautions:
- do not kiss any babies
- wash your hands before contact with a baby
- wash your hands before breastfeeding
- cover up any cold sores, lesions or signs of a herpes infection anywhere on your body to avoid passing on the virus
Is There A Cure For Herpes Simplex
There is no cure for herpes simplex. Once you have the virus, its a lifelong infection.
What is the outlook for people with herpes simplex?
For many people, the first herpes outbreak is the most severe. Many outbreaks are less frequent and milder after the first year of infection. Some people may have only one outbreak and never have another again.
Herpes infection doesnt usually pose a serious health risk. The risk of a health complication due to herpes is higher in infants and if you have HIV/AIDS, cancer or an organ transplant.
You May Like: Should I Take Antivirals Daily For Herpes
Can I Breastfeed If I Have Genital Herpes
Yes, you can breastfeed if you have genital herpes, but not if you have a herpes sore on one of your breasts. If you have genital herpes, it is possible to spread the infection to any part of your breast, including your nipple and areola.
If you have any genital herpes sores on one or both of your breasts:
- You can keep breastfeeding as long as your baby or pumping equipment does not touch a herpes sore.
- Do not breastfeed from the breast with sores. Herpes is spread through contact with sores and can be dangerous to a newborn baby.
- Pump or hand-express your milk from the breast with sores until the sores heal. Pumping will help keep up your milk supply and prevent your breast from getting overly full and painful. You can store your milk to give to your baby in a bottle for another feeding. But if parts of your pump also touch the sore while pumping, throw the milk away.
How To Prevent Spreading Herpes To Your Partner
If you have genital herpes and your partner doesnt, you can spread the virus that causes it to your partner during sex. For this reason, dermatologists recommend the following:
Tell your partner you have genital herpes
Explain that there is a risk that you can give your partner the virus that causes genital herpes. Be sure your partner knows that the following can reduce this risk:
-
Skipping sex when you have sores. To avoid giving your partner genital herpes, its recommended that you skip all sexual contact while you have sores and for one or two days after the sores clear. If your partners skin or genitals touches a herpes sore, your partner can easily catch the virus.
-
Using a condom when youre free of sores. Even when you dont have sores, its possible to spread the virus to your partner. When the virus isnt active, it travels from your skin to nearby nerve cells.A trigger can wake up this virus at any time. Common triggers include stress, illness, and surgery. If the virus wakes up, it travels back to your skin .Sometimes, when the virus wakes up, you wont have any sores or symptoms. During these times, you wont even know that the virus is on your skin . Its during these times that you can spread it to your partner. Condoms help reduce this risk.
Even when taking an antiviral every day, a condom must be used every time you have sex.
Read Also: Dating Sites For Herpes Positive
How Will My Healthcare Provider Know If I Have Genital Herpes
Your healthcare provider may diagnose genital herpes by simply looking at any sores that are present. Providers can also take a sample from the sore and test it. If sores are not present, a blood test may be used to look for HSV antibodies.
Have an honest and open talk with your healthcare provider about herpes testing and other STDs.
Please note: A herpes blood test can help determine if you have herpes infection. It cannot tell you who gave you the infection or when you got the infection.
How Herpes Is Transmitted
Active sores leaking fluid that contains the virus are more likely to spread the infection. But the virus can be transmitted even outside of an active outbreak.
Some show symptoms when they contract the virus or a few months or years down the line. But not everyone shows symptoms: The virus can lie dormant in the body for years without causing an outbreak.
There are periods during the herpes virus outbreak cycle when the virus is more likely to spread. This includes when:
- the area of infection begins to feel itchy and uncomfortable
- sores are leaking fluid or otherwise open or moist
Other myths exist about how herpes spreads. Here are some of the facts:
- Herpes can spread even without the presence of active sores.
- The herpes virus can be present even without symptoms once you contract herpes, the virus is in your body for life.
- Herpes can be transmitted through kissing, even if the kiss doesnt involve any tongue.
Recommended Reading: Can You Masturbate With Herpes
My Partner Has Herpes How Can I Avoid Getting It And And Still Have A Fulfilling Sex Life
I just found out the guy Ive been seeing for a couple weeks has herpes. Im full of questions, but one question I keep dwelling on is, how can people get pregnant without passing on herpes to their partner? How can I avoid getting herpes and still have a fulfilling sex life with him?
Its normal to have complicated feelings after you find out that your partner has herpes. Millions of people are living with herpes, and sharing your concerns with your partner and educating yourself on how its spread are good ways to protect yourself.
Genital herpes is spread from skin-to-skin contact with someone who has it including . Herpes can live on areas of your body that arent protected by condoms , so condoms wont always protect you from herpes. But they do lower your chances of getting herpes.
Here are other ways to avoid getting herpes from your partner:
-
Talk with your partner about taking herpes medicine every day, which can lower their chances of spreading herpes.
-
Dont have sex during a herpes outbreak, even with a condom. There may be sores on places the condom doesnt cover. Wait until the sores are totally gone, and the scabs heal and fall off.
Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people worldwide. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. is a registered 501 nonprofit under EIN 13-1644147. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.
Are Cold Sores Contagious
The question âhow are cold sores spread?â is one of the most frequently asked questions about these painful, fluid-filled blisters that appear around the mouth and lips. Knowing how cold sores are spread, why cold sores are so contagious and when they are serious can help reduce your risk of a cold sore outbreak and prevent spreading cold sores to others.
Recommended Reading: Do Herpes Blisters Go Away
Don’t Miss: How Long Does It Take For Herpes To Show Up
Can Genital Herpes Come Back
Yes. Genital herpes symptoms can come and go, but the virus stays inside your body even after all signs of the infection have gone away. The virus becomes “active” from time to time, leading to an outbreak. Some people have outbreaks only once or twice. Other people may have four or five outbreaks within a year. Over time, the outbreaks usually happen less often and are less severe.
Experts do not know what causes the virus to become active. Some women say the virus comes back when they are sick, under stress, out in the sun, or during their period.
Is It Safe To Breastfeed If I Have Genital Herpes
Yes- as long as there is no open lesion on chest or breast . If you have an active outbreak while breastfeeding, its possible to spread the infection to your nipples through touch. Careful hand-washing can prevent this spread. You shouldnt nurse from a breast that has herpes sores. You can pump breast milk until the sores heal. Dont give your baby expressed breast milk if the pump comes into contact with an open sore.
Also Check: Home Remedies For Herpes Blisters On Lips
Preventing Herpes During Pregnancy
If you are an adult, the symptoms of herpes are usually manageable and rarely cause complications. However, herpes is transmitted to a baby before, during, or after childbirth, it can be dangerous.
Even with aggressive treatment, newborns who get herpes often die because they don’t have the immune defenses to fight off the infection, allowing it to spread to the liver, lungs, brain, and other parts of the body.
Neonatal herpes mainly occurs during childbirth as the baby comes into contact with lesions in the birth canal. Less commonly, the virus is passed while the baby is still in the womb or after birth when the newborn comes into contact with a herpes sore.
Since 85% of these infections occur during childbirth, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women with active recurrent genital herpes be given suppressive therapy starting at 36 weeks of pregnancy. Doing so can greatly reduce, but not entirely eliminate, the risk of infection.
After childbirth, mothers may need to limit contact with a newborn if an outbreak occurs. They also need to take extra care to wash their hands and any touched objects thoroughly and frequently.
How Serious Is Herpes For A Baby
Sometimes neonatal herpes will only affect the baby’s eyes, mouth or skin.
In these cases, most babies will make a complete recovery with antiviral treatment.
But the condition is much more serious if it has spread to the baby’s organs.
Many infants with this type of neonatal herpes will die, even after they have been treated.
If widespread herpes is not treated immediately, there’s a high chance the baby will die.
Also Check: L Lysine For Genital Herpes
Some Important Facts Affecting The Risk Of Herpes Transmission
- Herpes is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact
- The first outbreak is the most contagious
- There is a greater statistical chance of passing herpes when youâve been recently diagnosed whether you have symptoms or not
- Herpes infects skin areas that are thin and moist because itâs easier for the virus to penetrate those areas. For that reason, females are three times more likely to be infected than males
- Younger people having casual sex are more likely to contract herpes
- HSV-1 in the genital area recurs less often than HSV-2
- Being positive for HSV-2 gives some protection against getting HSV-1. The opposite is not true
- If a person with one type of herpes acquires a different type, the flare-up symptoms are milder
- Sex toys should not be shared. But if they are shared, they should be cleaned with water and soap before being used
What Is The Risk Of Transmission Between Recurrences
Studies have shown that virus may sometimes be found on an infected area, even when there are no visible symptoms. This is called asymptomatic shedding. If enough virus is present when direct skin contact takes place, a partner may become infected.
The fewer recurrences a person has, the less chance there is of asymptomatic shedding.
Asymptomatic shedding tends to decline with time. It may happen during the first year and is much less likely after that. The virus most often transmitted during the first months of a new relationship. But partners can be together for years without the virus passing from one to the other. Studies have shown that a majority of people catch it from someone who does not know that he or she has got this virus. Asymptomatic shedding is something that people find difficult to understand there is a lot more detail in the transmission leaflet you can choose when you join .
Don’t Miss: What Medicine Prevents The Spread Of Herpes
Risk For Genital Herpes
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , about 1 in 6 Americans ages 14 to 49 years have genital herpes. While HSV-2 remains the main cause of genital herpes, HSV-1 has significantly increased as a cause, most likely because of oral-genital sex. Except for people in monogamous relationships with uninfected partners, everyone who is sexually active is at risk for genital herpes.
Risk factors for genital herpes include:
- History of an STD
- First sexual intercourse at an early age
- High number of sexual partners
- Low socioeconomic status
Women are more susceptible to HSV-2 infection because herpes is more easily transmitted from men to women than from women to men. About 1 in 5 women, compared to 1 in 9 men, have genital herpes. African-American women are at particularly high risk.
People with compromised immune systems, such as those who have HIV, are at very high risk for genital herpes. These people are also at risk for more severe complications from herpes. Drugs that suppress the immune system, and organ transplantation, can also weaken the immune system and increase the risk for contracting genital herpes.
Symptoms Of A Primary Hsv Infection
For some people infected with HSV, the first infection can cause symptoms. These can include:
- pain inside the mouth and on the gums
- swollen neck glands.
The symptoms can last up to 14 days and may cause dehydration, especially in young children, because it is painful to swallow. Primary infections are more likely to be severe in newborn babies, people with atopic dermatitis and in people whose immune system is suppressed.
Don’t Miss: How To Prevent Recurrent Herpes Outbreak
What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor
You may want to ask your healthcare provider:
- What is the best treatment for me?
- What happens if I dont treat a cold sore?
- What are the side effects of antiviral medications?
- How can I reduce the risk of future outbreaks?
- Whats the best way to prevent getting another STI?
- How can I protect my partner from getting genital herpes?
- Should I lookout for signs of complications?
Std Awareness: How Can I Protect Myself If My Partner Has Herpes
ByAnna C.|Sept. 30, 2013, noon
Has your partner, or potential partner, recently informed you that he or she has been diagnosed with genital herpes? After thinking about it, did you decide to continue with the relationship, despite not being infected with the virus that causes genital herpes yourself? Congratulations the two of you are now a discordant couple, which means that one of you has genital herpes and the other doesnt. While you might have come to the conclusion that acquiring a herpes simplex virus infection below the belt wont be the end of the world, you still might want to stay discordant and do everything you can to minimize chances of virus transmission.
Condoms, medication, and abstinence during outbreaks can reduce risk for herpes transmission.
You can read all about herpes elsewhere on this blog, but heres a quick rundown: Genital herpes can be caused by one of two strains of the herpes simplex virus: HSV-1 or HSV-2. While HSV-1 is more commonly associated with cold sores and HSV-2 is more commonly associated with genital herpes, either virus can infect the genital area. One estimate states that 1 out of 6 Americans between 14 to 49 years of age has a genital HSV-2 infection. Since genital herpes infections can also be caused by HSV-1, the number of people with genital herpes is actually higher.
Condoms
Also Check: How Accurate Are At Home Herpes Tests
Also Check: Genital Herpes Sores Not Healing
My Boyfriend Is Worried I’ll Give Him Herpes
Q: Ive had genital herpes. I rarely get a sore nowadays, but my boyfriend is concerned that hell get infected. Are there certain things that could increase my likelihood of infecting him?
A: Fifteen to 20 percent of the population is infected with herpes simplex type 2, the virus which most frequently causes genital herpes. But most of these individuals dont have a clue that they are infected or think that no sore means not infectious and, as a result, unknowingly transmit it to a partner.
We can now tell if a person has had herpes by checking his or her blood for type-2 herpes antibodies, and this test has allowed us to discover just how many individuals do indeed carry the virus.
The general rate of transmission of a person who has had herpes to their regular partner is about 10 percent per year, but the annual rate rises if the infected partner is a male. Unfairly, the female partner has a 20 percent chance of becoming infected, while the male partners risk is less than 10 percent.
There are certain conditions that increase an individuals chance for viral shedding and infection:
Vaginal bacterial infection. This can take the form of bacterial vaginosis , which is the most common type of vaginal infection, usually involving bacteria that dont like oxygen. Symptoms include irritating yellow or green discharge and a foul, often fishy odor. It is thought that BV causes an inflamed state in which the herpes virus is more likely to reactivate and shed.