By Savannah Francis

So you’ve been single with herpes for a little while, none of your friends are aware of the fact that you have herpes – but insist that it’s time for you to get out and start dating again. Being the caring friends that they are, they set you up on a blind date. Now in your mind, this is the worst thing that could possibly happen – however you decide to go on this date anyway as to not embarrass your friends. The date seems to be progressing well, but now you are faced with one question – should you tell your date that you have herpes?

First, let’s get a few herpes facts out of the way:

1. Herpes is spread through skin to skin contact, this includes kissing as well. If you have herpes of the mouth, you can spread it by kissing.

2. Herpes can be spread even when you show no outward signs of an outbreak.

3. Herpes of the mouth can be transmitted to the genitals during oral sex.

Now that you have been reminded of how herpes is spread, let’s answer the question of how and if you should tell your date. Although the herpes virus poses no threat to life, the disease is still very much misunderstood and demonized. Herpes is often the butt of the joke amongst the younger generations and this can make disclosing your status very uncomfortable. Unless and until you are very comfortable with the fact that you have herpes, it is not necessary to out yourself on the first date.

Before you consider telling a potential new partner about your herpes status there are a few things that you may want to think about:

1. Trust: Can you trust this person? No matter how comfortable you are with your herpes situation, not everyone needs to know that you are infected with the virus. If you tell this person, can you trust that they will keep it in confidence and not try to humiliate you amongst mutual friends or strangers?

2. Is there a future: Even though it’s just a first date, you have to ask yourself if you really see any future dates with this person. If you’re pretty certain that there won’t be any more dates, then save yourself the trouble. However if you believe there will be multiple dates afterward know that you will eventually need to tell your new friend about your oral or genital herpes.

Not every date leads to a relationship or intimacy, so you should not feel compelled to talk about herpes until you have really confirmed whether or not there is any long term potential. If the idea of dating outside of the herpes community scares you – there are dozens of online herpes dating sites available. Visit herpes dating advice today for more tips.

Additional Reading:

Positive Single – Support site for herpes members.

Stop Herpes Now and From Coming Back For Good by Dr David Hoggs

By Andy Clerk

Dating someone with herpes might be a little off particularly to those who do not have herpes at all. But how do you exactly know if you have herpes or not? According to studies, almost 90% of herpes infected individuals do not exactly have the awareness that they already incurred the disease. Since mild herpes do not actually have symptoms, unless the outbreak comes out or you have yourself tested, this will be the only time you will know you have one.

As herpes can be transmitted in many different ways, the big question falls on this? “Is it safe to date someone with herpes”? In actual fact, dating someone with herpes requires the identification of the severity of the disease itself. Although it is awkward to ask someone concerning this type of infection, a thin line between taking heed and curing herpes and those people that do not provide treatments at all will all determine the disparities.

If someone you are dating has herpes for a long period of time and is undergoing medical treatments, doing the deed with a protection will somehow make a difference weigh against sleeping with someone who doesn’t have an inkling of having herpes and definitely is not doing anything to cure it.

Dating someone with herpes need not be a big issue. Even if this disease is tagged along with a dim-witted stigma for it being a form of a sexually transmitted disease, do you think you have laid yourself open to greater risk without the discernment between sleeping with a person curing herpes and the one who have unconsciously acquired the disease without providing any treatments at all? You choose.

Additional Reading:

Positive Single – Support site for herpes members.

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

One of eight North Americans (30 million) has genital herpes, even though only one in five knows that he or she has it. Herpes is classified into type I that affects primarily the mouth (“canker sores”), and type II that affects primarily the genitals, although both types can go both places. According to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology almost one percent of North Americans acquire new cases of recurrent genital herpes each year. That’s 1,640,000 new cases of recurrent genital herpes, in 730,000 men and 910,000 women.

To get herpes, you need the virus and broken skin. Since rubbing breaks skin, sexual contact with infected partners is a frequent cause of herpes. Typically, a person develops grouped painful or itchy blisters that look like poison ivy and disappear after one to six weeks. For some, genital herpes never recur, but almost all people who have a painful first episode will have recurrent blisters in exactly the same place.

A person who has herpes can be contagious, even when there are no visible blisters. The only way to diagnose herpes is to have a culture done on a wet blister. There are no dependable blood tests to tell if you have herpes because more than 92 percent of all Americans have had herpes and therefore have positive blood tests.

Herpes is the most common cause of swelling and pain around the rectum or vagina; anyone with these symptoms should get a culture for herpes, even if they are not sexually active.

Almost all North Americans have had herpes, but only seven percent get blisters recurrently. If you have had only one bout of herpes, you do not need treatment. If you have fewer than four recurrent genital herpes attacks per year, your doctor will probably prescribe 21 500mg tablets of Famvir or Valicyclovir that you keep on hand all the time and take them at the first tingling or itching that precede an outbreak. If you have more than 4 attacks a year, your doctor will probably prescribe valicyclovir or Famivir. By the third year on that regimen, as many as 82 percent have no outbreaks at all. Taking acyclovir every day can help to prevent a person from being contagious. Valicyclovir and Famvir are both approved by the FDA for long-term use.

People with recurrent herpes can be contagious any time, but they are less likely to be contagious when they do not have blisters. Virtually everyone in North America has had herpes, but only seven percent get it recurrently. If a person with recurrent herpes is on Valtrex every day, he or she will not shed as much and not be as contagious. Personally, I would not ruin a relationship because of herpes because you are not likely to find anyone who has not had herpes.

Additional Reading:

Stop Herpes Now and From Coming Back For Good by Dr David Hoggs

Cold Sore Freedom in 3 days by Grace Melgarejo

Positive Single – Support site for herpes members.

By CD Mohatta

Does genital herpes spread through using same toilet seat? I have seen this question being asked repeatedly at various places on the Internet. Everybody is worried about getting infected with genital herpes and this fear makes people think of different ways in which they believe that they may get infected by herpes. The fear of sharing toilet seat and getting herpes originates similarly. The truth is that it is extremely difficult, rather nearly impossible to get genital herpes by sharing the same toilet seat. The virus does not survive outside body and dies quickly. The virus therefore cannot be spread by such means as sharing the same towel or the same toilet seat.

How the virus spreads-

Genital herpes is transmitted by sexual contact. If you come in sexual contact with an infected person you may get herpes. If the affected person has active lesions the chances of getting herpes increase. But many people shed the virus even if they show no outward sign of lesions. They also spread herpes. Herpes virus enters our body through mucous membrane or a cut in the skin or. The inside of mouth, inner genitals, anus, are all covered with mucous membrane.

Any activity that brings the live virus in other’s body in touch with your body may transmit herpes. In case of toilet seats and towels the virus may get transferred to them but does not remain alive. Therefore such virus is not dangerous. The virus remains alive in the body and therefore transmission from body to body causes herpes. If another object comes in-between the virus does not get transmitted, because it dies.

Additional Reading:

Stop Herpes Now and From Coming Back For Good by Dr David Hoggs

Cold Sore Freedom in 3 days by Grace Melgarejo