How to prevent herpes | Step by step guide

You’re here because you want to know how to prevent herpes. You could have been doing some research for yourself, or maybe a friend told you about it and you decided to see if there was anything that might work for you. In this article, we’ll be going over the top ways people suggest to help prevent herpes in hopes that one of them will work for you.

You can contact Genital herpes through sexual physical contact (contact with infected anal, vaginal, and mouth) with someone who has it. As a result, the best strategy to prevent herpes and other STDs is to avoid having any contact with another person’s mouth or genitals.

What is genital herpes?

Genital herpes is a highly infectious sexually transmitted infection (STI). Those who have genital herpes develop uncomfortable sores on their sexual organs. Wrinkles can form on or inside the anus. These conditions might disappear for months or even years before reappearing.

The herpes simplex virus causes genital herpes (HSV). HSV is transmitted from person to person by kissing or physical contact with an infected individual.

Furthermore, your chances of contracting genital herpes depend on many variables such as; how often you have sex, whether or not you use condoms, and how long your partner has been infected.

A person who has been infected for a long period is less infectious than someone who has recently been afflicted.
Women, on average, have a larger risk of infection than males. The chance of transmission is further increased if you have other sexually transmitted illnesses, such as HIV.

In research with marriages where one spouse had genital herpes, Five to ten per cent of the time, the other spouse became diagnosed within a year. However, the participants in this research just used condoms on rare occasions. According to one of these research, infection occurs in around one out of every 1,000 sex encounters.

How do you get genital herpes?

Genital herpes is spread by:

Touching on the genitals.
Sex can be vaginal, oral, or anal. Contact with open sores is the most common way for the herpes virus to spread. However, you may catch herpes from someone who doesn’t have any signs of sores.
If a baby comes into contact with an open sore while breastfeeding, the sore will get infected.
Transmission from mother to child during child’s  delivery

Who gets genital herpes?

Women are more likely than males to get genital herpes. Genital herpes affects one in every five women aged 14 to 49, compared to one in every ten men aged 14 to 49.

The architecture (body) of a woman makes her more vulnerable to genital herpes than males.

African-American women are also more likely to contract genital herpes. HSV-2, which causes genital herpes, is infected in one out of every two African-American women between the ages of 14 and 49.

What are the symptoms of genital herpes?

How to prevent herpes?

Inquire about your partner’s sexually transmitted illness history.

Ask your partner if they have had any sexually transmitted diseases in the past. People who have previously had STDs are more likely to get genital herpes.

It may be difficult, but being open and honest with one another is vital. If your partner is afraid of getting a negative reaction, he or she may be reluctant to give you the truth. If your partner feels at ease talking to you, you’re more likely to get honest replies.

Reduce your number of sexual mates.

The lesser sexual partners you have in your life, the lower possibility it is that you will be infected with the herpes virus.

Request that your partner gets checked for genital herpes.

If you believe your partner is at high risk for genital herpes, you should consider taking them for a check-up. In that scenario, you should also take the test yourself.

Do not have sex when under the influence of alcohol.

Liquor and other illegal substances reduce self-control and impair judgment. You are less cautious about having safer sex while inebriated, and you most definitely regret it later.

Do not have intercourse with a lover who has genital sores.

If you suspect your spouse has genital herpes, avoid sex whenever symptoms appear. Or, if you notice a sore on somebody’s genitals, refrain from having intercourse with them until you’re certain they do not have any genital herpes.

Note that not everybody with genital herpes exhibits signs, and herpes sores can be difficult to detect.

Stop having sex until you’ve met a monogamous partner for life.

The best way to prevent a sexually transmitted illness is if you only have one sex partner who is STD-free and if you both stay monogamous.

What are the effects of genital herpes on pregnancy?

Genital herpes has no impact on your fertility or capacity to conceive. To avoid breakouts during birth, pregnant women with genital herpes should begin taking a daily medication at 8 months 2 weeks of pregnancy.

You can give genital herpes to your kid if you have an ongoing infection at the time of childbirth. The risk associated with neonatal (at birth) is skin infections, blindness, and brain damage. To reduce this risk, your medical professional will conduct a cesarean section.

How do you know if you have genital herpes?

Your healthcare professional will collect a liquid sample from the blisters to confirm the herpes virus after a physical evaluation. A blood test helps detect signs that you have the virus, even when you have no blisters.

You won’t test positive for herpes if it is your first infection, because your body hasn’t had enough time to generate antibodies. You can take antibody tests for HSV-1 and HSV-2 after eight to twelve weeks of infection.