Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Question
Published: February 25, 2009
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I am aware that this site is for young adults, however, I am 22 and married but find very helpful information here. I recently went for my yearly OBGYN appt. and everything can back normal(including a full STD test). however, my husband was just diagnosed with Herpes Simplex Virus. But my pap results were normal and I have had no signs of anything even alerting me to the fact that I have it as well. How can this be? What should or can we do to be "safe"?
Signed: Partner Has Herpes - How Can I Stay Safe?
Dear Partner Has Herpes - How Can I Stay Safe?,
FX is unsure if you spoke to your gynecologist about your husband’s recent herpes diagnosis prior to your Pap. If your gynecologist did not know about his diagnosis at the time of your last appointment, FX suggests that you contact him/her and ask if you should have a blood test done to determine if you have herpes as well. Doctors can diagnosis herpes by visual inspection if lesions or sores are present, or by taking a sample from the sores and sending it out to a lab. If a person is asymptomatic, a blood test can determine whether that person is carrying the virus.
The only way to be completely safe in terms of avoiding the transmission of any STDs, including herpes, is to abstain from sexual contact. But there are ways to make sexual contact between yourself and your husband safer if the situation is that he has herpes and you do not:
- If your gynecologist does want you to come in for a blood test, use that time to speak with him/her about the best ways to prevent transmission if you do not have herpes.
- Use a latex condom correctly and consistently. But know that is it possible to contract herpes even with the use of a condom because the condom cannot prevent all skin-to-skin contact.
- Abstain from any sexual activity while lesions or other symptoms of herpes are present. Wait until all symptoms have gone away and lesions have healed before having any kind of sexual contact.
- Know that even if a person who is carrying the herpes virus does not currently have any symptoms (or never had any noticeable symptoms), it is still possible to pass on the virus to others.
- Have your husband speak to his doctor about treatment options. There is no cure for herpes, but there are antiviral medications that can shorten and prevent outbreaks, as well as daily suppressive therapy that can reduce transmission to partners.
If you don't have a doctor and live in northern
For more information on herpes, read the answer to “Just Diagnosed With Herpes” under the Sexually Transmitted Diseases section of the website.
You can also call the National Herpes Hotline at 919-361-8488 for more information, or visit online at National Herpes Resource Center; herpesnet@ashastd.org.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
About a third of women who seek services related to unprotected sex, such as pregnancy testing or emergency contraception, do not receive STD counseling, testing, or treatment.
