Dating and Herpes Part II

In the event that you have genital herpes and your partner doesn’t, you still have some excellent options when it comes to protection.  A condom should always be your first line of defense, though its shortcomings are a little more noticeable when it comes to herpes.  Genital herpes tends to have outbreaks around the entire genital area, and a condom, while it helps, doesn’t offer full coverage.  So you still need to be careful.  If he’s hesitant about performing oral sex, then a dental dam might also come in handy.  Dental dams offer more coverage than condoms, as they cover the entire genital area.  If you don’t have a dental dam, try using saran wrap, or cutting a condom lengthwise before placing it on your genitals.  Sure, it seems awkward, but it’s nothing a good talk beforehand won’t solve – fully clothed.  You don’t want to spring this sort of thing on your guy when you’re already rolling around in the haystack.

It’s a good idea to seek treatment for genital herpes as well.  Studies have shown that taking a Valtrex regimen to treat herpes can not only reduce the severity of the outbreak, it can also reduce the likelihood of transmitting the virus to your sexual partners by up to 50%!  If you don’t want to go to a pharmacy, you can also buy generic Valtrex online.  Remember, though, that 50% is still only 50% — it’s important to take other precautions as well.

Use your own judgment to make sure that you’re fully covered.  Beyond physical contact, you don’t need to worry about spreading herpes in any other way.  The virus can only live for a few seconds outside of a human body, so transmission through clothing, a toilet seat, or bed sheets is highly unlikely.  Taking Valtrex or other anti viral medications can make accidental transmission even less likely, but you should still be wary of sharing drinks during a cold sore outbreak.