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| Taking Charge of your Life: A Guide to Managing Genital Herpes | |
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Basic Facts About Herpes The most common herpes viruses are herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Usually HSV-1 affects areas above the waist, causing cold sores or fever blisters, and HSV-2 affects areas below the waist, causing genital herpes (GH). But both viruses can cause outbreaks in either area. Other common herpes infections include chicken pox and shingles. Genital Herpes Symptoms Genital herpes is a contagious viral infection that spreads through close physical, skin-to-skin sexual contact, including vaginal, oral or anal sex. It can affect both men and women, causing outbreaks from time to time. These may appear as painful or itchy clusters of blisters, bumps, and rashes, usually in the genital area. And when you urinate, you may feel a burning sensation. Who Has GH? The disease is widespread in the United States. In 1991, a study estimated that 45 million Americans had herpes. Today, experts estimate that GH affects almost 60 million people, or 1 in 5 Americans over the age of 12. Anyone who is sexually active-- even with just one person-- can get Gh, and there are up to one million new cases each year. In fact, it is more common than diseases like diabetes and asthma. So, you're not alone, and you shouldn't feel embarrassed or ashamed. Up to 90% of HSV-2-positive people have not been diagnosed and are unaware of their condition. Some confuse their symptoms with different conditions such as jock itch, yeast infection, insect bites, and allergic reactions. Others don't have GH symptoms at all, but are still contagious. Because of this, GH is a hidden epidemic in America. How the GH Virus Acts in your Body After your skin comes into contact with the skin of an infected person during sexual activity (oral, vaginal, or anal sex), the herpes virus enters your body through the skin and travels down to a group of nerves near the base of the spine. There, it goes to "sleep" and can stay sleeping for months. But from time to time, the virus "wakes up" and travels back to the surface of the skin, where it "shed," making more copies of itself. This shedding can occur with or without symptoms. In other words, the virus may be awake and contagious on your skin even if you don't have an outbreak. And it can be anywhere around your groin in areas that may not be covered by a condom; for example, on you thighs, hips, or buttocks. Once you have the virus in you body, there is currently no known way to get rid of it. The First Outbreaks GH symptoms usually develop within 2 to 20 days after contact with the virus, although it could take longer, and your symptoms may last 2 to 3 weeks. In some cases, the first outbreak is so mild you may not notice it. In others, the first outbreak is more severe, causing visible sores that are painful and my itch, burn, or tingle. Either way, you may get more outbreaks later. Returning Outbreaks When an outbreak returns, something triggers the sleeping virus, such as stress, excessive sunlight, menstruation, vigorous sexual activity, or a worn-down immune system. Once the virus is awake, it begins to multiply, and symptoms can reappear, usually at the site of the original infection. The blisters generally heal in 7 to 10 days. Some people have frequent outbreaks, while other people have them rarely. On average, people with GH get about 3 or 4 outbreaks per year. Nearly 90% of people with GH get a returning outbreak within one year of infection. Between Outbreaks Even when you're not having a GH outbreak, it's possible for your body to shed the virus or for the virus to be on the surface of your skin around your genital area. This means you can be contagious even between outbreaks. How do you get GH You may not know how you become infected with GH. The virus spreads from one person to another during close, physical skin-to-skin contact, like oral, vaginal, or anal sex. The virus can be active on the surface of the skin without showing any signs or causing any symptoms. That's why you can pass the virus to your partner even when you are not having an outbreak. So once you have GH, you may be at risk of spreading the disease both during outbreaks and in between. Is Dailey Suppressive Therapy Right for you? Your healthcare provider may have told you about suppressive therapy--taking a medicine every day to help hold back the virus and keep it "sleeping" or inactive. Some people don't treat each outbreak at all or may use outbreak therapy to treat each outbreak as it comes. You may have even decided that you don't get that many outbreaks or they're not bad enough to need a daily medicine. But there's more to the story... 1.) Increase the Chance you'll be Outbreak-Free No matter how few outbreaks you get, each one can be painful and annoying. VALTREX is the first and only once-daily herpes medication clinically proven to reduce the number of outbreaks you get. In fact, many people on once-daily suppressive therapy with VALTREX may go a year outbreak-free. A clinical study among people who had 6 or more outbreaks a year found that over half of the people were outbreak-free after taking VALTREX for 6 months. After a year, over one-third were outbreak-free. Ask your healthcare provider if daily VALTREX is right for you. *Results from 403 healthy adults in a large clinical study of VALTREX 1 g once daily. Individual results may vary. There is no cure for herpes. Even with treatment, it may be possible to spread herpes. VALTREX is intended for healthy adults and is available by prescription only. To avoid a potentially serious complication, tell your doctor if your immune system is not normal because of advanced HIV disease, bone marrow or kidney transplant. Common side effects are headache, nausea, and abdominal pain. 2.) Reduce your Risk of Spreading GH One of the difficulties of living with GH is that you might pass it on to your partner. VALTREX is the first and only herpes medication clinically proven to significantly reduce the risk of spreading GH to a partner. Safer sex practices should be used with daily therapy. No other medication has been shown to do this. A recent clinical study* proved that VALTREX, when taken once daily:
* Results from a large clinical study of VALTREX 500 mg once daily along with safer sex in 1,484 healthy heterosexual couples studied for 8 months. VALTREX is not a replacement for safer sex. To minimize your risk, there are a few important things you need to do. Do not have sexual contact with your partner when you get an outbreak or think you are about to get an outbreak. Always use a condom when you have sex. Take VALTREX every day as prescribed. Ask you healthcare provider if daily VALTREX is right for you. It is not known if VALTREX reduces the risk of spreading GH in same sex couples. Talk to you Healthcare Provider See your healthcare provider and have an open, honest discussion about your condition. Ask about daily suppressive therapy. It may be right for you if:
A lot of people don't like to remember to take a medication every day. However, you may want to talk to your healthcare provider about the role a daily medication can play in managing your GH. Remember, the virus is always with you, so suppressive therapy may be right for you. Have your Partner Talk to a Healthcare Provider You should be open to the possibility that your partner may also have GH. Remember, up to 90% of people who are infected with HSV-2 don't know it because the symptoms can often be mistaken for other things. Encourage your partner to speak to his or her healthcare provider and ask for a blood test that can determine if he or she has HSV-2. Dealing with Outbreaks
Beyond Outbreaks
Keep Relationships Strong You may be concerned about how GH will affect your present and future relationships with partners. Even if you have GH, you can still have normal, satisfying relationships - both emotional and physical. And it's definitely possible to have a rewarding, intimate relationship with another person who may or may not have GH. Here are 4 things you can do to manage GH and keep your close relationships going strong: Keep it in perspective. Try not to withdraw from friends or an intimate relationship because you're embarrassed by GH. Don't risk cutting yourself off from the emotional support you need. Communicate openly. Talking about genital herpes with someone you love and trust can be hard at first. Just approach it is a direst, honest, and upbeat way. You may find it helpful to speak to a counselor or healthcare provider first. Take precautions. Always practice safer sex, even if you've been in the same relationship for a very long time. Condoms can help reduce the risk of spreading the herpes virus. However, it is still possible to spread the virus even when you use condoms because they may not cover all the areas where the herpes virus is active. Ask your partner to get tested for GH and other STDs. Even if your partner also has GH, some studies show that people who have GH are at a higher risk for contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseses. So it's important to take every precaution to protect yourself and your partner. Getting Pregnant and Reducing the Risk to your Baby Even with GH, you can still have a healthy baby. But you and your healthcare provider need to be aware and careful. If you get a GH outbreak during delivery, it's possible the baby will get herpes, also called "neonatal herpes". This condition can cause serious harm to the baby. If you're pregnant and uninfected, but your partner has herpes, it's wise not to have sex during the third trimester. There's a 30% to 50% chance that a baby will get herpes if you get infected lat in pregnancy and have a GH outbreak at delivery. If you plan to get pregnant and know you have GH, be sure to tell your healthcare provider you have herpes. He or she may want to create a treatment plan for your pregnancy. If you're infected early in your pregnancy or before you become pregnant, the risk of passing herpes to your baby is less than 1% (as long as you do not have signs or symptoms of an outbreak at the time of delivery). So, when you go into labor, you should be checked for symptoms. If there are no symptoms, you can usually deliver vaginally. If there are symptoms, you may have to deliver by Cesarean section to reduce the baby's risk of getting herpes. You are not Alone: Additional Resources Millions of people in the U.S. have GH. That means there are millions of stories, tips, and sources of support out there for you. So look for people who can help you take chare of your life, and seek out herpes support groups through your healthcare provider, on the Web, and in your community. Here are just a few: HOTLINES American Social Health Association (ASHA)
CDC National STD Hotline
ONLINE RESOURCES
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