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How do you prevent passing herpes to a partner?
Written and reviewed by Slava Fuzayloff | Published on June 5, 2024
Reducing your risk of transmitting herpes boils down to three things:
✓ Taking antiviral medication
✓ Using condoms
✓ Talking to your partner about herpes
Three proven ways of reducing herpes transmission
How effective is antiviral medication in herpes transmission to a partner?
Antiviral medication reduces the risk of herpes transmission by 50% (from 10.2% to 5%). It also reduces “silent” (asymptomatic) viral shedding and the frequency of herpes outbreaks.
Different medication options and regimens are available (discussing them is beyond the scope of this article), the most common being Valtrex 500 mg once a day. Herpes medication is safe and well tolerated by most people.
Can you catch herpes with a condom?
Yes, but partially. Condoms have been proven to reduce the risk of herpes transmission by 50% (from 10.2% to 4%). [1] Herpes prevention | CDC https://www.cdc.gov/herpes/about/index.html#cdc_disease_basics_prevention-prevention
Shedding of the herpes virus usually occurs through the soft mucosal areas of the penile skin, the vagina, and the anus. Therefore, those areas need to be covered during sex
Using a dental dam and plastic wrap is advised for lesbians. This provides the same risk reduction as condoms, 50%.
How does talking to your partner about your herpes diagnosis help with prevention?
Talking to your partner about your herpes condition helps to develop trust, improves the relationship, and makes regular use of condoms more likely. [2] Herpes protection NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/genital-herpes/
When you talk to your partner, you’ll find out if they’re one of the people who understand the risk of getting herpes and are OK with it or if they’re in the group of people who want the most protection possible.
Source
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Herpes prevention | CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/herpes/about/index.html#cdc_disease_basics_prevention-prevention -
Herpes protection NHS
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/genital-herpes/
