What to do if you are diagnosed with genital herpes? It is good to have a lot of feelings and questions when you are diagnosed with herpes. But no matter how you feel, try to remember that you are not alone and that the diagnosis does not determine you. It is also important to remember that you can still live a completely normal and happy life with herpes. According to Planned Parenthood, the best thing to do after a diagnosis is to follow your doctor's treatment recommendations. However, Planned Parenthood states that if you are struggling with a diagnosis, you can talk to a trusted family member, friend, or therapist to help you cope.
How is herpes transmitted? Herpes (both HSV-1 and HSV-2) is spread through skin-to-skin contact, which often occurs through sexual contact or sexual intimacy, but can also occur during contact or kissing in nature completely not sexual, like a parent to a child. Although liquid genital herpes can also be passed from a pregnant woman to a child during vaginal delivery.
Can you spread herpes only when you have an outbreak? You should stop having sex as soon as you feel the warning signs of an outbreak. Warning signs may include burning, itching, or tingling in the genitals or around the mouth. Do not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex, even with a condom, until seven days after stopping the warning signs or curing the pain. The virus can be transmitted from sores that are not covered by a condom. It can also spread through sweat or vaginal fluids to places where the condom is not covered.
What is a herpes "outbreak"? When herpes reappears, it is called a "relapse" or "outbreak." Herpes does not always recur, and if it does recur, the timing and severity vary from person to person. Some people rarely relapse. Others have them often. Herpes recurs most often during the first year after infection. Relapses may be more common in people with weakened immune systems.
Before an outbreak occurs, you may have some early warning signs, such as tingling, burning, or itching where there have been sores before. The warning signs can begin a few hours or a day before the sores appear. When symptoms return, they are usually not as severe as the symptoms during the initial herpes outbreak.