· HSV-1 and HSV-2 tests from Focus Technologies
· Herpes Western Blot
· POCkit® HSV 2 Rapid Test
I would include more information, but it is copyrighted.
BTW, during the mid-80s, researchers proclaimed that an effective vaccine for HSV was but five years away. They said the same thing around 1990, 1995, and 2000. At 2001, the silver bullet is still only five years away–or maybe 20.
No one understands the long-term effects of HSV. According to medical reference books, it can cause blindness in some babies whose mothers have active lesions at birth, although preventive measures can be taken. Furthermore, some researchers mumble something about cancer associations, though that is conjecture at this point.
Read some of the medical literature and you might agree it is a bit premature to dismiss it as just a minor inconvenience.
And that attitude, IMNSHO, is why we have an EPIDEMIC of these diseases.
People who have STDs don’t smell bad. They don’t have buck teeth or drool or have vast, running, pustulent sores all over their bodies. In many cases you just cannot tell, because they’re asymptomatic.
Seems to me that the people most likely to be having lots of sex (and thus at a higher risk of infection) would be the clean, friendly, talented ones. Not, of course, that I base my usual safety routine on that…
OK, here’s the thing about herpes, specifically: JUST LOOK AT THE PERSON! If you’re getting oral sex, look at their lips. If they have nasty sores/bumps/redness/rashes, STOP. Having sex? Again, look for any sores/redness/bumps/rashes. Herpes CANNOT be transmitted EXCEPT from the sores. If you look and all seems ok, then you’re pretty much in the clear. You use a condom to protect you from the diseases you CAN’T see, like AIDS, and other icky things like pregnancy. Also, let me use this as a chance to note that the condoms you get from a dispenser in a gas station/bar is gonna be about the worst kind. Easy to break and probably poorly designed.
Using a condom during oral sex isn’t necessary unless you both have really nasty gaping sores, in which case you should probably just run screaming at the first opportunity.
As a final caveat, IANAD (I Am Not A Doctor). These are conclusions I’ve gleaned from lots and lots of LoveLine and similar materials. If I’m wrong on any of these counts, let the berating begin. A condom isn’t 100% protection, but its good enough when combined with common sense.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by FDISK * You use a condom to protect you from the diseases you CAN’T see, like AIDS, and other icky things like pregnancy… Using a condom during oral sex isn’t necessary unless you both have really nasty gaping sores, in which case you should probably just run screaming at the first opportunity.
Please stop talking like a damn fool–and stop dispensing bad medical advice that could get people in big trouble. Where is Esprix when you need him?
First, yes you can acquire genital herpes (and several other STD’s) when the infected partner is not having active lesions/or other visual symptoms. Check out the link I provided above. I don’t know much about the LoveLine you cite, but most authoritative sources confirm that genital herpes can be spread even when your partner looks, um, “normal.” (Well said, Corrvin.)
You basically assert that sexually active people should only fear those STD’s (e.g. HIV) that cannot be visually detected on a prospective sexual partner’s skin. By that twisted logic, then the rational person should be most afraid of healthy-looking (whatever) people. Yet because one cannot usually visually detect HIV or other viral infection, then everyone should be using condoms, correct?
Do you honestly think that the tens of millions of Americans who today have HSV, chlamydia, genital warts, etc. stupidly overlooked visually obvious “nasty sores/bumps/redness/rashes” and just went ahead and had sex?
As a final caveat, IANAD (I Am Not A Doctor). These are conclusions I’ve gleaned from lots and lots of LoveLine and similar materials. If I’m wrong on any of these counts, let the berating begin. A condom isn’t 100% protection, but its good enough when combined with common sense.
No, you’re not a physician–and not much of a reader either. Read above to discover that condoms may not protect against certain STDs.
[[. Herpes CANNOT be transmitted EXCEPT from the sores.]]
The experts now say that at least as many (if not more) transmissions occur when the person is asymptomatic. Often by persons who do not know they are infected. It’s important to try not to acquire herpes while you’re pregnant, and you can cut down your risks by limiting your number of sex partners. But otherwise, herpes has been cohabitating with humankind almost since the beginning, so forget any 100% way to avoid it.
Re. this “condoms are not 100%”… I always wonder about the spin and hidden agenda in this message (often used by “abstinence only” people). How come you never see billboards or brochures that say, “Always wear your seatbelt (bicycle helmet, etc.) but BE AWARE THAT THEY WILL NOT PROTECT YOU 100% AND YOU COULD STILL DIE IF SOMEONE BROADSIDES YOU.”
The first quote - and all of that added by Handy - is false, btw. HPV is implicated in cervical cancer, and usually does not take years to “show up.” And there IS NO paper proof.
I know a lot about this stuff because I work in a related field. One of the world’s experts in Herpes works here and is doing research on vaccines. The “blood test” for herpes is mainly available to those in clinical trials… not from your family doc. It’s expensive. In testing vaccines, the doc here enrolled serodiscordant couples: one with outbreaks and one apparently asymptomatic. They tested their blood for herpes type I and II and found that indeed many of the asymptomatic partners tested positive as well. “Peace of mind”? Why? What would you do with this info.? Never have sex again? Worry about it constantly? The best you can do is avoid sex when you feel a “prodrome” (itchy, tingling feeling on the skin where outbreaks normally occur) or have sores and use condoms the rest of the time. There’s a fair chance your “asymptomatic” sex partners are infected already and don’t know it, anyway. The major danger from genital herpes is that a pregnant woman who contracts it during pregnancy can pass it to the baby. If an outbreak is occuring during labor, they do a C-section to prevent this. Otherwise, herpes is not dangerous, though it can be painful and annoying (and unsightly, if you have it on your mouth).
Ok, I was partially wrong. It is possible to contract herpies when there are no symptoms, but as that link you told me to go to shows, the best way to prevent it is still to simply check for sores or bumps and avoid sex if they’re there. What else are you going to do? As you know, abstinence is not an option. Be carefull, practice common sense, you will be as safe as you can be. I’ll try to avoid such generalities in the future.
And I always wonder about moderators who make sweeping, emotion-laden statements yet fail to back them up with reasonable cites or clarity. (And this ain’t the first time, either.) My angle is simple, my motivation genuine: condoms are not yet proven to protect from all STDs, yet the prevailing belief, IMHO, is that many people believe they do, barring rupture or misuse.
BTW, yes, effective tests for HSV are available to the public.
I am sure you are motivate by goodwill, but please do not speculate about my sex partners, past or present.
I think that everyone here is basically preaching the same thing and getting into an argument about it.
If you’re not sure about either yourself or your partner, use a condom. Hell, use two.
Not all deseases can be prevented by the condom. Again, if you’re not sure, take some form of preventative measure.
In the end, if you or your partner do have a disease, whether you have sex or not is your decision. I just hope you’re telling your partner about it, or they are telling you.
As for me, I’ve just read an entire thread on diseased sex. I don’t think I’ll ever do it again. Eww.
Actually, Jill and I seem to agree on the major points–as do most other posters. And though I consider herpes more than a mere nuisance, it is not a major disease. HIV and hepatitis B are.
Aside from the non-starter of abstinence, condoms are the safest course of action. What gripes my cookies is the sheer uncertainty of it all.
[[I am sure you are motivate by goodwill, but please do not speculate about my sex partners, past or present.]]
I ain’t speculating about nobody’s sex partners. If you want more information about what the current word is on condom effectiveness, go to http://www.cdc.gov and http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu. I have a hard copy of a recent report here from the U.S. Surgeon General and the CDC, but I’m not sure where to find it online. Basically it says that condoms appear (from studies of serodiscordant couples) to be very effective against transmission of HIV, but are sometimes less so for certain other diseases like human papilloma virus (HPV). The best way to protect yourself against STDs is to lower the number of sex partners you have and do other things to ensure that you are not having intercourse or oral sex with people likely to be infected with these diseases. This puts you in the position of making a personal cost/benefit analysis that none of us can really help any of the others of us with.
Yes, I am a moderator on this board in another forum, but that seems irrelevant to me. I’m speaking here as an infectious disease epidemiologist. - Jill
[[Actually, Jill and I seem to agree on the major points–as do most other posters. And though I consider herpes more than a mere nuisance, it is not a major disease. HIV and hepatitis B are.]]
Meanwhile, epidemics of communicable diseases rage on while I fool around on this message board! Anyway, I wanted to mention that Hepatitis B is now vaccine-preventable, and Hepatitis C - though less likely to be sexually transmitted - is even more devastating and not preventable via vaccine.
Here is an excerpt from The Hidden Epidemic; Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases, editors Thomas R. Eng and William T. Butler, Committee on Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Institute of Medicine,National Academy Press, 1997:
"With the exception of not having sexual intercourse with an infected partner (my italics - Jill), using a new latex codom during every act of sexual intercourse is currently the most effective method of preventing exposure to STDs (CDC 1993b). When used correctly and consistently (during every act of intercourse), condoms are highly effective against bacterial and viral STDs including HIV infection (Cates and Stone, 1992; Roper et al., 1993; Weller, 1993). Several studies that have followed ‘discordant’ partners show that consistent condom use significantly reduces the transmission of STDs including HIV infection (Laurian et al., 1989; European Study Group on Heterosexual Transmission of HIV, 1992).
Failure to use a condom correctly and consistently, rather than potential defects of the condom itself, is considered to be the major barrier to condom effeectiveness. Many incidents of condom breakage and leakage are associated with improper handling or inappropriate use of lubricants."
Since this was written, more has been learned about the limitation of condoms with diseases that reside on the skin, like HPV and HSV. - Jill
Well, as Jill pointed out, Hepatitis C is another STD, although sex is not it’s main method of spreading. I acquired HCV through a blood transfusion, not through sex. I took a little bit of offense from magdalene’s post. I’ve never had sex before, but from now on, I must wear a condom, or abstain because of the risks involved. I don’t happen to know how often it’s transmitted, but I don’t want to take a chance. Are people like me (I’m not the only one) to be judged on our previous lives because of a mistake?
Darn right. Besides, the analogy to using seatbelts and bicycle helmets is flawed. Often, a person has no choice but to ride in a car or on a bike. The same isn’t true of having sex on a date. Call it a “hidden agenda” if you wish, but it’s the simple truth.
Tsunamisurfer is correct. Condoms aren’t the panacea that many people think they are, and we should be quick to emphasize this fact. It doesn’t have to come from an “abstinence only” perspective (which is still the safest route), since the same warning can be used to simply reduce the incidence of careless sex.
Sure it is. Nobody’s pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to have sex.
Look, I’m not about to debate the virtues and/or morality of abstinence. However, to say that it’s “not an option” is just plain wrong. Most people may not want to abstain, but it is always an option.
Don’t overlook the gross stupidity that some people display.
My old roommate got genital herpes (actually, herpes on her genitals) because she let her future husband perform oral sex while he was having an oral herpes outbreak.
She claimed to have known about his outbreak but NOT that they’re the same* thing…“It was just a coldsore!” :rolleyes: And this is a woman with a degree from a respected university. Feh.
*Don’t bother to nitpick, I know they’re not EXACTLY the same thing re: simplex #
I’m sorry that you took offense. I was trying to make the opposite point - that having an STD is not a character flaw and shouldn’t make someone into a pariah. Since the most common ones (HPV and HSV) are asymptomatic and extremely prevalent, there is sometimes no way to know if you have them without meticulous testing. Therefore they SHOULDN’T BE JUDGED harshly. Sex is messy - physically and emotionally - and the only way to be absolutely 100% sure that you won’t get an STD or get your heart broken or end up with an unwanted pregnancy is to NEVER, EVER have sex with another human being. Your situation only illustrates that not even abstinence is 100% reliable.
So what do you do? Never have sex and never have a blood transfusion because you are terrified of the possibility of a disease? Or do you do your best to keep yourself healthy while taking calculated risks (getting tested often, asking partners about their sexual history, choosing monogamous relationships with people with few sexual partners)?
If more people would talk to each other about the medical realities instead of sticking their heads in the sand or being too afraid of the stigma to open their mouths before any sex has occurred, then we wouldn’t have such a huge epidemic of STDs.
Again, I’m sorry for your situation and very sorry if you took offense - I don’t think that you were understanding my post the way I meant it, but that’s my fault.
Lockz, I don’t think you are a leper who should be judged. I do think you have an obligation to inform potential partners about your illness, tell them what the risks are, encourage them to do the research and make up their own minds about whether they want to go to bed with you. No drunken bar hookups for you! However, that doesn’t put you off-limits for a relationship. I think anyone who has knowingly had sex with a partner with an STD (whether they themselves show symptoms or not) the same obligation. Even saying “I’ve slept around a fair amount, and I haven’t always insisted on getting tested. I think I’m clean, but I haven’t been tested since ____” at least opens the conversation up.
But nothing in life is 100% risk free - if you want close zero risk for STDs, don’t have sex. If you are going to have sex, be safe about it and talk to your partner about STDs ahead of time. If you are sexually active, get tested for as many things as its possible to get tested for, and insist on full disclosure from partners. What are the other options?
Jill Magruder, I’m still waiting on your decision on whether prostate cancer in men is caused by HPV. After all, if it causes cervical dysplasia in women, why not an equivalent in men?
