Genital Herpes: The Ugly

Not only can this STD be extremely painful, but it can also open you to risk of other types of infections. If you have a compromised immune system, especially for those who also suffer from HIV, herpes outbreaks can be much more severe and sometimes require hospitalization to manage symptoms.

Pregnant women are often at a bigger risk for pregnancy complications when they are infected with sexually transmitted diseases. Genital herpes can be passed to the newborn during a vaginal delivery and can also add more discomfort to the mother during her pregnancy.

In many cases where mothers are infected with the HSV they will be advised to undergo a cesarean section to avoid passing the virus to their newborn. Additional medication treatment with Zovirax can decrease this risk, but it cannot be completely removed.

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Preventing Genital Herpes from Ruining Your Sex Life

The only way to completely avoid contracting any type of sexually transmitted diseases is to avoid sexual contact completely. Your next best defenses are safe sex practices that can allow you to still have a healthy sex life while reducing your risk of contracting genital herpes.

Evaluating your sexual partners is the first consideration for preventing the spread of genital herpes. Before starting a new relationship with a partner it's important to both get tested for all STDs. If you are both negative and involved in only one relationship this can reduce the risk of contracting herpes since there should be no other infected partners that could spread the disease.