2<\/a><\/li>Even without antiviral medicine, the risk of transmitting herpes is low, around 10%.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nWhat else should I know about Herpes and HPV? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- 80% of the population has HSV1, and between 20-30% of the population has HSV2. They are visually identical and can occur anywhere on the body. Although HSV1 is more likely to be oral and HSV2 is more likely to be genital, both strains are on the rise in the opposite location, with many new cases of HSV1 occurring genitally. <\/li>
- Doctors do not recommend testing for HSV1\/2 (Herpes) as it is considered endemic due to the high carrier rates and high false-positive rates. Testing is recommended for pregnant women and those experiencing an outbreak. <\/li>
- Condoms do not protect against herpes transmission unless the condom covers the site where herpes lesions occur. <\/li>
- Taking daily antiviral meds on a suppressive therapy regimen reduces the risk of transmission due to asymptomatic shedding from female to male to 1-3%, which is actually lower than the risk of pregnancy while using condoms. <\/li>
- Anecdotal evidence indicates that washing with soap and water after sex may further reduce risk, but studies have not been done to back this up conclusively. <\/li>
- You are at higher risk of contracting HSV from a partner who does not know their status than you are of contracting it from a partner on antiviral drugs to suppress outbreaks. <\/li>
- Safer Sex Practices – Each person has different standards for safer sex practices. Some include using condoms for penis-in-vagina or penis-in-anus sex, but not for oral sex. Make sure you ask your partner what they include in their safer sex practices. Safer sex practices should also include regular testing. Regular testing in this context refers to the 4-panel screening at least every year, and preferably every 6 months. 4-panel screening includes HIV, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, and Chlamydia. <\/li>
- HPV is considered endemic to the population, and there is no test for HPV without a vagina, and most people clear it on their own within 2 years. The HPV Vaccine is now recommended for everyone 13-45 and is covered by most insurance. <\/li>
- Disclosure of STI Status to 3rd parties – According to the HIPAA model of disclosure, a person’s medical diagnoses and any risks inherent with those diagnoses are no one\u2019s business but that person’s, their doctor, and their immediate partners. Some folks believe that as a metamour, they have the right to know the STI status of their partners\u2019 partners, so this requires individual negotiation. When someone has an active, contagious infection that requires treatment with antibiotics, disclosure to a 3rd party is certainly warranted so that testing can be done and treatment obtained. <\/li>
- Anyone who is practicing open non-monogamy with other non-monogamous partners should assume they are at risk of HSV exposure at all times. Since HSV testing is not included in a \u201cfull STI panel,\u201d many, many people do not know their own HSV status, and so requiring knowledge of the HSV status of their metamours is unnecessary and invasive. It\u2019s safer to just assume that as long as you\u2019re engaging in non-monogamy, you are always at a 10-15% risk of contracting herpes.<\/li>
- One of the reasons that HSV testing is not recommended is that since the 70’s when HSV antiviral drugs became available, drug companies ran campaigns to increase the stigma of having this common skin condition, and at this point in time, the fear and stigma of having herpes is far more detrimental to a person’s emotional health than the actual illness is. Educating yourself about this skin condition will help ease the stigma and reduce the exaggerated fear of contracting it. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Resources: <\/p>\n\n\n\n