Can You Have Sex With Herpes? Common Herpes Questions Answered
Genital herpes is a very common sexually transmitted disease that unfortunately has a very negative social stigma attached to it
. It is so common in fact, that estimates state that somewhere around 45 million people suffer from the disease in the United States today. One common question asked by sufferers of genital herpes is: Can you have sex with herpes? Thankfully, the answer is yes. You can still enjoy a healthy sex life despite having been infected with genital herpes.
If you take necessary precautions, the chance of passing on or transmitting the herpes virus can be very small. This means taking some extra precautions in your sexual activities to protect your partner from infection.
Using condoms and dams during intercourse can drastically reduce the chance of spreading the disease. You should consider this precaution even when you are not technically 'shedding' the virus (shedding refers to the period in which the virus is at it's strongest and most likely to be transmitted by skin to skin contact) and integrate it into your sexual relations for added safety.
Sex during an outbreak is generally discouraged, and many find it too uncomfortable or painful anyway. If you and your partner are both comfortable with the activity, some couples have found non-coital (no penetration) sex to be acceptable during an outbreak. This usually means sensual touching and mutual masturbation. It is recommended that both partners wash areas of contact thoroughly with anti-bacterial soap after any contact during an outbreak.
Use of a good lubricant will also reduce the risk of transmitting the disease by reducing friction and the prevalence of tiny tears in the skin of the genitals that can occur during sex.
To those asking 'Can you have sex with herpes?', we hope this has given you some ideas and precautions you can take to enjoy your sex life, even if one partner has herpes. With Genital Herpes Safe Sex, Can you have sex with herpes? The answer is Yes!
Can You Have Sex With Herpes? Common Herpes Questions Answered
