Sexual Health Buzz

1. What you need to know about STDs
2. What are the dangers of STDs?
3. How do you get STDs?
4. How do you prevent STDs?
5. How can I make sex safer?
6. Do STDs cause special problems for women?
7. What are the symptoms of STDs?
8. Possible STD symptoms for women
9. Possible STD symptoms for men
10. What if I think I have an STD?
11. What about STD treatments?
12. Do STDs lead to AIDS?
13. AIDS: A special case?
14. How you get HIV
15. What to watch for with HIV
16. How you don’t contract HIV
17. How to protect yourself from HIV
18. Where you can get help with HIV
19. STDs that can be cured
20. STDs that can NOT be cured

Herpes Help – Sexual Health – STD Message Board – Yoshi’s Myspace

Here is a list of STDs that can Not be cured. In other words, there is no way to completely wipe out the virus from your body for good. Once you contract these STDs, you keep them for good.

• HPV
• Genital Herpes
• Hepatitis B
• HIV infection

In the case of HPV, some say that the body can rid itself of the virus but even that theory is controversial and under discussion throughout the entire scientific community.

STDs that can be cured

Here’s a list of STDs that can be cured. In other words, you can take medicine to make it leave your body for good.

• Chlamydia
• Trichomoniasis (“trich”)
• Gonorrhea (“clap”)
• Syphilis (“syph”)

Where you can get help with HIV

If you think you’ve been exposed to HIV, talk to your health care provider or call the STD/HIV clinic run by your health department.

You can call the CDC National AIDS Hotline (1-800-342-2437) to learn more about testing, and get the name of the test site near you. The call is free, and no one with ask your name.

How to protect yourself from HIV

The only sure way to prevent HIV infection is not to have sex. If you do have sex, use a latex condom every time. Sharing needles is very dangerous. If you do share needles, call the National Rug and Alcohol Hotline (1-800-662-4357) to learn how to clean needles and works.

You can help protect yourself form HIV by following the safer sex guidelines for other STDs. Use condoms every time you have sex, no matter what kind of sex it is. If you use spermicides, use them with condoms, not in place of them.

How you don’t contract HIV

You don’t get HIV from touching, kissing, food, coughs, mosquitoes, toilet seats, donating blood or swimming in public pools.

What do watch for with HIV

There are no easy clues. Because HIV makes it easy to get all kinds of illnesses, there are many different symptoms. Many of them have nothing to do with the genital region.

How you get HIV

I have had cold sores for years and believe I have given my partner genital hsv 1 thru oral sex (when no symptoms present) and than caught it back from him (genitally).

It is possible to pass herpes to your partner via oral sex. That’s how a lot of people wind up contracting genital HSV-1.

You can not contract HSV-1 over and over again the way that you described. In other words, you don’t keep passing the virus back and forth.

He has had no symptoms.

Not everybody that has herpes will get symptoms that they can see OR feel. That is why testing specifically for herpes in routine std testing is so important. But, you have to be carefully because not all facilities will automatically test for herpes during the routine STD testing process which is why you have to be proactive and ask for one.

Herpes Testing

I have been diagnosed positive for HSV1 but negative for HSV2. He has been diagnosed positive for HSV also.

Since you have a history of coldsores then it’s safe to say that your herpes is probably oral herpes type-1. You say that your partner tested positive for herpes but you don’t mention if he has HSV-1, HSV-2, OR both.

My question is: Is this possible?

People are either going to have herpes OR they won’t have herpes. Type specific herpes antibody testing will tell you if you have HSV-1, HSV-2, both OR nothing at all.

I’m not sure what you mean when you ask if proper testing is possible. Maybe you can leave an anonymous comment to this blog post clarifying what you meant.

Herpes Type-1 and Type-2

Some sites say this is not possible because I would have had antibodies to the strain and would not have caught it back genitally.

Ok, now I know what you meant by your question as to if “it” was possible OR not.

You don’t pass herpes back and forth the way that you described in the beginning of your question. Once you contract herpes you keep it. It’s possible to have HSV-1, HSV-2, both OR nothing at all.

Also if we are both positive now do we have to use protection still?

That depends on the two of you and what your status is. I think it’s probably a good idea for your partner to be fully aware of his status and type, etc. I know lots of couples that have herpes together don’t use protection. I also know of couples where one has it and the other doesn’t and they don’t use protection. It just depends on the couple, what they want to do, and the ultimate goal.

If you are trying to keep an uninfected partner from contracting herpes then not only is it a good idea to use condoms but it’s also a good idea for the person that has herpes to be on suppressive therapy. Suppressive therapy is said to reduce transmission by about 50%. You add condoms to that mix and that’s pretty good protection.

Also I had unknowingly had a very small lesion and had unprotected sex with my already infected asymptomatic partner, could this cause him to now have symptoms or now cause worse outbreaks in the future for me? Thanks. – N

Like I said, you just have to figure out if he has HSV-1, HSV-2, both OR nothing at all. Knowing the location of the virus is helpful as well. As far as passing it back and forth goes.. that’s not likely.

Herpes Help

HIV is passed through blood, semen and vaginal fluid. If infected blood, semen or vaginal fluid gets into your body, the virus might infect you too. Most people with AIDS became infected from having sex or sharing drug needles with a person who has HIV. The virus also can be passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or at birth. HIV is NOT spread through skin-to-skin contact.

In the past, HIV sometimes was spread to people who received infected blood through transfusions. But as of March 1985, all blood supplies are screened for HIV.

Many people who have HIV don’t know it, because they look and feel fine for many years after they become infected. This means that they can pass the virus to others through sex or shared needles without knowing it.

AIDS: A special case?

I am casting for a new daily web show for SexHealthGuru.com, slated to launch in April. The web show will be both educational and entertaining, and will feature real stories, as well as short question and answer interviews with people on the street and at events we sponsor.

I am looking for personal stories from people living with HIV/AIDS. The idea for this show segment is to have individuals tell their story, in their voice. My hope is that filming personal narratives about living positively with HIV/AIDS can both increase awareness and help other people. There will be some general questions that need to get covered, but we want participants to share their own anecdotes and asides.

I am hoping that you might be able to help me find several people who would be willing to share their stories. The shoot will last about an hour, and will take place in our Soho studio. We are offering an honorarium of $50, along with a catered meal and have flexibility in terms of scheduling. I hope to begin shooting towards the end of March/early April.