Reducing risk of transmission
There are many ways you can reduce the risk of transmitting genital herpes:
- Discuss genital herpes with your partner to decide together on the best precautions to take.
- When you have symptoms, choose sexual activities that do not include skin-to-skin contact with the affected area.
- Use condoms. They offer you both protection from a wide range of sexually transmissible infections. While condoms do not cover all of the potential sites of viral shedding (when the virus is active), they do offer some protection, by covering parts of the body that are the most likely sites of asymptomatic (invisible) shedding. Use a condom as soon as an erection occurs, not just at penetration.
- Use dental dams when giving oral sex to a woman to reduce her exposure to oral herpes and your exposure to genital herpes.
- Stay up to date with the latest antiviral medications by discussing treatment options with your doctor.
