Public service announcement, herpes,,,wtf!?

[xx44]

MY biggest fear in having sex with strangers was always hiv. Ive been seeing a girl who maybe has a storied past, and we plan on getting tested for everything this week.

So in looking for testing centers , I began to read more about different STDs. I always considered myself educated and fairly knowledgeable about stds. However I was blown away on what I read about herpes. Of course when you get your info off the net, some info is conflicting, so Ill just give the points that there seems to be a consensus on.

The two most common strain of herp is hsv1 and hsv2. Hsv1 primarily affects the mouth and hsv2 primarily the genitals. Though rare, these two strains can affect the other region but seem to thrive in the areas they are associated with.

People with herpes have whats called outbreaks (festering sores around their mouths (cold sores) or genitals). This is definitely one of the times when they are extremely contagious (contraction rate up to 75% if your skin touches affected area). There are other times when the virus is "shedding" when a person is highly contagious but does not have an outbreak or symptoms,,uh-oh. Half of the people that have hsv1 or hsv2, are asymptomatic and never have symptoms but are just as contagious during the shedding periods.

About 60-70% of americans have hsv1, and about 20% have hsv2.HALF DO NOT KNOW THEY HAVE IT! They exhibit no symptoms or very minor ones. Therefore they never tell their partner, an unknowingly spread the goods around.

You do not have to have sex to contract herpes, as it is not transferred by body fluids. Skin to Skin is enough. So while a person with herp is "shedding" not necessarily having an outbreak, contraction can occur(if hsv1) by kissing or them going down on you. While shedding (hsv2) contraction can occur during sex, rubbing and humping or going down on her. The prob is a condom isnt nearly effective as you might think b/c again it is the skin to skin not fluids that matter.

Cliffnotes- A lot of people have the herp. A lot of those dont know they have it and are spreading it freely. Avoiding actual intercourse or wrapping up doesnt help too much. Be careful.

**Disclaimer**

This info has been gathered off the net and no professional has been consulted. I have slept with 30+ women, some protected some not. had full std test a few years ago and nothing. However these numbers are somewhat frightening. Happy hunting.

Please add any pertinent info.

Oh yeah, there is no cure.