Welcome to EmpowHER! And thank you so much for your question.
I'm so sorry for your difficult situation. I hope you can soon end your marriage in the easiest way possible. Are there children or custody issues involved? Do you have all the information you need?
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease that is contracted from skin-to-skin contact. The virus is a type of herpes simplex (similar to the herpes virus that causes cold sores in your mouth, but this affects your genital area).
You must avoid intercourse when she has an outbreak. It is most contagious then.
When she does not have an outbreak, it is less contagious, but it is still possible to get it. There are some antiviral drugs she can take today that limit outbreaks, and she could ask her doctor about those.
EmpowHER has a thorough encyclopedia page on genital herpes, which includes a diagram and pictures of the blisters, and more links on the bottom of the page:
Here is the Mayo Clinic's page on genital herpes. Be sure to click on the links down the left side that talk about diagnosis, causes, treatments and prevention:
Most health site entries about genital herpes presume that the two partners are heterosexual, and that a condom can help eliminate the spread of the virus. With two women, of course, that's not the case. Here's an about.com page about lesbian safer sex:
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Hi, Anon,
Welcome to EmpowHER! And thank you so much for your question.
I'm so sorry for your difficult situation. I hope you can soon end your marriage in the easiest way possible. Are there children or custody issues involved? Do you have all the information you need?
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease that is contracted from skin-to-skin contact. The virus is a type of herpes simplex (similar to the herpes virus that causes cold sores in your mouth, but this affects your genital area).
You must avoid intercourse when she has an outbreak. It is most contagious then.
When she does not have an outbreak, it is less contagious, but it is still possible to get it. There are some antiviral drugs she can take today that limit outbreaks, and she could ask her doctor about those.
EmpowHER has a thorough encyclopedia page on genital herpes, which includes a diagram and pictures of the blisters, and more links on the bottom of the page:
https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/genital-herpes#definition
Here is the Mayo Clinic's page on genital herpes. Be sure to click on the links down the left side that talk about diagnosis, causes, treatments and prevention:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/genital-herpes/DS00179
Most health site entries about genital herpes presume that the two partners are heterosexual, and that a condom can help eliminate the spread of the virus. With two women, of course, that's not the case. Here's an about.com page about lesbian safer sex:
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbiansex/a/Herpes.htm
Does this information help?
January 5, 2010 - 9:21amThis Comment
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