https://slate.com/technology/2019/12/genital-herpes-stigma-history-explained.html

Really good article (OP here) Just posting for anyone reading this thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than anti-virals (such as Valtrex) there is really nothing.

There are innovative drugs for HPV in clinical trials right now, so we should have something on the horizon.

HPV is genital warts, HSV is herpes. You are getting them confused.

You are simply wrong. Stop giving advice like this. You'll kill someone.

That's rich coming from someone who doesn't even know they aren't the same thing.

I am a different poster. Nice conclusion jumping though. Olympic Class!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than anti-virals (such as Valtrex) there is really nothing.

There are innovative drugs for HPV in clinical trials right now, so we should have something on the horizon.

HPV is genital warts, HSV is herpes. You are getting them confused.

You are simply wrong. Stop giving advice like this. You'll kill someone.

That's rich coming from someone who doesn't even know they aren't the same thing.

+1

Thanks so much PPs!

Yeah she's reeling from the emotions of it. She said it helped that I wasn't freaked out by it. I'm not happy for her of course, but I don't see there should be any stigma or shame about it.

I'm astounded by the statistics. I keep coming back to 20% of college students are positive for HSV? Because - I know it isn't totally sexually transmitted, but mostly it is - and I also know that not every college student has been sexually active. I think it's only 70%? So that would be about 1/4th of sexually active college kids have HSV? So it really is pretty common. Do they all know it? I read it is hard to know you are even a carrier unless you have an outbreak of it.

Hi there I’m a women’s health NP and I spend an a LOT of time talking to people with new HSV diagnoses because a)it’s really common and b) the emotional impact is so huge. I’m sorry your daughter is dealing with this and the best thing she can do right now is educate herself because the more information she has the more she will realize that the stigma of HSV is really out of line with the medical implications.
In terms of daily suppressive or episodic (as needed) treatment it’s really a personal choice. But in my practice when somebody has a new diagnosis, I typically do offer them suppressive for the first year. After that it might be reasonable to see how often meds are needed based on frequency of symptoms.
But it’s really really really important that she understands this is not a dealbreaker in any aspect of her life. The hardest thing about it is that a lot of people have incorrect information about what it means to be diagnosed with HSV and the majority of people have no idea if they have been exposed or not because it’s very easy to manage the virus for a long time without having any symptoms. I wish you both the best.

OP, she’s probably reeling right now. She probably is looking at herself differently based on how much stigma surrounds HSV. The stigma is baseless. It’s a nuisance. There’s a chance it can cause complications at birth but those are all but eliminated by taking valtrex the last weeks of pregnancy. I have a friend whose exBF gave her HSV who assumed dating would be impossible after him. Turns out she had no man turn her down in the wake of that relationship. She just told them up front that she caught it from her ex, she manages it with meds, hasn’t had an outbreak or can tell if it’s not a good time. She hasn’t given it to anyone not even her DH of 20 years. Sex is normal. She did it doing a normal thing. She is beautiful and worthy. Support her with no judgment and she will get through it. Hugs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than anti-virals (such as Valtrex) there is really nothing.

There are innovative drugs for HPV in clinical trials right now, so we should have something on the horizon.

HPV is genital warts, HSV is herpes. You are getting them confused.

You are simply wrong. Stop giving advice like this. You'll kill someone.

That's rich coming from someone who doesn't even know they aren't the same thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Her gyn ought to be sufficient. She needs guidance on best practices not to spread it to others. Sorry

Right - of course. But I'm looking for guidance on long term effects of daily antivirals? versus not taking daily, just taking if you feel an outbreak? Which is better?

She's going to have to live with it a bit before she knows what is best for her.
When I thought I had it my doctor explained that she recommends daily pills if you get an outbreak six or more times a year.

I read that getting antivirals during the first outbreak does a lot to suppress future outbreaks.

The other thing my doctor said that was helpful to me is that it is a skin condition. It doesn't impact fertility or life expectancy. There is a stigma because of the location of the blisters and how it was contracted. The mental health part of having to share with each new partner is something she should work on. Having a healthy attitude helps. There was a post here recently that said married couples had not given it to the negative partner, so that's information you can help her discover.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than anti-virals (such as Valtrex) there is really nothing.

There are innovative drugs for HPV in clinical trials right now, so we should have something on the horizon.

HPV is genital warts, HSV is herpes. You are getting them confused.

You are simply wrong. Stop giving advice like this. You'll kill someone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/18/well/herpes-treatment-stigma.html

Those who contract HSV-1 may develop blisters on or around their mouths or, in some cases, on their genitals. HSV-2, the other predominant strain, is usually characterized by one or more lesions around the genitals or the rectum. In the United States, around one in six people between the ages of 14 and 49 has genital herpes, and over half of adults have oral herpes.

If it is this common, why isn't it more routinely tested for?

It doesn’t kill anyone (unless it’s actually causing Alzheimer’s) and isn’t curable.

HPV can lead to cervical, anal and oral cancers, and are deadly. While some strains are low risk, to say it isn't deadly is naive.

This is about HSV not HPV

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Her gyn ought to be sufficient. She needs guidance on best practices not to spread it to others. Sorry

Right - of course. But I'm looking for guidance on long term effects of daily antivirals? versus not taking daily, just taking if you feel an outbreak? Which is better?

Everyone is different, she wont know until she tries different options, some get just it once in their life, some have to take antivirals daily, some only when they feel it coming on. But yeah I think the harder part is getting used to this being a conversation when dating. That is probably the part she will need the most support with.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, half of us in the family get canker sores, but never her to be honest. And never in the genital area...
We will get the results of which type of herpes it is soon, I think. She doesn't have the test results definitively yet but her provider said she was 100% confident these were herpes symptoms.

Canker sores are not herpes. Herpes sores are external. These are different things.

Anonymous wrote:Her gyn ought to be sufficient. She needs guidance on best practices not to spread it to others. Sorry

Right - of course. But I'm looking for guidance on long term effects of daily antivirals? versus not taking daily, just taking if you feel an outbreak? Which is better?

Anonymous wrote:Kudos to you for being supportive! It will make a difference for her now and long term.

There are a lot of HSV support groups, online and IRL. Here’s a start:
https://www.ashasexualhealth.org/herpes-support-groups/#:~:text=Online%20Support%20Communities,fear%2C%20shame%2C%20&%20stigma!


Treatment is very good now. She will do great.

Thanks so much!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than anti-virals (such as Valtrex) there is really nothing.

There are innovative drugs for HPV in clinical trials right now, so we should have something on the horizon.

HPV though, that is something different - she's vaccinated against HPV.