Myth-Information

Herpes Myths

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THE MYTH: If you don't have any symptoms, you don't have a sexually transmitted disease/sexually transmitted infection (STD/STI).

THE REALITY: Many STDs are asymptomatic meaning without symptoms. Serious damage is being done to a woman's reproductive organs whether she has symptoms or not. The only way to know for sure if you are infected is to be tested. If you suspect you have a sexually transmitted infection or if your sexual partner has symptoms, you can go to your doctor or health department for testing. Talk with a knowledgeable health care provider or counselor before and after you are tested.

The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual contact or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.

THE MYTH: You can't get STDs from giving or receiving oral sex.

THE REALITY: This is one of the most dangerous myths in existence. Any exposure to genitalia or body fluids puts you at risk for getting an STD. There are many STDs that can be transmitted through oral sex, including genital herpes, genital warts (HPV), gonorrhea, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chlamydia, canchroid, syphilis, internal parasite, and rarely, HIV. To prevent getting an STD from oral sex, you and your partner should get screened for STDs, and you should always use a condom or dental dam (a latex square or cut open condom) during oral sex. But of course, you can only get an STD if your partner has one in the first place, so get tested!

THE MYTH: You can't have two STDs at once, including HIV.

THE REALITY: You can have multiple STDs at a time. If you have just one other untreated STD, you are 10 times more likely to have HIV. Your chances are greater if you have genital warts, lesions or ulcers like those you can get with syphilis or herpes.

THE MYTH: Genital herpes can make you sterile.

THE REALITY: Genital herpes can not make you sterile. However, other STDs can make you sterile, so your doctor should test for these infections if you are diagnosed with herpes.

THE MYTH: I am not promiscuous and neither are the people I hang out with...it's unlikely that the people I would sleep with would have an STD.

THE REALITY: Females are more susceptible to acquiring STDs than males because their anatomy is more prone to infection in general. In addition, contracting STDs has nothing to do with cleanliness or grooming. Contracting an STD has everything to do with being intimate with someone who is already infected. The more partners you have or have had, the greater your chances of having an STD. The more partners your partner has or had, the greater your partner's chance of having an STD.

THE MYTH: If you have been with your partner for several years and just found out that you have genital herpes, your partner must have been cheating on you.

THE REALITY: The fact that your partner has been diagnosed with genital herpes does not necessarily mean that he or she has been unfaithful to you. You or your partner may have contracted the disease from another sexual partner a long time ago.

THE MYTH: PAP smears can detect whether or not you have genital herpes.

THE REALITY: PAP smears are not designed to detect herpes simplex virus.

THE MYTH: Cold sores are just a lip infection and are not associated with herpes.

THE REALITY: Cold sores are generally caused by herpes simplex type 1. This virus can also cause an initial outbreak of genital herpes if you have oral sex with someone who has a cold sore.

THE MYTH: You can tell by looking at someone if they have a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

THE REALITY: You have no way of knowing if a person has an STD just by looking at their appearance, such as how they dress and how "clean" they are. Most STDs have very few or no signs at all. Only in really extreme cases of certain STDs could a person detect signs of an STD in the groin area, but don't rely on it. The truth is, about one in four sexually experienced teens become infected with an STD.

THE MYTH: STDs are most common in older unmarried men.

THE REALITY: Teens have higher rates of gonorrhea than do sexually active men and women ages 20-44. More sexually active teens have contracted gonorrhea than sexually active 20-44 year olds. Chlamydia, another STD, is also more common among teens than older men and women.

THE MYTH: You can get herpes from toilet seats.

THE REALITY: The genital herpes virus is a fragile virus that dries out when it is exposed to air. There have been no proven cases of genital herpes transmission from a toilet seat.

THE MYTH: Using two condoms, one on top of the other, gives you extra protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

THE REALITY: Using two condoms at once increases friction that will tear or break both condoms, increasing your risk of exposure to HIV and other STDs during sex.

THE MYTH: If you have genital herpes, you can never have sex again.

THE REALITY: While you should always use a condom for extra protection, you can still have sex if you have genital herpes. BUT you should avoid sexual contact if you have any sores (oral or genital) or symptoms.

THE MYTH: You can't get sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from giving or receiving oral sex.

THE REALITY: Any exposure to genitalia or body fluids puts you at risk for catching a STD. There are many STDs that can be transmitted by oral sex, including genital herpes, genital warts (Human Papiloma Virus), gonorrhea, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chlamydia, canchroid, syphilis, internal parasite, and rarely HIV.