Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAvoiding Genital HerpesAvoiding Oral HerpesTreatment as Prevention?Prevention in PregnancyFrequently Asked QuestionsNext in Herpes GuideOral and Genital Herpes
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Avoiding Genital Herpes
Avoiding Oral Herpes
Treatment as Prevention?
Prevention in Pregnancy
Frequently Asked Questions
Next in Herpes Guide
Preventingherpescan be challenging given that so many people have the disease and don’t even know it.
Safer sex practices can help prevent the spread of herpes, whileantiviral drugsmay reduce the risk of flareups—and the risk of transmission—in people living with herpes.
Learn more about the different strategies to protect yourself and others from an STI that affects over 18 million people in the United States today.
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
Preventing Genital Herpes
Short of sexual abstinence, there is no 100% surefire way to prevent herpes. Each year, over a half-million new HSV-2 infections are estimated to take place in the United States, the majority of which are asymptomatic (without symptoms).
Even if there are no symptoms, herpes can still be passed when the virus is silently shed from the site of the infection (referred to as genital shedding).
With no vaccine to prevent either genital herpes or oral herpes, it’s largely up to you to make informed choices to better evade this common, incurable STI.
Condoms and Other Barrier Methods
Herpes is most efficiently passed through direct contact with a herpes sore.
Whilecondomscan reduce the risk of herpes, they aren’t perfect as they don’t cover all of the areas where a genital infection can occur (such as the testicles or groin). Moreover, they tend to work better for women than men.
Even if condoms are not 100% perfect, they still offer the best protection if you are sexually active. These not only includeexternal (male) condomsbut alsointernal (female) condoms.
Herpes can also be passed through oral sex. To this end,dental dams(pre-cut squares of latex or polyurethane) can provide a protective barrier when engaging in oral-anal sex (“rimming”) or oral-vagina sex (cunnilingus).
If a dental dam is not available, a condom can be cut open as an alternative.
Why Oral Sex Really Isn’t Safe Sex
Abstinence
Genital herpes is most likely to be transmitted when an infected person is having an outbreak, so it’s recommended that you don’t have sex during this time.
Prodromal symptoms are an indication that the virus has reactivated and is already “shedding” viruses from the site where the infection initially occurred. Even if there are no blisters or sores, transmission can still occur.
As such, a person with genital herpes should refrain from sex if they experience prodromal symptoms like:
Prodromal symptoms should also signal you to start taking antiviral drugs to either avert an outbreak or reduce the severity of one.
When to Have Sex After a Herpes OutbreakIf you’ve had a genital herpes outbreak, wait a full seven days after the sores fully heal and the scabs fall off before having sex again.It’s important to know that herpes can be spread at any time, not just during outbreaks. Although abstaining from sex during an outbreak may decrease the risk of spreading it to a partner, your partner is still at risk after an outbreak has cleared.
When to Have Sex After a Herpes Outbreak
If you’ve had a genital herpes outbreak, wait a full seven days after the sores fully heal and the scabs fall off before having sex again.It’s important to know that herpes can be spread at any time, not just during outbreaks. Although abstaining from sex during an outbreak may decrease the risk of spreading it to a partner, your partner is still at risk after an outbreak has cleared.
Preventing Oral Herpes
Even if an outbreak is averted with antivirals, there can still be asymptomatic shedding of the virus.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
In the same way that HSV-1 can cause genital herpes through oral sex. HSV-2 can cause mouth lesions (sores) following oral sex with someone who has genital herpes.
As a rule of thumb, one of the best ways to avoid oral herpes is to avoid sharing anything that goes into the mouth and touches the lips of someone else.
If you are prone to frequent cold sores, there are several things you can do to reduce your risk of recurrence:
What Does Herpes Look Like?
Can Antivirals Reduce Herpes Risk?
Genital herpes is treated with antiviral drugs that quickly block the replication of the virus and bring the infection under control. Three are approved for the treatment of genital herpes:
The drugs can be used “on demand” for episodic outbreaks.
If you have frequent outbreaks, they can be taken in low doses on a daily basis as a form of suppressive therapyto lower the risk of recurrence.
Suppressive therapy is thought to reduce the risk of HSV transmission given that it keeps the viral load (the amount of virus in the body) low. This, in turn, is thought to reduce the risk of asymptomatic shedding.
While suppressive therapy may reduce the risk of HSV transmission, it doesn’t erase it.
How Herpes Is Treated
Preventing Herpes During Pregnancy
Without treatment, newborns who get herpes may die because they don’t have the immune defenses to fight off the infection, allowing it to spread to the liver, lungs, brain, and other parts of the body.
Since 85% of these infections occur during childbirth, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that women with active recurrent genital herpes be given suppressive therapy starting at 36 weeks of pregnancy. Doing so can greatly reduce, but not entirely eliminate, the risk of infection.
After childbirth, mothers may need to limit contact with a newborn if an outbreak occurs. They also need to take extra care to wash their hands and any touched objects thoroughly and frequently.
When Will There Be a Herpes Vaccine?
Summary
Herpes is often difficult to prevent because many of the people who have the disease have no idea they’ve been infected. This includes herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), the primary cause of genital herpes, and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), the type commonly associated with cold sores that can also be passed to the genitals.
How Herpes Is Diagnosed
If a person has a visible cold sore in or around their mouth, you should not kiss them. When symptoms are not present, HSV-1 is less likely to spread. However, asymptomatic transmission is still possible, often in the hours or days leading up to an outbreak.
It is possible, but you shouldn’t take a chance. If you are in a relationship where you or your partner has herpes, be sure to use condoms consistently and speak with your healthcare provider about daily antiviral drugs that may reduce the recurrence of outbreaks when transmission is most likely to occur.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Genital herpes – CDC detailed fact sheet.Spicknall IH, Flagg EW, Torone EA.Estimates of the prevalence and incidence of genital herpes, United States, 2018.Sex Transm Dis.2021 Apr 1;48(4):260-5. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001375Johnston C, Corey L.Current concepts for genital herpes simplex virus infection: diagnostics and pathogenesis of genital tract shedding.Clin Microbiol Rev.2016 Jan;29(1):149–61. doi:10.1128/CMR.00043-15Planned Parenthood.I was just diagnosed with herpes? How can I have sex and not spread it?American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Genital herpes.World Health Organization.Herpes simplex virus.Planned Parenthood.Oral & Genital Herpes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines (2021).Smith CR, Pogany L, Auguste U, Steben M, Lau TTY.Does suppressive antiviral therapy for herpes simplex virus prevent transmission in an HIV-positive population? A systematic review. doi:10.14745%2Fccdr.v42i02a03James SH, Sheffield JS, Kimberlin DW.Mother-to-child transmission of herpes simplex virus.J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2014 Sep;3(Suppl 1):S19–S23. doi:10.1093/jpids/piu050World Health Organization.Herpes simplex virus.Magaret AS, Mujugira A, Hughes JP, et al.Effect of condom use on per-act HSV-2 transmission risk in HIV-1, HSV-2-discordant couples.Clin Infect Dis. 2016;62(4):456-61. doi:10.1093/cid/civ908
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Genital herpes – CDC detailed fact sheet.Spicknall IH, Flagg EW, Torone EA.Estimates of the prevalence and incidence of genital herpes, United States, 2018.Sex Transm Dis.2021 Apr 1;48(4):260-5. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001375Johnston C, Corey L.Current concepts for genital herpes simplex virus infection: diagnostics and pathogenesis of genital tract shedding.Clin Microbiol Rev.2016 Jan;29(1):149–61. doi:10.1128/CMR.00043-15Planned Parenthood.I was just diagnosed with herpes? How can I have sex and not spread it?American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Genital herpes.World Health Organization.Herpes simplex virus.Planned Parenthood.Oral & Genital Herpes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines (2021).Smith CR, Pogany L, Auguste U, Steben M, Lau TTY.Does suppressive antiviral therapy for herpes simplex virus prevent transmission in an HIV-positive population? A systematic review. doi:10.14745%2Fccdr.v42i02a03James SH, Sheffield JS, Kimberlin DW.Mother-to-child transmission of herpes simplex virus.J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2014 Sep;3(Suppl 1):S19–S23. doi:10.1093/jpids/piu050World Health Organization.Herpes simplex virus.Magaret AS, Mujugira A, Hughes JP, et al.Effect of condom use on per-act HSV-2 transmission risk in HIV-1, HSV-2-discordant couples.Clin Infect Dis. 2016;62(4):456-61. doi:10.1093/cid/civ908
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Genital herpes – CDC detailed fact sheet.Spicknall IH, Flagg EW, Torone EA.Estimates of the prevalence and incidence of genital herpes, United States, 2018.Sex Transm Dis.2021 Apr 1;48(4):260-5. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001375Johnston C, Corey L.Current concepts for genital herpes simplex virus infection: diagnostics and pathogenesis of genital tract shedding.Clin Microbiol Rev.2016 Jan;29(1):149–61. doi:10.1128/CMR.00043-15Planned Parenthood.I was just diagnosed with herpes? How can I have sex and not spread it?American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Genital herpes.World Health Organization.Herpes simplex virus.Planned Parenthood.Oral & Genital Herpes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines (2021).Smith CR, Pogany L, Auguste U, Steben M, Lau TTY.Does suppressive antiviral therapy for herpes simplex virus prevent transmission in an HIV-positive population? A systematic review. doi:10.14745%2Fccdr.v42i02a03James SH, Sheffield JS, Kimberlin DW.Mother-to-child transmission of herpes simplex virus.J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2014 Sep;3(Suppl 1):S19–S23. doi:10.1093/jpids/piu050World Health Organization.Herpes simplex virus.Magaret AS, Mujugira A, Hughes JP, et al.Effect of condom use on per-act HSV-2 transmission risk in HIV-1, HSV-2-discordant couples.Clin Infect Dis. 2016;62(4):456-61. doi:10.1093/cid/civ908
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Genital herpes – CDC detailed fact sheet.
Spicknall IH, Flagg EW, Torone EA.Estimates of the prevalence and incidence of genital herpes, United States, 2018.Sex Transm Dis.2021 Apr 1;48(4):260-5. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001375
Johnston C, Corey L.Current concepts for genital herpes simplex virus infection: diagnostics and pathogenesis of genital tract shedding.Clin Microbiol Rev.2016 Jan;29(1):149–61. doi:10.1128/CMR.00043-15
Planned Parenthood.I was just diagnosed with herpes? How can I have sex and not spread it?
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Genital herpes.
World Health Organization.Herpes simplex virus.
Planned Parenthood.Oral & Genital Herpes.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines (2021).
Smith CR, Pogany L, Auguste U, Steben M, Lau TTY.Does suppressive antiviral therapy for herpes simplex virus prevent transmission in an HIV-positive population? A systematic review. doi:10.14745%2Fccdr.v42i02a03
James SH, Sheffield JS, Kimberlin DW.Mother-to-child transmission of herpes simplex virus.J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2014 Sep;3(Suppl 1):S19–S23. doi:10.1093/jpids/piu050
Magaret AS, Mujugira A, Hughes JP, et al.Effect of condom use on per-act HSV-2 transmission risk in HIV-1, HSV-2-discordant couples.Clin Infect Dis. 2016;62(4):456-61. doi:10.1093/cid/civ908
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
