4 ms·

Check the CDC site for info on herpes. Something like one in 5 people have it, that means if you're even moderately sexually active you probably do as well. The

by weeksie 17y ago

Check the CDC site for info on herpes. Something like one in 5 people have it, that means if you're even moderately sexually active you probably do as well. The vast majority of the population is asymptomatic which is why there's such a stigma over the virus. In reality it's not a big deal at all. Freaking out over herpes is as silly as freaking out over HPV which is so common it might as well be a genetic marker for losing your virginity.

83457 17y ago
Not to mention that you can get herpes while using a condom.
TriinT 17y ago
Herpes may not kill like HIV does, but it likely makes one wish one were dead. You say it's fine to have herpes, when in reality it is not. At all. It affects your sexual life, hence it affects your personal life as well. A pregnant woman with an herpes outbreak is endangering her baby. There's a very good reason society's morals have evolved towards condemning promiscuity. The sex revolution only happened a few decades ago because of penicilin and antibiotics. Sure, many people carry the HSV without even knowing it, but that does not mean it's OK to have it. And, as you know, it is known that HPV causes cancer, so I don't think it's OK to carry it as well. In the end, the only truly safe sex is masturbation, but that's not a life option I recommend to anyone. When teenagers are educated on sex via porn movies, promoting safe sex is the responsible thing to do. If the no-condom movies went underground, then one could ban them. Or rate them as akin to child porn, and hence, illegal. In any case, if there are people willing to pay for no-condom porn, then the world is sicker than I imagined in my worst nightmares...
- rms 17y ago
  >In any case, if there are people willing to pay for no-condom porn, then the world is sicker than I imagined in my worst nightmares... You wouldn't like to see the other things people are willing to pay for.
- weeksie 17y ago
  I'm sorry but can you tell me how asymptomatic Herpes has a negative effect on one's life? Most people who have Herpes don't know it. Frankly the scare over Herpes and HPV has a lot more to do with shaming people who are sexually active. I don't think you realize exactly how common these "diseases" are. Roughly 50% of the population carries HPV, sure some strains are linked to cancer but it's quite insignificant compared to the number of people who actually carry the virus. As for Herpes, for it to cause a problem you must be symptomatic, which as I stated earlier the vast majority of the population is not. To use these relatively harmless viruses as a way to scare people away from sex is disingenuous and dishonest. Whether or not it is OK to be promiscuous in the modern world is a moral discussion, it is perfectly possible to be healthy and have a lot of partners.
  - TriinT 17y ago
    You have a point. I am not an expert on the topic, but it seems to me that an asymptomatic HSV carrier cannot infect anyone and, thus, there's no health problem, and no negative effect on one's life. Yes, it's possible to have many sexual partners and be healthy. One only needs to compare the rates of HSV and other STD's in Sweden (where sex education is serious) to places like rural U.S. (where religion, not common sense, dominates). Yes, there's a stigma associated with HSV and other similar virus. Epstein-Barr causes mononucleosis, but there's less stigma associated with it, perhaps because it's the "kiss disease", and kissing is apparently more innocent than fornication. On the other hand, I think stigmas are there for a reason. A legacy of a not so distant past where STD's where non-curable and non-treatable. Promiscuity is a moral issue, so I won't discuss it. I think one's sex life is better without any haunting STD's, and that's why I think it's not responsible to say that herpes is totally kosher. If one catches it, it's not the end of the world, but it's not a pleasant experience either.
    - 83457 17y ago
      "it seems to me that an asymptomatic HSV carrier cannot infect anyone" Smacks forehead ... That is one of the big reason herpes is so wide spread. It gets pased on by people that aren't having, and may never have, an outbreak.
dkarl 17y ago
Some handy notes from the CDC fact sheet: Genital herpes can cause recurrent painful genital sores in many adults People diagnosed with a first episode of genital herpes can expect to have several (typically four or five) outbreaks (symptomatic recurrences) within a year. Regardless of severity of symptoms, genital herpes frequently causes psychological distress in people who know they are infected -- maybe because of the frightening prospect of giving someone you like, or at least do not hate, "recurrent painful genital sores." And because you have to disclose to every person you sleep with, before sleeping with them, that sleeping with you may cause recurrent painful genital sores. How in the world is that not a big deal? People who are infected with herpes are sexually cut off from the majority of people who are not. There are dating sites just for people with herpes, because they get tired of meeting someone, getting to know and like them, disclosing their herpes status, and then finding out that their new friend does not want to roll the dice on getting recurrent painful genital sores. Did I mention that herpes causes recurrent painful genital sores in many people who become infected? You know, that might have something to do with the "stigma." Check the CDC site for info on herpes. Something like one in 5 people have it, that means if you're even moderately sexually active you probably do as well. Ahhh, NO. Let's not confuse the population as a whole with the people who have a clue and give a damn. From the people I know, about in five seems roughly right, or maybe a bit low -- for sexually active people around the age of thirty. But then again, I tend to hang out with enlightened sex-positive yuppie types who get tested and disclose their herpes status to potential sex partners. We don't look down on people who are infected -- we just don't have sex across the infected/not infected line. (People who lie about that kind of thing are gaped at with uncomprehending horror.) It isn't a perfect system, but it works a hell of a lot better at preventing recurrent painful genital sores than deciding that we all probably have it so why bother caring?
philwelch 17y ago
Interesting note on HPV: apparently if a woman has had more than five partners, there's no real benefit to her getting Gardasil at that point because she's probably developed an immunity against most strains of HPV already. Source: a woman I know who went to the doctor asking about Gardasil.

by weeksie 17y ago

83457 17y ago

Not to mention that you can get herpes while using a condom.

TriinT 17y ago

Herpes may not kill like HIV does, but it likely makes one wish one were dead. You say it's fine to have herpes, when in reality it is not. At all. It affects your sexual life, hence it affects your personal life as well. A pregnant woman with an herpes outbreak is endangering her baby. There's a very good reason society's morals have evolved towards condemning promiscuity. The sex revolution only happened a few decades ago because of penicilin and antibiotics. Sure, many people carry the HSV without even knowing it, but that does not mean it's OK to have it. And, as you know, it is known that HPV causes cancer, so I don't think it's OK to carry it as well. In the end, the only truly safe sex is masturbation, but that's not a life option I recommend to anyone. When teenagers are educated on sex via porn movies, promoting safe sex is the responsible thing to do. If the no-condom movies went underground, then one could ban them. Or rate them as akin to child porn, and hence, illegal. In any case, if there are people willing to pay for no-condom porn, then the world is sicker than I imagined in my worst nightmares...

rms 17y ago
>In any case, if there are people willing to pay for no-condom porn, then the world is sicker than I imagined in my worst nightmares... You wouldn't like to see the other things people are willing to pay for.
weeksie 17y ago
I'm sorry but can you tell me how asymptomatic Herpes has a negative effect on one's life? Most people who have Herpes don't know it. Frankly the scare over Herpes and HPV has a lot more to do with shaming people who are sexually active. I don't think you realize exactly how common these "diseases" are. Roughly 50% of the population carries HPV, sure some strains are linked to cancer but it's quite insignificant compared to the number of people who actually carry the virus. As for Herpes, for it to cause a problem you must be symptomatic, which as I stated earlier the vast majority of the population is not. To use these relatively harmless viruses as a way to scare people away from sex is disingenuous and dishonest. Whether or not it is OK to be promiscuous in the modern world is a moral discussion, it is perfectly possible to be healthy and have a lot of partners.
- TriinT 17y ago
  You have a point. I am not an expert on the topic, but it seems to me that an asymptomatic HSV carrier cannot infect anyone and, thus, there's no health problem, and no negative effect on one's life. Yes, it's possible to have many sexual partners and be healthy. One only needs to compare the rates of HSV and other STD's in Sweden (where sex education is serious) to places like rural U.S. (where religion, not common sense, dominates). Yes, there's a stigma associated with HSV and other similar virus. Epstein-Barr causes mononucleosis, but there's less stigma associated with it, perhaps because it's the "kiss disease", and kissing is apparently more innocent than fornication. On the other hand, I think stigmas are there for a reason. A legacy of a not so distant past where STD's where non-curable and non-treatable. Promiscuity is a moral issue, so I won't discuss it. I think one's sex life is better without any haunting STD's, and that's why I think it's not responsible to say that herpes is totally kosher. If one catches it, it's not the end of the world, but it's not a pleasant experience either.
  - 83457 17y ago
    "it seems to me that an asymptomatic HSV carrier cannot infect anyone" Smacks forehead ... That is one of the big reason herpes is so wide spread. It gets pased on by people that aren't having, and may never have, an outbreak.

dkarl 17y ago

Some handy notes from the CDC fact sheet: Genital herpes can cause recurrent painful genital sores in many adults People diagnosed with a first episode of genital herpes can expect to have several (typically four or five) outbreaks (symptomatic recurrences) within a year. Regardless of severity of symptoms, genital herpes frequently causes psychological distress in people who know they are infected -- maybe because of the frightening prospect of giving someone you like, or at least do not hate, "recurrent painful genital sores." And because you have to disclose to every person you sleep with, before sleeping with them, that sleeping with you may cause recurrent painful genital sores. How in the world is that not a big deal? People who are infected with herpes are sexually cut off from the majority of people who are not. There are dating sites just for people with herpes, because they get tired of meeting someone, getting to know and like them, disclosing their herpes status, and then finding out that their new friend does not want to roll the dice on getting recurrent painful genital sores. Did I mention that herpes causes recurrent painful genital sores in many people who become infected? You know, that might have something to do with the "stigma." Check the CDC site for info on herpes. Something like one in 5 people have it, that means if you're even moderately sexually active you probably do as well. Ahhh, NO. Let's not confuse the population as a whole with the people who have a clue and give a damn. From the people I know, about in five seems roughly right, or maybe a bit low -- for sexually active people around the age of thirty. But then again, I tend to hang out with enlightened sex-positive yuppie types who get tested and disclose their herpes status to potential sex partners. We don't look down on people who are infected -- we just don't have sex across the infected/not infected line. (People who lie about that kind of thing are gaped at with uncomprehending horror.) It isn't a perfect system, but it works a hell of a lot better at preventing recurrent painful genital sores than deciding that we all probably have it so why bother caring?

philwelch 17y ago

Interesting note on HPV: apparently if a woman has had more than five partners, there's no real benefit to her getting Gardasil at that point because she's probably developed an immunity against most strains of HPV already. Source: a woman I know who went to the doctor asking about Gardasil.