I have genital herpes and my sexuality suffers

This sexually transmitted infection (STI) affects 2 million French. If treatments can suppress flare, it can disrupt our private life. Three women testify. A specialist answers.Domitilla, 26 years: I need to keep control ...The hardest thing is to feel obliged to justify with each buddy that account because I do not want him to think I had sex without protecting me. It's shame, we know hardly, and here I explain that it is also transmitted with the fingers and mouth ... and not just sex. When I make a push, in addition to antiviral drugs, I have my method to speed healing: I wash three times a day with warm water and neutral soap and then I dry the external buttons with hairdryer in "cold" position and I exchange panties morning, noon and night! The more I keep control on the push, the less I feel guilty to have caught this virus ...Alix, 45: during crises, I become super-maniacSince I'm 17, it rots my life every wallop of fatigue or stress, once a year on average. We have four children, also not contaminate person, I become super-manic during the four days of crisis. I do not share any towel, I have my own laundry basket, I scour the shower after my visit, I have my own shower gel I throw after the crisis, in case the virus would drag on and I change the sheets on our bed every day. To use the hugs I requires us ten days of condoms is my margin of psychological security, if not impossible to let go for fear of contaminating my man.Karine, 38 years: I doubted the loyalty of my husbandI was convinced to have a fungus stinker, I had never had herpes. So when the diagnosis came, the entire trust in my marriage that was broken. Franck, my husband for 9 years, had necessarily caught with another woman and he had sent me. Fortunately, the gynecologist told me once said I was probably carrying the virus dormant for 10 or 15 years, long before our meeting, the virus can remain silent until he comes out, because our weakened immunity . Same for Franck. Since I did not remake of crisis, but I keep an antiviral prescription in advance, to take at the first tingling.How do you get the virus?It only takes one sexual contact with or without penetration (hand caresses, fellatio, cunnilingus) with someone with the virus. Contagion is more virulent than the two viruses - HSV1 and HSV2 face to the genital area - either now contaminate face and sex. Thus, 30 to 40% of genital herpes are caused by cold viruses.Do we see necessarily that one has herpes?No, 70 to 90% of the transmissions do not trigger any visible symptoms during primary infection and 30% carry the virus never develop any symptoms during their lifetime. The virus can therefore pass unnoticed, even if you do rid more once it has entered the body.What is the treatment?Only antiviral tablets are effective. Caught faster at the first sign, they reduce the intensity, duration and pain of the crisis. The creams are not used much. Beyond 6 attacks per year, an antiviral may be taken continuously for 6 months to 1 year, this hampers their recurrence.

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