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Fact or Fiction: Genital Herpes

DearSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:00:00 -0800

I know you'd rather not talk about herpes, but the only way you'll know how to prevent yourself from contracting this STI is by knowing the facts and myths. Take this little quiz and you just may learn a thing or two.

Source

Funny or Not Funny: Herpex

DearSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0700

This morning I found a funny faux commercial posted on Tango mocking the herpes commercial genre. The funny guys at Britanick.com are the brains behind this add promoting a made-up drug called Herpex. Since there is no cure, Herpex is "specifically created to deal with genital herpes" and even though it doesn't prevent outbreaks, it does allow you to teleport which can come in handy during those uncomfortable moments! Of course this STI isn't a laughing matter, but I have to say that I thought this parody sure was. What do you think? Does this faux commercial take it too far or are you able to see the humor in it?

Sunday Confessional: She Knew He Had Herpes and Didn't Tell Me

DearSugar — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Six months ago I started dating my girl friend's male roommate. At the time, my friend warned me that although her roommate was a good friend, he was a notoriously bad boyfriend. I explained to her that I just wanted to have fun, but she still acted weird about it. Five months in, I learned he was hanging out with a lot of other girls, so we decided to end things. I was disappointed it didn't work out, but I knew it wasn't meant to be. A few weeks ago I found out that I have genital herpes. I knew immediately it was from him — I've only been with one other guy who was also a virgin. I had asked him before we slept together if he had been tested, and he said he was totally clean. Obviously I was very upset by the news and confronted him. Naturally, he claimed that I must have picked it up from some other guy. When I came crying to my friend, she was extremely distressed by what he had said. Apparently, he had confided in her a long time ago that he had herpes, but asked her to keep it a secret. When I heard this I was furious. I know that they're good friends, but I couldn't believe she'd kept that from me when she knew I was sleeping with him! I feel beyond betrayed, but she says she "tried" to warn me. Is her omission of the truth forgivable? Source

Sunday Confessional: She Knew He Had Herpes and Didn't Tell Me

Forgive?

Not forgive?

Undecided

Herpex: The New Wonder Drug!

GiggleSugar — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0700

Some commercials for herpes medications make it seem like having this virus is a freaking walk in the park, or hike in a national forest, or fun time for everyone involved! In a parody of such ads, this commercial for Herpex herpes medication claims it will give you superhuman powers. Coming to a late-night television spot near you.

Dear Quiz: The Big Apple Has Some Big Problems!

DearSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0700

I've given you a lot of information about genital herpes and even though people seem to be aware of how easy this STI is to contract, herpes is still effecting sexually active men and women every day. According to a new study released yesterday, the number of infected New Yorkers is up. What do you think the new statistic is? How many people have genital herpes in NYC?

Source

You Asked: I Can't Get Over My Herpes Diagnosis

DearSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:00:00 -0700

Dear Sugar,

Recently I was diagnosed with genital herpes. I didn't know that I had ever been exposed to it, and then an ex-boyfriend called to tell me that he was diagnosed seven months ago. I felt very betrayed and shocked that he waited so long to tell me. I haven't slept with anyone else, but learning this news has me totally devastated. I've been having a hard time moving forward, and I'm struggling with the thought that my life is essentially over. I'm just now starting to come to terms with the diagnosis, but my biggest fear is how and when I tell someone who I am interested in. I have gone on a couple of dates with a guy I really like, but I completely panic at the idea of having to tell him the news. I'm just terrified. Do you have any advice?

— Devastated by the Diagnosis Danielle

To see DearSugar's answer,

True Confession — Did I Give Him an STI?

DearSugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0700

I know how much you all love our Sunday Confessional, so my friend at True Confessions is joining forces with me to bring you a midweek confessional! Weigh in and tell us if you forgive or not forgive the confessional below."I have herpes, and I planned how I would introduce the topic to my new found love but unfortunately, one thing led to another on Saturday night and before I knew it, we were having sex. I told him after the fact but I know that wasn't good enough. I also know that I'm the scum of the earth, and deserve to suffer in my own personal hell for as long as I live. I wouldn't wish herpes on anyone, let alone a man I purported to love. I pray that he tests negative, but either way, can I be forgiven for being so selfish?"Source

True Confession — Did I Give Him an STI?

Forgive?

Not Forgive?

Undecided

Genital Herpes 101

DearSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0700

A couple days ago I posted Handle This: He Has Herpes and some of your comments let me know that we could all use a refresher course on this STI.

Genital herpes is highly contagious, and is passed on through sexual contact. It's caused by a strain of herpes simplex virus (HSV), which enters your body through small cuts in your skin or mucous membranes, and then causes outbreaks of painful sores on your privates.

You should know that a person can pass herpes on to someone else even if they have no visible sores. Although there is no cure for genital herpes, the outbreaks can be controlled with medication, so a person with herpes can still be in a relationship and have sex (with protection, of course), without passing it on to his or her partner.

Want to learn more about how this STI is tested and treated? Then

Handle This: He Has Herpes

DearSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0700

After almost six months of trying to get your crush's attention, he finally seems to be returning the sentiment. You’re overjoyed when he asks you out. You feel like the date goes exceedingly well, but afterwards you don’t hear from him for a week. You decide to call him and make the next move. He responds positively to your request for another date, but after another perfect night together, he starts acting strange. At your door he won’t kiss you and he tries to hurry away.

You decide to confront him about the way he’s acting. He looks down as he tells you that he has herpes, and he hasn’t kissed anyone since he was diagnosed. He didn’t know when was an appropriate time to say anything so he's been feeling really awkward. Now that the cat's out of the bag, he wants to know what you’re thinking. How would you handle this?

Source

Oral Sex Doesn't Equal Safe Sex

DearSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:00:00 -0800

I hate to bring up this not-so-fun topic, but I'm concerned. Many of my friends have dated guys that they wouldn't have sex because they were worried about STIs, but they didn't seem the least bit worried about having oral sex. When your mouth has contact with someone else's business, you can very well get a whole plethora of STIs — the problem is that many of these sexually transmitted infections are asymptomatic, which means you can't tell if someone is infected just by looking at them. That also means an infected person may not realize they even have an STI so they let their partner perform oral sex on them while unknowingly and accidentally passing the infection on to them.

Which STIs can be passed on through oral sex? To find out