The first thing you need to know about herpes transmission is that it has nothing to do with promiscuity and everything to do with being exposed to the virus at the wrong time in the wrong place.
A case can certainly be made that if you are having regular unprotected sex with multiple partners, that your chances of contracting genital herpes is increased but people do not get herpes because they are promiscuous.
Search the Internet for even five minutes and you will find plenty of examples of people with herpes that contracted the virus the very first time they had sex with someone they planned to marry. I personally know a few people (maybe even more than a few) that have slept with many many people are are completely herpes free.
Nobody said life was fair. Not that there is anything wrong with promiscuity but that is a whole other blog.
Genital herpes is transmitted by sexual contact. The smartest thing you can do is use a condom but really understand that this alone will not always protect you. HSV2 can occur anywhere below the waist (I once had a horrible outbreak behind my knee), and the condom will obviously only protects so much physical area. That would be, ahem, the penis.
Herpes Transmission: Reduce The Risk
Taking regular anti-viral medication for suppression can also reduce herpes transmission by up to 50%, and together with condoms, up to another 50% so you are really looking at great odds using the two methods together to protect any uninfected partners. Understanding your own warning symptoms and signs of herpes outbreaks (and avoiding all sexual contact during this time) can also do a tremendous amount to reduce your chances of passing on the virus.
What have I done? Well, when I was diagnosed viral shedding was either not understood or not communicated to me so I did not understand the importance of anti viral medications. I told every partner, and used condoms 100% for the first few months or even years of a relationship. As the relationship(s) grew and seemed like they would last forever (isn’t youth grand?) we gradually stopped using condoms. I have never passed the virus to another partner and I am not entirely sure what that means. Either viral shedding is not an issue for me, I do a great job of recognizing my herpes symptoms or my partners have not been at risk of contracting herpes either because of there emotional or physical immune systems. This last part is controversial and I don’t want to get into here. Just to say that I have used condoms as well as symptom recognition with great success.
Whatever you decide, please do your research and make responsible decisions. Tell your partners you carry the virus and take solid steps to stop the spread of this virus.
Take care.
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