Women and Health: February 2011

Friday, February 11, 2011

Genital Herpes

Herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis are recognizable STDs from textbooks and billboards, but nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) has yet to make it into the side of a bus. Also diagnosed as a “non-specific urethritis,”the infection in the penis caused by bacteria and symptoms include a discharge from the head of the penis and painful urination. Herpes is one of the most common STD’s and is easily contracted. At first, embarrassing, it is easily controlled by good medication that you only have to take at the first sign of an outbreak and since that would be around your mouth and lips, it should be easily seen. Herpes virus can also infect other parts of the body.

Genital herpes is more common among blacks than it is among whites, and it becomes more common as people age. The more sex partners people have, the more common it is, too. Genital herpes infections are almost always spread sexually, either by intercourse or oral-genital contact. Condoms will help prevent transfer of the virus from one person to another.

Sex is great and there are many different things you can do to have an active and fulfilling sex life. However, a number of these do carry some risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection. Sexual partners should be treated simultaneously for maximum efficacy and prevention of re-infection.

Studies reveal that genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. Nationwide, at least 45 million people ages 12 and older or one out of five adolescents and adults have had a genital herpes infect