Posts Tagged ‘genitals’
Saturday, March 7th, 2009
It’s smart to take stock of what your expectations are, and give them a reality check. Talk to a friend who has had intercourse or other genital sex who is really honest with you (or an older sibling or family member) about what you expect, and listen to their own experiences. Gather diverse perspectives: one person’s sexual experiences can often vary a lot from those of another.
The truth is, if you have a list as long as Santa’s of sexual expectations, it isn’t very likely they’ll all be met. Sex is often not what we expect, whether the difference between our expectations and reality is positive, negative, or just another ball of wax. Often — with sex or anything else — the less we expect, the more we often receive. Intercourse or other genital sex isn’t a miracle cure for anything, and it isn’t always a fireworks show: it can be a wonderful, natural affirmation of intimacy, and an excellent physical and emotional experience as long as you’re ready for it and take it at face value, without romanticizing it or imagining it to be something it is not. The sex you have with someone else tends to be a mirror of your relationship: if your relationship is lousy, the sex within it isn’t likely to be better or to improve the relationship.
Some studies show that a good 30% of people never have sex again with the partner they lose their virginity (which is defined in those studies as vaginal intercourse, so your mileage may vary) to. Only about 25% of women usually report enjoying first intercourse, and less than 8% report orgasm from first intercourse. Those bummers most likely had to do with being ill-prepared in general, simply not knowing the basics, both partners not being equally invested in one another, and overall, with unrealistic expectations: in other words, they were not about something being terribly wrong with people, but about people’s expectations being out of whack. The cultural idea that the first sex is the best sex is almost always off-kilter: sex is one of those things that tends to improve for people over time; which gets better with time and experience, rather than starting off perfect and fantastic and either staying there or getting worse or boring.
Am I really prepared to handle all aspects of intercourse and/or other genital sex?
There’s a lot to juggle; probably more than you think. Here are what we see as the basics for what we usually need materially, physically, emotionally and interpersonally for partnered sex to be enjoyable, safe, physically gratifying, and emotionally sound.
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Monday, January 12th, 2009
Herpes tests are done to find the herpes simplex virus (HSV). An HSV infection can cause small, painful sores that look like blisters on the skin or the tissue lining (mucous membranes) of the throat, nose, mouth, urethra, rectum, and vagina. A herpes infection may cause only a single outbreak of sores, but in many cases the person will have more outbreaks.
There are two types of HSV.
* HSV type 1 causes cold sores (also called fever blisters) on the lips. HSV-1 is generally spread by kissing or by sharing eating utensils (such as spoons or forks) when sores are present. HSV-1 can also cause sores around the genitals.
* HSV type 2 causes sores in the genital area (genital herpes), such as on or around the vagina or penis. HSV-2 also causes the herpes infection seen in babies who are delivered vaginally in women who have genital herpes. HSV-2 is generally spread by sexual contact. HSV-2 can sometimes cause mouth sores.
In rare cases, HSV can infect other parts of the body, such as the eyes and the brain.
Tests for HSV are most often done only for sores in the genital area. In rare cases, the test may be done using other types of samples, such as spinal fluid, blood, urine, or tears. To see whether sores are caused by HSV, different types of tests may be done.
* Herpes viral culture. Cells or fluid from a fresh sore are collected with a cotton swab and placed in a culture cup. A viral culture is the most specific method of finding a genital herpes infection.
* Herpes virus antigen detection test. Cells from a fresh sore are scraped off and then smeared onto a microscope slide. This test finds markers (called antigens) on the surface of cells infected with the herpes virus. This test may be done with or in place of a viral culture.
* Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. A PCR test can be done on cells or fluid from a sore or on blood or on other fluid, such as spinal fluid. PCR finds the genetic material (DNA) of the HSV virus. This test can tell the difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2. The PCR test is not often done on skin sores, but it is best for testing spinal fluid, for those rare cases in which herpes may cause an infection in or around the brain.
* Antibody tests. Blood tests can find antibodies that are made by the immune system to fight a herpes infection. Antibody tests are occasionally done but are not as accurate as a viral culture at finding the cause of a specific sore or ulcer. Antibody tests cannot tell the difference between a current active herpes infection and a herpes infection that occurred in the past. Because antibodies take time to develop after the first infection, you may not have a positive antibody test if you have just recently been infected. Some blood tests can tell the difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2.
It is thought that about half of adults in the United States likely have herpes antibodies.
A herpes infection cannot be cured. Once you become infected with HSV, the virus stays in the body for life. It “hides” in a certain type of nerve cell and causes more outbreaks of sores in some people. Recurring infections can be triggered by stress, fatigue, sunlight, or another infection, such as a cold or flu. Medicine can relieve symptoms and shorten the length of the outbreaks, but medicine cannot cure the infection.
A different herpes virus (called varicella zoster) causes chickenpox and shingles.
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Sunday, December 14th, 2008
Sexually transmitted diseases, commonly called STDs, are diseases that are spread by having sex with someone who has an STD. You can get a sexually transmitted disease from sexual activity that involves the mouth, anus, vagina, or penis.
According to the American Social Health Organization, one out of four teens in the United States becomes infected with an STD each year and by the age of 25, half of all sexually active young adults will get an STD.
STDs are serious illnesses that require treatment. Some STDs, like AIDS, cannot be cured and are deadly. By learning more about STDs, you can find out ways to protect yourself from the following STDs.
* Genital herpes
* Human papilloma virus/Genital warts
* Hepatitis B
* Chlamydia
* Syphilis
* Gonorrhea (“Clap”)
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Saturday, December 13th, 2008
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are spread by sexual contact involving the genitals, mouth, or rectum, and can also be spread from a pregnant woman to her fetus before or during delivery. STDs, which affect both men and women, are a worldwide public health concern.
Although most STDs can be cured, some cannot, including HIV (which causes AIDS), genital herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause genital warts.
STDs can be spread by people who don’t know they are infected. Always use protection every time you have sex, including oral sex, until you are sure you and your partner are not infected with an STD.
If you are in a relationship, delay having sex until you are physically and emotionally prepared, have agreed to only have sex with each other, and have both been tested for STDs.
Abstinence as prevention
Completely avoiding sexual contact (abstinence), including intercourse or oral sex, is the only certain way to prevent an infection.
Discuss safe sex with your partner
Discuss STDs before you have sex with someone. Even though a sex partner doesn’t have symptoms of an STD, he or she may still be infected.
Questions to ask someone before having sex include:
* How many people have you had sex with?
* Have you had sex without a condom?
* Have you ever had unprotected oral sex?
* Have you had more than one sex partner at a time?
* Do you inject illegal drugs or have you had sex with someone who injects drugs?
* Have you ever had unprotected sex with a prostitute?
* Have you had a test for HIV? What were the results?
* Have you ever had an STD, including hepatitis B or hepatitis C? Was it treated and cured?
Safe sex practices
Some STDs, such as HIV, can take up to 6 months before they can be detected in the blood. Genital herpes and the human papillomavirus (HPV) can be spread when symptoms are not present. Even if you and your partner have been tested, use condoms for all sex until you and your partner haven’t had sex with another person for 6 months. Then get tested again.
* Watch for symptoms of STDs, such as unusual discharge, sores, redness, or growths in your and your partner’s genital area, or pain while urinating.
* Don’t have more than one sex partner at a time. The safest sex is with one partner who has sex only with you. Every time you add a new sex partner, you are being exposed to all of the diseases that all of their partners may have. Your risk for an STD increases if you have several sex partners at the same time.
* Use a condom every time you have sex. A condom is the best way to protect yourself from STDs. Latex and polyurethane condoms do not let STD viruses pass through, so they offer good protection from STDs. Condoms made from sheep intestines do not protect against STDs.
* Use a water-based lubricant such as K-Y Jelly or Astroglide to help prevent tearing of the skin if there is a lack of lubrication during sexual intercourse. Small tears in the vagina during vaginal sex or in the rectum during anal sex allow STDs to get into your blood.
* Avoid douching if you are a woman, because it can change the normal balance of organisms in the vagina and increases the risk of getting an STD.
* Be responsible. Avoid sexual contact if you have symptoms of an infection or if you are being treated for an STD or HIV. If you or your partner has herpes, avoid sexual contact when a blister is present and use condoms at all other times
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Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
Having genital herpes can increase the risk of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and it can cause serious problems for people living with HIV.
People who have genital herpes sores are more likely to be infected with HIV during intercourse. When you develop a sore, your immune system tries to heal it, so there are many immune cells concentrated in that spot. Those are the cells that HIV infects. If HIV in semen, vaginal fluid, or blood comes in contact with a herpes sore, the risk for infection is high.
The Compound Effect of Genital Herpes and HIV
HIV and the herpes virus are a troublesome duo. One can worsen the effects of the other. Research shows that when the herpes virus is active, it may cause HIV to make more copies of itself (the process called replication) than it would otherwise. The more HIV replicates, the more of the body’s infection-fighting cells it destroys, eventually leading to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).
People infected with both HIV and the herpes virus may have longer-lasting, more frequent, and more severe outbreaks of herpes symptoms, because a weakened immune system can’t keep the herpes virus under control as well as a healthy immune system can.
Treatment Issues
It’s more difficult to treat genital herpes if you also have HIV. Higher doses of antiviral drugs are often needed to treat herpes in people with HIV. Also, many people with HIV have strains of the herpes virus that are resistant to treatment with the standard antiviral drugs.
If you take antiviral drugs for genital herpes and the treatment isn’t working, your doctor can test the virus you have for resistance. If the virus is resistant, there are other possible treatment alternatives, including the drugs Foscavir and Vistide. These drugs can be given through an IV, or a Vistide gel can be applied to the herpes sores.
If you have HIV, ask your doctor if you should be tested for genital herpes. If you already know that you have herpes and HIV, discuss treatment options with your doctor.
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Friday, December 5th, 2008
The biggest impact of genital herpes is usually emotional. Painful symptoms, limitations on sexual activity, and that it’s an incurable, lifelong condition can lead to depression. If your partner is pregnant or trying to get pregnant, however, genital herpes is a major concern. Her doctor must be made aware of it. Genital herpes is also more serious for people with HIV and other conditions that weaken the immune system.
You may have heard that genital herpes causes cervical cancer. That’s not exactly true. It may be a factor, but it’s not the main cause.
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Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Go to your doctor and get tested for genital herpes. A doctor may take a sample from what appears to be a genital herpes sore and examine it under a microscope.
You can also have a blood test for genital herpes. The blood test looks for antibodies to the virus that your immune system would have made when you were infected. The second type of herpes simplex virus, HSV-2, almost always infects the genitals, so if antibodies to HSV-2 are detected in your blood, you probably have genital herpes. A blood test that shows antibodies to the other type of herpes virus, HSV-1, means you could have genital or oral herpes. That’s because oral herpes, typically caused by HSV-1, can be spread to the genitals during oral sex.
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Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
Whether or not your partner has infected you with genital herpes depends on whether you have always practiced safe sex, for one thing. Also, it may depend on how long you’ve been sexually intimate with each other.
If you’ve had sex only once or twice, and if you used a condom each time, your risk of getting genital herpes is lower than if you’ve had unprotected sex for a long time. But you could have been infected during any one encounter.
Don’t think you’re in the clear because you’ve never seen herpes sores on your partner’s genitals or your own. The symptoms of genital herpes are often subtle and easily mistaken for something else, like bug bites, pimples, razor burn, or hemorrhoids. What’s more, the virus can be contagious even when there are no symptoms.
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Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
Many resources are available for people living with genital herpes. A good place to start is the CDC National STD/HIV Hotline: 1-800-227-8922. Also, talk to your doctor about any concerns you have.
When you find out your partner has genital herpes, you may be shocked at first and have lots of questions second.
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Monday, December 1st, 2008
You should tell any sex partner that you have genital herpes. It’s important to learn all you can about genital herpes and share that information. Then you and your partner can make an informed decision about sex. Tell a partner that there is always a chance of getting the virus from you, but that there are ways to reduce the risk, such as using latex condoms and avoiding sex when you have symptoms.
There are plenty of reasons why you should communicate openly. Your partner may have infected you, and he or she should know. It may also help your relationship in the long run. Your partner is likely to appreciate your honesty.
When breaking the news, explain how common genital herpes is: About one in five adults in the U.S. are infected. You can say it’s like having cold sores on the mouth (which 50% to 80% of all adults in the U.S. have), except the virus has infected your genitals. It will also help if you’re calm when talking to your partner and approach the discussion with a positive attitude: “I think we can work this out so that we’ll both be happy,” not, “This will probably tear us apart, but….”
If you were sexually intimate with your partner before you were diagnosed with genital herpes, he or she should be tested for the virus.
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