More stuff to help

Consider These Supplements With Caution

The amino acid lysine healed sores and prevented their recurrence in laboratory studies at UCLA in Los Angeles. Other potential supplements that may fight off herpes attacks include zinc, in topical form or capsules, or the food additive butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), taken as a supplement. But despite mixed studies on their effectiveness, these two are unproven remedies, say most doctors. If you decide to try either, know that high dosages may be dangerous and should be taken only under a doctor’s supervision.

Prevent Transmission Of Herpes

Call For Help

If you have any questions about HSV, help is available, says Herndon. ASHA runs two hotlines that offer free advice to people with herpes. Call the National Herpes Hotline at 919-361-8488, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 7 PM. (EST); or the toll-free National STD Hotline at 800-227-8922, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit the ASHA website, where you can send in your questions about herpes.

Talk First, Love Later

Explain to your partner what herpes is and the steps you’re willing to take to avoid passing on the virus. Telling your partner shows respect and concern, allows the person to make an informed choice, and may build intimacy and trust, says Herndon.

Practice Safe Sex

“You don’t have to give up sex,” says Minkin. “But you do need to make some changes in how and when you have it. The herpes virus can be transmitted by both sexual intercourse and oral-genital sex.

Avoid Skin-To-Skin Contact During Outbreaks

When there are signs or symptoms of HSV around the genital or anal region, refrain from sexual activity until all signs have healed. This includes oral, vaginal, and anal sex, says Minkin.

Use Protection Between Outbreaks

Although you are most contagious when you have sores, you can spread the virus even when there are no herpes symptoms through “viral shedding”—small amounts of the virus come to the surface of the skin. Shedding can happen at any time. One study found that 70% of cases were contracted when the sexual partner was symptom-free. Latex condoms used between outbreaks for genital-to-genital contact can reduce the risk of transmission. Although condoms don’t cover all the potential sites of viral shedding, they are useful against the virus by protecting or covering the mucous membranes most likely to be infected.

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Talk To Your Doctor About Suppressive Therapy

Valacyclovir (Valtrex) has been shown to lower the risk of herpes transmission to a virus-free partner by 50%. A daily regimen of 500 milligrams of valacyclovir has been effective for partners with a history of recurrent attacks. It’s likely that a combination of suppressive valacyclovir and condoms provides greater protection than either method alone.

Get Help For Herpes From Your Doctor

If you have a stubborn case of genital herpes or are experiencing many recurrences, you may want to consider seeing your doctor for a prescription of valacyclovir (Valtrex), a drug that reduces frequency of attacks, limits their severity, and speeds healing time. This drug, approved by the FDA in 2001, stays in the body longer than acyclovir (Zovirax), so you have to take only one pill a day to fight off recurrences. If you are having your first attack or your recurrences are frequent, or if you believe them to be frequent, talk to your doctor. If you are pregnant, be sure to tell your doctor that you have herpes, since the virus can infect newborns. A strong link was once suspected between genital herpes and cervical cancer. That link is not as strong as once thought, but it’s still important for women with herpes to get a yearly Pap test.

Panel Of Advisors

Mitch Herndon is the program manager at the Herpes Resource Center and the National Herpes Hotline at the American Social Health Association (ASHA) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Judith M. Hurst, RN, is medical advisor to Toledo Help, a support group for people with herpes in the Toledo, Ohio, area. She is also a retired obstetric nurse.

Mary Jane Minkin, MD, is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine and an obstetrician-gynecologist in New Haven, Connecticut. She is coauthor of What Every Woman Needs to Know About Menopause and A Woman's Guide to Menopause and Perimenopause.

Aviva Romm is a certified professional midwife, herbalist, and professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. She practices in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and is coauthor of Naturally Healthy Babies & Children: A Commonsense Guide to Herbal Remedies.