Okay so I recently had to get tested for herpes due to a weird infection and it ended up being negative but I spent many days freaking out and researching and learning basically everything I could on the internet. And I’m still paranoid and overthinking this despite multiple doctor visits so here we are
I travel a lot for work and I’m pretty sure I’ve discovered that people in the US / Canada / Australia / England typically freak out about herpes much more than other countries… For example a doctor overseas in Eastern Europe told me it’s not a big deal and just don’t kiss or have sex if you notice a spot on your lip or something down there. This also seems to be consistent in Asia… I was freaking out when I thought I had it and the doctor was like >???? why are you upset this is nothing
But then I read all this stuff from US people about disclosure and telling everyone if you have any history with it even if you don’t have any symptoms at the moment. Anyway I’m scared and I feel like now I just want to be celibate because this STD scare has traumatized me
So what’s the deal, are other countries not viewing this with such a stigma? I’m curious
4 comments
First, you should disclose ANY STI to anyone you have sex with in ANY country, but, you can also educate folks on it– it sounds like you’ve done some good research on it.
And, yes, here in the US, at least among my age group (40+), it is still viewed as “the biggie,” second only to HIV, in terms of stigma.
[removed]
I will start by saying, I think everyone should be disclosing whether they have oral, genital, mat, whitlow, etc HSV.
I work in dermatology in the US. Doctors will tell you it’s no big deal bc it IS no big deal. Many doctors will tell you it’s up to you if you want to disclose or not (I tell my patients to disclose).
Hsv 1 and 2 are exactly the same virus, just one prefers the mouth, one prefers the genitals. BOTH can be oral or genital.
My opinion is other countries don’t care bc they know it’s no big deal. In the us, it was no big deal until the 80’s? when drug companies ran a scare campaign against HSV to sell more antivirals. CBS news did a whole special on it. Look it up. You can thank them for Americans freaking out over it.
The cdc doesn’t even mandate testing for it bc THEY think it’s no big deal. Partially bc they think the general public can’t handle a positive diagnosis. Which they can’t, stay in this sub long enough and you’ll see all the stigma, fear inciting Redditors come running with their inaccurate comments. The other part is some of the testing for HSV (igm blood, pcr blood, urine)are not that accurate and give false negatives/positives.
HSV is actually not classified as an std until it’s on the genitals. It’s a skin virus that a person can get ANYWHERE on the body. Wrestlers get mat herpes (hsv1/2), people get herpes whitlow (finger herpes which is HSV1/2), etc etc.
Of course no wants to get HSV, but honestly, you and everyone else are constantly in contact with it and just don’t know.
Only a SMALL percentage of people get outbreaks. MOST people are asymptomatic. So those mouth runners I talked about, most likely have it and just don’t know. Bc as I said, the cdc won’t have doctors test for it without an OB or an actual request for the test. It’s not on a “full panel” std testing.
You can be celibate. But unless you’ve had a negative IGG blood test or the western blot blood test, you could have it. A pcr swab would only be accurate during an active OB.
Oh and the virus does not always pass. Only during an active OB or during viral shedding. There are plenty of one positive one negative couples out there. The worst part of HSV is the uneducated comments and stigma around it.
Australian here. In my 40’s and any type of STI is frown upon, at least back in my day. I can’t speak about how it is for the younger generation now and it is possible that they are less judgemental.
I recall being asked and tested for all the STI’s both times whilst being pregnant, as part of pregnancy care. My obstetrician asked about herpes as there is a risk of transmission during labour. I don’t have a history of herpes however my understanding is that if there is an outbreak, the healthcare provider will consider a c-section to keep the baby safe.