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Q: my boyfriend has genital herpes is there anything i can take to decrease my chances of contracting i
Antiviral medication has not been shown to prevent the acquisition of herpes, so no, there is nothing you can take to reduce the chance of contracting herpes. However there are a number of things you and your partner can do to reduce the risks.
You can use a number of strategies to reduce the risk: your partner can take antivirals suppressively (on a daily basis) to reduce the frequency and severity of his outbreaks and asymptomatic shedding of the virus; you should avoid sexual contact during outbreak and prodrome stages; and use barrier methods for all sexual contact, including oral sex as herpes can be trasmitted from genitals to the oral region.
Nothing can guarantee 100% protection, however, using the above strategies will considerably lower the risk of passing it on.
Jeannie May
Herpes Awareness Campaigner & Peer Support Provider
You can use condoms and or, have your doctor give you a prescription for Valtrex.
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