The psychological trauma experienced when diagnosed with genital herpes is often significant and felt by the majority of people. This psychological stress decreases over time as you notice a decrease in the severity and frequency of recurrences, which is usually the case.

Infected people are worried about transmitting the virus to their partner and feel that this transmission is inevitable due to its unpredictability. But this is not the case. Studies in couples where one partner was infected have assessed the rate of infections acquired over the course of a year. Among couples in which the man was infected, 11% to 17% of women contracted genital herpes. When the woman was infected, only 3% to 4% of men got the virus.

You should also know that oral treatments with antiviral drugs increase the quality of life in people with recurrent herpes, especially when the frequency of recurrences is high. They decrease the risk of recurrence by 85% to 90%. Even taken for long periods of time, they are well tolerated, have few side effects, and none that are irreversible.

D^r Jacques Allard MD, FCMFC