Oral herpes and birth control pill

I have had oral herpes for many years but recently my outbreaks have increased in frequency. I was recently started on the birth control pill. Can that have anything to do with it?

Maybe. Herpes lesions are a real pain in the A..e. The pain is excruciating and nothing seems to work. In your case, if nothing in your life has changed and now the outbreaks of herpes are increased- I would think that the pill might have something to do with it. It is well known that changes in the sex hormones-estrogen and progesterone can affect herpes reactivation.

Best advice- if you do not need the pill, stop it, and use another form of contraception. If you really need the pill, then you are stuck. I think you may need to go through several types of pills to determine which does not trigger the herpes virus. Good luck.

Genital herpes and GF

My boyfriend had genital herpes but never told me. Now I have some painful lesions on my vagina. Do you think I got them from him?

Most definitely. He should have told you because now you have a lifelong infection. Genital herpes is very painful and makes life miserable. I definitely recommend that you both go to an STD clinic and get treated. Just one person getting treated is not good enough as the infection will keep on being transmitted. Genital herpes takes the fun out of sex. The only question for you is to find out how he got it and when. Then you can decide to stay with him or dump him. I can even tell you that there are also legal ramifications about partner notification when one has an STD.

Oral herpes and sex

I have oral herpes but it is not active any more. Can I transfer it to my partner?

We do know that when you have symptoms, the virus is active. In such cases, the chances of transmission are very high. When you have no lesions and no symptoms, chances of transmission are very low. However, I should warn you that many people with herpes have no symptoms and can still transmit the infection to their partners. You can wear a plastic bag over your face and a condom; this is still not foolproof against transmission of the herpes virus. Best advice- tell your partner about the herpes and let him/her decide if they want to participate in sex with you. Abstain from sex when you have symptoms.

One night stand and STD

Recently I had a one-night stand at a party with an unknown female. Within 8 hours, I noticed that my penis was red and painful. Do I have an STD?

Most unlikely. STDs do not develop within 12 hours of sexual intercourse. If you used a condom, it may be an allergic reaction. I have no idea but I can assure that the chance of any type of STD is very rare in such a short time interval. Wait for a few days and see what happens. My feeling is that you are just a ted bit too paranoid.

Transmitting oral thrush during sex

Can oral thrush be transmitted to my partner during sex?

When you have active thrush with the whitish lesions in your mouth, it means you have an active infection. In healthy people, it is unlikely that you can transmit oral thrush by kissing or during sex. If you have oral thrush, you should first find out why you have this infection instead of worrying about sex. It is not common for healthy people to have oral thrush. Vaginal thrush is quite common in healthy females. Vaginal  thrush is not a sexually transmitted disorder and unlikely to be passed to the partner.

Vasectomy and libido

Can a vasectomy affect my sex drive?

No, very unlikely. Millions of men have had vasectomy and loss of sex drive is not a reported complication. If you have had a vasectomy and have loss of libido, the problem could be psychogenic. I suggest you see your doctor and ensure that your testosterone levels are normal. If they are normal, the next step is to see a sex therapist to determine what is causing the problem.  Sex therapists have been around for decades but many have now established practices- these professionals will listen to your BS (because you pay them hundreds of dollars) and offer more BS advice. I personally feel that sex therapists are nothing more than con-artists. Some appear on TV on a regular basis and offer crap advice which costs hundreds of dollars. Unless your doctor mucked around with your testes, vasectomy has not been linked to low sex drive.

No interest in Sex

I am a 27 year old male and have no interest in sex. Is this normal?

Sure, there are some men, a minority, who live a good quality of life and yet have no desire for sex. Completely normal. I would not give it a second thought if it did not bother you.  You do not need counseling, you do not need medications and you certainly do not need to speak to a sex therapist. Just continue on with your life. If you are content, then it is not a big deal. The same applies to women. The exact statistics about low libido is not known, because people do not go on bragging about low sex drive.