Sexual Health at Christmas

By Damion Jansky  

An interesting thing about using tools such as Google Trends and Google Insights, is that you can review traffic patterns over the year for terms and wonder why that might be. Even your own Google Analytics is quite fascinating. There are often strong weekly patterns for example, job searches tend to disappear at the weekend and return at full strength on Monday mornings. Christmas and January are a particularly interesting time for search. Searches for all sorts of things increase in January from recruitment, to weight loss and stopping smoking. Search volume for subjects like garden sheds all but disappear in winter too.
Try entering search term like "STD Clinic" or "STI testing" and you will see that traffic dies away over summer and there is a peak in January. That suggests rather too many Christmas party incidents without, let us say adequate protection.
So first of all, prevention is better than cure. If you are considering going beyond an amorous clinch after your Christmas party, remember to stay safe. Male and female condoms, if used properly, will protect you from many Sexually Transmitted infections (STI's) and unplanned pregnancy.
However, if it's too late for that bit of sage advice, and you are worried that you have had unprotected sex, be on the look out for possible STI Symptoms. For women this could include passing urine more frequently or painfully, itching or swelling around the vagina or abnormal bleeding. For a man this may include itching or swelling around the penis and painful or more frequent urination.
If in any doubt, contact your most convenient sexual health clinic. Prevention May be better than Cure - but, Cure is still a pretty good option!

For free advice on sexual health, STI testing and treatment, visit your local GUM Clinic

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Damion_Jansky

Herpes Dating - Exposed Once, This Time Use Protection

By Ryan Stinson

"In some cases, the fear of having such a discussion [about genital herpes], and the possible rejection that it might cause, is so strong that these individuals never date anyone ever again."[1] Breaking through the emotional barriers one suffers from when they have been wrongfully exposed to a sexually transmitted disease can be a serious challenge - so challenging that some may never date again. While the fear of rejection is one major concern with respect to dating with herpes, the fear of exposure is another. From her book Doctor Ruth's guide to talking about herpes, Dr. Ruth Westheimer compares the social stigma to that of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, "it can sometimes seem as if a large letter H is visible for all to see on their forehead; it is especially visible to any potential partners."[1] These two vital concerns, rejection and exposure, should be a core principal when developing a dating site designed exclusively for individuals living with herpes. Only by meeting these concerns, will a site be able to alleviate these fundamental challenges facing the herpes dating community. An acceptable solution requires a focus in two areas: privacy and security. The privacy of any herpes dating site should allow users to maintain a level of anonymity that is unattainable with most other dating sites. Likewise, the security infrastructure should prevent both their employees (including the developers) and malicious attackers/hackers from exposing a member's personal information.
Most dating sites today, are not professionally developed, do not control access to private information, and do not properly secure access to web servers and data. Arguably, this may serve the needs of the general public but definitely not those individuals with herpes as they are far more protective of their identity. Exposing their picture or name on a typical open herpes or STD dating site is synonymous with releasing their medical information to the masses. While people with herpes can date discretely on a general public site, they are then faced with the problem of disclosure once a relationship matures. Upon disclosure there is probable risk of public exposure and rejection.
The bottom line is that member privacy should be the highest priority. It should be maintained in such a way that the members of the site can control their ability to disclose private information, doing so only when they feel the time is right. Private data in this regard can be pictures, videos, or certain information that can identify a member. Public data - like physical description, social attributes, and personality attributes - is information that allows others to ascertain the general nature and look of another member without revealing the member's true identity. A secure dating site will automatically separate this data and secure the private content using encryption and best security practices. This practice creates barriers that help to prevent the accidental or intentional disclosure of any identifiable private information to the public, including: name, address, phone number, pictures, etc. Ultimately, to keep members' identities safe, the underlying infrastructure must prevent the publishing of private content to a public zone.
Sites that follow the aforementioned principles create a secure and private dating haven for the herpes community. Individuals suffering from genital herpes have been exposed once, but it is their right to limit public exposure of their medical condition. A properly designed dating site will finally relieve the stress of exposure and rejection felt by the herpes dating community.
An Article by Ryan Stinson, Lead Developer at TwoCan.com
[1] Westheimer, Ruth K. (Ruth Karola), & Lehu, Pierre A. (2004). Doctor Ruth's guide to talking about herpes (1st ed.). New York: Grove/Atlantic.

Twocan.com was created as a fun, private and secure dating site for people with HSV2 (genital herpes). Twocan.com is a herpes dating site that opens doors to others making similar choices.
On Twocan.com members can easily search and review other members and safely build relationships without revealing their identity. A built-in communications and messaging system gives people the ability to safely meet and engage in discussions until they are comfortable moving to the next step, which may be sharing personal interests, a photo or video, phone conversation or even meeting in a safe place.
Our system is designed so that a relationship is built, both figuratively and literally, between two members before they can share personal and private information to one another. Our users can progressively build their trust with another user over time and through positive, safe online encounters. We provide a safe dating environment by allowing members to chat online using our instant messaging system or communicate through our internal email system. While in an instant messaging session members identify each other by their TwoCan ID. The TwoCan ID is an auto generated ID created upon registration that uniquely identifies users on our site, but also effectively hides their identity. Once a member feels comfortable enough to share personal information, they can initiate a relationship with another member on the site. If the relationship is accepted, each member will have the ability to share their private information.
Twocan.com is an easy-to-use, fun, classy and effective dating website designed to ensure that the millions of people affected by this issue have the proper forum for engaging in lasting relationships.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Stinson

First Sign of Herpes

First Sign of Herpes by Charlene Nuble

 Did you know that there are about 80 million Americans infected with herpes? This is a sexually transmitted disease and every year, the number of infected individuals continues to increase and is not slowing down. Genital herpes is among the most common type of herpes and about 500,000 Americans every year are diagnosed with such infection. How can you tell if you have herpes? What is the first sign of herpes?

To start with, you must be aware that herpes is primarily transmitted through oral sex and or sexual intercourse. Two viruses are said to cause the infection  type 1 herpes simplex and the type 2 herpes simplex virus.

These viruses can affect different parts of the body. The type 1 virus is the primary cause of oral herpes while the type 2 virus is said to be the cause of genital herpes. These viruses are highly contagious and individuals with open sores are more prone to it.

The first signs of herpes are blisters, painful bumps, and itching. The signs or symptoms usually vary from one individual to another. Other individuals may experience burning sensations especially when urinating while others find open sores on their most private area. Sometimes, the symptoms can also be similar to that of having flu and so it's quite hard to tell if you have the infection or not.

First time patients experience severe signs like chills, headaches, fatigue, and the lymph glands are usually swollen. Blisters that flare up typically lasts for about two weeks but if the individual's immune system is affected, the signs or symptoms tend to last a lot longer.

So if you're genital area itches and you experience symptoms similar to that of flu, you must not touch the infected area and seek medical help at once.

You can get herpes not only through sexual intercourse. You can also get the infection through physical interaction with people with cold sores or otherwise know as oral herpes. Those who were previously infected with herpes can have recurrence of the symptoms every now and then, so don't be surprised if you notice any of the symptoms or signs coming back.

At present, there is no way to cure herpes. However, you can find available medications in the market that treats the symptoms. By taking any of the medications, you can stop the symptoms of herpes in just a couple of days. If you want to treat the symptoms or signs of herpes, you must be able to treat it at once.

There are also times when herpes is mistaken for vaginal boils or yeast infection. To avoid being misdiagnosed, it would help a lot if you conduct a search about herpes. There are lots of information resources online. Gather as much information about it so that you will know the first signs of the infection. That way, you can easily tell if you have the herpes virus or not.

If this is your first time to have this infection, you need to seek medical help at once so that your condition can be properly diagnosed. Consult a doctor immediately; that way, you will know what to do just in case you experience  the first sign of herpes.

Charlene J. Nuble is a healthcare professional who loves writing about women's issues, parenting and other health related stuffs. Click on the link to learn more about First Sign of Herpes...


Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/First-Sign-of-Herpes/414610

How Can You Tell Someone Has Genital Herpes?

How Can You Tell Someone Has Genital Herpes?
 by: Nathalie Foy

How can you tell someone has genital herpes? Do you take a good look at the person? Do you ask and look straight in their eyes? Do you inquire about their sex lives? Well, my answer is no, maybe and maybe.

It may be a good idea to ask someone if they’re aware of having genital herpes. The more sexual partners a person has had in their lives, the more likely they’re to be infected by herpes. But these methods are quite insufficient. Did you know that the majority of people who have genital or oral herpes are not aware of it? So how do you explain that? Simple, many oral or genital herpes infected people just don’t have any herpes symptoms, others have some symptoms which are mild enough to confuse them with a rash or a mosquito bite or anything that may cause, redness, swelling, itching, burning and blisters, and some may not even know what herpes symptoms are.

The fact that somebody doesn’t have or recognize herpes symptoms doesn’t mean they don’t have it. About 25% of the US population is infected with genital herpes, with women being more affected than men. Studies have shown that the vast majority (80%-90%) of people who have genital herpes have not been diagnosed with the condition.

According to a recent paper published by Carnegie Mellon University in January 2006, most sexually active teenage girls know almost nothing about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), except AIDS, until it is too late. Another 2006 study led by Dr. Herbert Kaufman, Boyd Professor of Ophthalmology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, found herpes virus-1 in 98 percent of healthy participants. None of them displayed any symptoms; however they shed the herpes virus in their saliva and tears at least once during the course of the 30-day study. Even though this study didn’t target genital herpes directly, it demonstrates that most people can be totally unaware of carrying the virus and being infected by herpes.

Shed or shedding means that the virus is present on the skin and ready to be transmitted. Herpes is transmitted through skin contact 98% of the time. Studies have shown that shedding may occur in almost 40% of HSV-2 (usually associated with genital herpes) infected people. Asymptomatic viral shedding may last 1 to 5 days, meaning that a person can be contagious without presenting any symptoms at the time. The average duration of each period of viral shedding has been assessed through laboratory studies but is just an estimate.

So how can you tell for a fact if someone has genital herpes? The only way to know is to look at blood, PCR or swab test results. Swab and PCR tests are very accurate when they detect herpes. However, if a test was performed late or delivered to the lab late, it may return a false negative result. Western blot test, a blood test, is the most accurate test available but may return a false negative if the person tested was first infected within the past 3 months. So it is not easy to know if a person has genital herpes or not.

One last consideration, herpes Simplex 1 or HSV-1 usually causes oral herpes and cold sores and herpes simplex-2, genital herpes. But herpes virus-1 genital herpes is becoming more and more prevalent nowadays. It is mostly transmitted during oral sex from a person who’s having an oral herpes infection with or without symptoms. So if getting genital herpes is a concern to you, you should consider oral herpes as well as genital herpes when asking a partner.

As you can see, it is very difficult to assess if a partner has genital herpes. There are no proven products to prevent genital herpes transmission at the moment. Some are currently undergoing testing for FDA approval and will hopefully be marketed soon. In the meanwhile, the best option is using a condom.

About The Author Nathalie Foy is the author of http://Best-Herpes-Treatments.com which provides great information, tips, advice and product comparisons on medical, natural and herbal treatments for cold sores, oral and genital herpes. Visit her website at http://www.best-herpes-treatments.com.