I'm a teen mother.. and just wondered if anyone knew of a STD forum for young people. I recently contracted Herpes.. and while im here, i just want every one to know the bit of information that everyone failed to tell me. A canker sore, is not just a herpes that stays in your mouth.. i gave someone oral.. while i had a canker sore.. i gave him Herpes.. and then had sex with him.. infecting myself. And never in a million years did i expect or think that could happen. I really wish people of all ages were more informed.. when my doctor told me this.. my mom didn't even believe it.. which shows how un-informed everyone is. I've learned.. you can NEVER be too careful. but who would have known? Not me..

wow I am so sorry to hear that! I can't believe you got an STD that way. You are so brave for posting this on standupgirl and I think you're right about needing to find a good STD forum for young people. How will this STD affect you?

Well doctors around my area aren't real good at informing you of what your symptoms will be.. i mean so far i've had one break out of blister like sores.. like canker sores.. all on the outside.. followed by a yeast infection.. im taking a really common medicine for it to prevent breaks outs called Valtrex.. well it makes me SO SICK I CANT FUNCTION. So im trying to find out more about the disease so that i can find other ways of treatment/preventative.. as it is not curable. I just wish people of all ages were more informed. Cause i feel that, even if back in high school... that a sex ed class had touched on this type of transmitting disease that i could have prevented it. So i hope EVERYONE who reads this.. remembers this, so that they dont have to live through what i am living. Good luck to everyone!

We apologize, but this information was deleted by our medical adviser due to it's inaccuracies.

I want to say again that you are very brave. I think teenagers should be a lot more informed than we are. You are right that it could have been prevented and it's not your fault that you have to deal with it! Your thread has really touched me because at age 18 I was diagnosed with chlamydia and that was the scare of my life. Thankfully the doctors caught it when they did and it was easily treatable but the embarassment and shame I went through wasn't worth having sex. I wish I could have been informed and I am so greatful it was nothing permanent. Good luck to you and I hope everyone takes STDs into consideration before they have sex.

Mommieofchris, I think you are so brave. Thank you so much for posting on this forum. I am grateful for you!

I would just like to clarify that the type of Herpes that you get on your mouth is called Herpes Simplex Type 1 or HSV-1 for sort. This is commonly referred to as a fever blister or a cold sore. A canker sore is something different.

Genital Herpes is called Herpes Simplex Type 2 or HSV-2 for short.

Not all that long ago it was not possible for a person to have HSV-1 on their mouth and transmit it to their partner's or their genitals, but Herpes, just like any other virus mutates and now it is becoming possible for HSV-1 to be transferred to the genitals.

This is from the CDC (www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm):

HSV-1 can cause genital herpes, but it more commonly causes infections of the mouth and lips, so-called “fever blisters.” HSV-1 infection of the genitals can be caused by oral-genital or genital-genital contact with a person who has HSV-1 infection. Genital HSV-1 outbreaks recur less regularly than genital HSV-2 outbreaks.

Commonly, people think that they are only contagious when they are having an outbreak. Not true. Whether or not you are having an outbreak you are contagious. There are only certain times of the month in which you can get pregnant, but you can spread Herpes any time you have sex.

Valtrex is a great medication (but expensive) for those with Herpes. However, the commercials are nothing short of misleading. Herpes is pretty painful when you are having an outbreak. Valtrax shortens the length of time of outbreaks and the severity of the outbreak so the person is more comfortable. But Valtrex does not make you non-contagious or even less contagious. It just helps you to have fewer and less painful outbreaks. If you have sex you can still spread it and you can still catch Herpes from an infected person if they are on Valtrex.

A lot of people have the idea that they will just have oral sex to be \"safe\". They are only thinking about pregnancy. Pregnancy only lasts 9 months. Herpes and other viral sexually transmitted diseases last a life time.

There is no such thing as safe sex.