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" Dear Dr. H, My boyfriend just tested positive for herpes after finding a pimple-like sore on his pubic bone about two years ago. Now we&amp;#x27;ve put off getting engaged, because I am scared and nervous. He also has a staph infection he got while working out. Am I doomed, health-wise, by my boyfriend? Read on for Dr. Hilda Hutcherson&amp;#x27;s response...A. I realize these situations can bring on the &amp;quot;Why me?&amp;quot; gremlin--but rest assured, they aren&amp;#x27;t evidence that the world is conspiring against you. In fact, it&amp;#x27;s estimated that 1 in 5 Americans have been exposed to genital herpes. And the truth is that you can absolutely still have a normal and satisfying sex life. Of course there are some rules to protect yourself--like abstaining from intercourse when he has an outbreak or feels one coming on. (Often, men will feel an increased sensation of burning or itching down there right before they notice a lesion.) And about that Staph infection: Staph is a common bacteria that we all carry on our skin (which is one of the reasons why hand washing is so important). It&amp;#x27;s through a break in the skin, through a cut or a scrape, that the bacteria can enter the wound and cause an infection. The bottom line is, if you really do love your boyfriend and decide you want to be with him, it&amp;#x27;s important to remember that these things are not a moral wrongdoing and are quite common, so my advice would be not to hold them against him. And, of course, if you do notice anything suspicious on your body like a sore or a lesion, it&amp;#x27;s important to see your doctor to have it examined. Readers, do you have any questions about STDs? Let&amp;#x27;s chat. Or, if you have a question about anything related to your sexual health, feel free to leave it in the comments section below, or send me an e-mail. And don&amp;#x27;t forget to check back regularly, right here on Vitamin G to see if I&amp;#x27;ve answered it. More Ways to Get Glamour You could win $50,000 just for registering for or logging in to Glamour.com! Sign up for Glamour.com&amp;#x27;s Style Tips of the Week and Beauty Tip of the Day newsletters! Add Glamour to your iGoogle homepage. Follow us on Twitter! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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