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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you think you have a sexually transmitted disease, such as genital herpes, make an appointment to see your doctor or health care provider.
Appointments can be brief and there's often a lot of ground to cover, so be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information on what you can do to get ready and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do in advance.
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What kinds of tests do I need?
- Should I be tested for other sexually transmitted diseases?
- Should my partner be tested?
- Do I need to abstain from sexual activity during treatment?
- How can I avoid infecting my partner?
- Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing me?
- Do you have any brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What Web sites do you recommend?
- Under what circumstances should I plan for a follow-up visit?
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions, such as:
- Do you have a new sexual partner or multiple partners?
- Do you use condoms?
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- What are your symptoms?
- Are you experiencing any pelvic pain?
- Do you have any pain while urinating?
- Do you have any sores or unusual discharge?
- Goade D. Genital herpes. In: Cohen J, et al. Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: Mosby; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130330290-4/0/1209/247.html?tocnode=49353813&fromURL=247.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02407-6..50078-7_2618. Accessed April 7, 2009.
- Gupta R, et al. Genital herpes. Lancet. 2007;370:2127.
- Albrecht MA. Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of genital herpes simplex virus infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 7, 2009.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2006. MMWR Recommendations and Reports. 2006;55:1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5511a1.htm. Accessed April 8, 2009.
- Xu F, et al. Trends in herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 seroprevalence in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2006;296:964.
- Wald A. Prevention of genital herpes virus infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 7, 2009.
- Genital herpes. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp054.cfm. Accessed April 6, 2009.
