Genital herpes is almost exclusively transmitted through genital-to-genital contact or oral-to-genital contact. Risk factors for contracting the disease include:
- Having unprotected sex with multiple partners.
- Having sex with someone who has a history of genital herpes outbreaks.
- Having another STD such as gonorrhea or chlamydia.
- Having an immune system that is compromised, such a having HIV/AIDS.
- Being a (sexually active) woman: women are four times more likely than men to contract the infection when they have unprotected sex with an infected partner.