This happened in first year university. A friend of someone in residence came to one of our parties, and she was HOT. She's really friendly and everything, but then the person who invited her told me she have herpes. Good thing that I was warned.

Thinking back, wouldn't it suck to have an STI? You'd have to tell your friends to warn them not to have sex with you, and you can't get laid..

So I really don't want to have STI.

So how do I reduce my chances? I know wearing a condom helps sometimes but not all the time.

How do I know if someone doesn't have STI?

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You'll never really know unless you ask them, it's not something you can visually see and people generally don't advertise that.

just ask them directly?

what about kiss closes? Oral herpes doesn't sound as bad as some of the other STIs but I still don't want to get it because it's non-curable.

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Well you're playing the chance card on that one really.

I wouldn't be too worried about oral herpes, which is usually caused by HSV-1. Nearly 80% of people will come in contact with the virus and carry it in their lifetime, but not everyone displays symptoms. In fact, unless you've been tested and have specifically been told you don't have it, you might still have it.

I have HSV-1, commonly referred to as cold sores, but I might get about one cold sore per year. If you hit it early with Abreva it barely comes out and only lasts for a few days. The immune system fights it and over time you actually get fewer breakouts. Other people's immune systems fight it so that no breakouts ever occur. Things like garlic or L-Lysine help prevent them, or anything that is good for a strong immune system for that matter.

In fact, I'm glad I have it because it lowers my chance of getting genital herpes. Of course, I'm not completely immune, but I think it's something like a 40% reduced chance of contracting HSV-2. HSV-2 is usually the one responsible for genital herpes, but both 1 and 2 can affect either location. Generally, 1 affects the mouth (the virus lies dormant near the ear) and 2 affects the genitals (the virus lies dormant near the spine). If you get one in the opposite of its usual spot, it's usually less pronounced.

So I wouldn't worry about oral herpes if I were you. You might already have it, and chances are you will get it someday. It's not frequent or bothersome (and if it is, enhance your immune system) for most, and so will just keep you out of the game for less than a week as your cold sore heals. Plus, if there is no current blister the chance of you getting it is quite small. So forgo kissing girls with current cold sores, unless you want it simply to build an immunity to genital herpes. Chances are a girl with a cold sore isn't going to be out and about during the breakout anyway.