Alie Ward

Because a lot of people probably are asking Reddit and you are much more knowledgeable than Reddit.

How would you know if you have contracted herpes?

Now, most people remain totally unaware and asymptomatic, or they have mild symptoms.

Now, things to look out for are pain or itching in your jennies, bumps or blisters on the genital or your butthole or mouth, painful peeing, discharge, and even flu-like symptoms like fever and aches and swollen lymph nodes in the groin area as your immune system is like, what the hell, man?

And in terms of testing, there are blood tests that look for antibodies to it or active sores can be swabbed.

So that first outbreak can pop up two days to two weeks after exposure, but then subsequent on course of the sores could announce themselves like a few days or hours ahead of time with some tingling or pain in the genitals or in the legs or hip or butt.

Why would you randomly start shedding virus?

Is it like, oh, you've got jet lag and you're worn down?

It can definitely happen.

HSV is like, yeah.

Again, her astoundingly wonderful book is called Strange Bedfellows, Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs.

And the chapter in question is called Bushwhacked, Untangling Pubic Hair and STIs.

I love her.

Do we need it as a, I guess they call it a muff.

Do we need it as sort of a muffler, like a little, does a full bush protect you from certain frictions that could put your skin down there at risk?

I have no proof, but I think so.

Are we still seeing crabs in the year 2026?

Oh my God, I miss crabs.

So do you have to then instruct them to like machine wash hot everything they have?

Yes.