Contagious period - herpes

Can anyone offer advice on what the contagious period is for herpes.  Aside from asymptomatic shedding, in general how long after an outbreak should you wait before safely engaging in sex?

[TiddyBear]

I've read before, during, and immediately after an outbreak.
Dont quote me on that though, let grace chime in

[gracefromHHP]

when the skin is back to normal, it usually means shedding has stopped.

are you still with the same partner you posted about previously?

grace

[pleasehelp395]

Hi Grace,
Yes .. I want to try and make it work.  I admit that it scares me a little but I'm educating myself.

[gracefromHHP]

Have you been tested to know your own status?

[pleasehelp395]

I haven't done the blood test and have never had any signs of it to get swabbed.  I realize that's not a guarantee, but without getting into too much detail, knowing the history of my partners I'm pretty sure I don't have it.  

[gracefromHHP]

if you've had sex with anyone ever, you need to pursue a type specific herpes igg blood test to see what your status is. You might have hsv1 and not know it too so a proper screening is always a good idea so you two can make educated decisions about what precautions to take.

your risk of contracting hsv2 from your partner is very low on average. any steps she takes to lower your risk - avoiding sex when she has symptoms, daily suppressive therapy and condoms, just puts the odds even more in your favor.