Dating and genital herpes

Dating with herpes: How to stay safe while having fun

You can still have relationships and be sexually active. You might be feeling embarrassed, angry, anxious, and wondering how this might affect your intimate relationships. Firstly, know that all of these feelings are normal, and common too, seeing as herpes is an incredibly common condition. What you do after you receive a diagnosis may depend on which type of herpes you have caught, and it helps to get to grips with the facts and fully understand the differences. Many people catch HSV-1 in childhood, perhaps from a kiss from a relative who has it or another form of non-sexual contact with saliva. You can, however, also get HSV-1 by sharing items like lip balms or toothbrushes, especially during an outbreak, but only if used in quick succession as the virus dies very quickly outside of the body. This strain of the virus HSV-2 is passed through vaginal, anal, or oral sex, as well as direct genital contact. The first flare-up tends to be the worst, and future outbreaks often occur less frequently over time or may stop altogether. Popular treatments like Aciclovir and Valtrex Valaciclovir are antiviral tablet medications that rapidly treat the symptoms and stop the herpes simplex virus from reproducing. This is not to say that on a first date you need to talk about herpes, but certainly before you have sex.

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Receiving a diagnosis of herpes can be really difficult and pretty scary. There are probably a million thoughts running through your head, from how you can manage it and even the logistics around dating with herpes. But, you might be wondering how to broach the topic of herpes with your past partners, a current partner, or even a new partner.

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Learn more about when and how to talk about herpes with your partner and how you can prevent herpes from spreading. Herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection STI. Despite the many people who have this condition, herpes still carries a significant stigma.

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If You’re Wondering What a Herpes Diagnosis Means for Dating or Sex, Read This

Dating with herpes can come with a lot of worry. For example, you might be scared of spreading herpes to your partner or fear facing the social stigma of having herpes. People often worry that people will judge them if they find out they have herpes—and sometimes, those fears turn out to be true.

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