I had to write an awkward email a few weeks ago. A journalist wrote a piece about me (and my genital herpes) for a very prominent, respected publication in the United Kingdom, and she included a line about how I’ve never had sex without a condom. It was a reasonable assumption; in my essay for Women’s Health, I discussed how shocked I was to get diagnosed with herpes when I had never had “unprotected” sex in my life. Had never. Past tense. I sucked it up and sent the author a short note, she made a quick correction, and no one was the wiser. But the exchange stuck with me, if for no other reason than for how self-conscious it made me feel. There was a strange shame in telling this relative stranger that I have had unprotected sex. More than once. Despite having genital herpes.
When I got diagnosed with herpes and for quite some time after, having sex without a condom was unthinkable. As much as condoms don’t 100% prevent transmission of herpes between partners—the virus is transmitted through skin contact, not fluids—condoms do bring that risk down considerably. And I wanted to do everything to prevent giving what felt at the time like a curse to another person. The idea of transmitting to someone was horrifying, revolting, and distinctly not arousing. It was nine or ten months before I even felt comfortable sleeping naked with a partner, as if the virus was suddenly going to spring into alertness and rub itself all over my boyfriend’s crotch while I was unconscious. I did not trust my body, a fracture it took a very long time to heal.
It was a long-term partner’s suggestion to forgo the Trojans for the first time. The prospect had never occurred to me before, and I looked for my past reservations about condomless sex but was surprised when I couldn’t find them. Since we both knew our status and I hadn’t had an outbreak for quite some time, we decided it was a calculated risk we wanted to take together…
Read the rest of this essay on Patreon.
Photo by Dainis Graveris on SexualAlpha.
Ella Dawson 
I’m sooo glad I found your blog and TedTalk. I was diagnosed a few days ago. I’ve already had the talk with my partner and he seems to be handling the diagnosis well. He’s already doing research and will be getting tested himself. This gives me hope that I can live as I was not carry a blanket of shame.
Dear Ella, All I can say is ‘Thank you’ from the bottom of my heart. I was 48 when I was diagnosed (2 years ago) & I was mortified, so so ashamed. I had my doubts where I got it from, as I was with a steady partner & he swore it wasn’t him. I now find out that he did cheat on me. We separated last year & I’ve just met a lovely new guy. ‘The’ conversation has to be had & I am totally dreading it, but I need to pull my big girl pants on & just do it. If he doesn’t stick around, he wasn’t the right one for me. Thank you.
I like the intimacy of sex without condoms. Many of my partners like it too. I only use them during an outbreak.
This gives me such relief. I found out in January that the guy I slept with for my first time gave it to me and refuses to admit he did! I know feel more confident into going into a relationship knowing this will NOT ruin it for me. Xoxo
this was my favorite thus far!
Your blog has helped me so much. I’m a sophomore in college and was just diagnosed last April, and it broke my heart. Thankfully I’m close enough with my mom and she was able to find you. It has taken a long time for me to be mentally able to read stuff like this, and basically just come to terms with the fact that herpes is a part of my life now. I am finally at a stage where I feel ready to start a new relationship, but I haven’t lost my herpes virginity, as you put it. Or, I haven’t had sex with anyone but the boyfriend who gave it to me without him knowing he had it. (Ummm why do clinics say they did a full screening but don’t tell you they don’t include herpes in the screening?!?!) I’ve started dating a new guy… And I’m intimidated. Have you or anyone else on here used dental dams? Or have some advice concerning that area of concern?
This is a great blog.
Would you ever consider writing a post discussing the effectiveness of condoms? Some people seem to think condoms don’t reduce risk very much, but the best and most recent research suggests that they reduce HSV2 transmission risk by 96% male-to-female and by 65% female-to-male (difference by gender likely due to different anatomy). It’s important for people to be encouraged to wear condoms if they want to reduce risk, and the degree of risk reduction is highly significant.
Obviously, using condoms or taking suppressive medication (meds further reduce transmission risk by 50%) is a personal choice, ideally one made jointly with a partner. But it seems worthwhile to try to spread scientific understanding of the true nature of transmission risk, with and without various precautions being taken.
The risk of HSV2 transmission is within the margin of error (for men and women), whether or not a person is diagnosed as HSV2+ and taking precautions, or whether a person is simply the average American. That is to say, the risk is essentially the same, statistically. From a risk perspective, a rational person should be ambivalent when choosing between a HSV2+ potential partner who takes precautions, and a potential partner who has not been tested – at least as far as HSV2 acquisition risk is concerned (even if condoms are always used in both scenarios). Most people do not understand that. The reason is that HSV2 is widespread, and most people have not been tested for it – and this makes transmission no less likely from the average American than from a person already diagnosed with HSV2 and taking precautions. More people should get tested, but that’s not likely to happen under current CDC policy (HSV2 is not a part of standard STI screening).
Additionally, if an HSV2 discordant couple had sex 2x per week for the entirety of the rest of their lives, taking precautions, then death from old age would be more likely to occur than HSV2 transmission. Transmission is just a lot less likely to happen in that scenario than most people would assume.
The relevant research on condoms and transmission risk can be found here:
1)
Effect of Condom Use on Per-act HSV-2 Transmission Risk in HIV-1, HSV-2-discordant Couples.
Magaret AS1, Mujugira A2, Hughes JP3, Lingappa J4, Bukusi EA5, DeBruyn G6, Delany-Moretlwe S7, Fife KH8, Gray GE9, Kapiga S10, Karita E11, Mugo NR5, Rees H7, Ronald A12, Vwalika B13, Were E14, Celum C15, Wald A16; Partners in Prevention HSV/HIV Transmission Study Team.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26578538
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/62/4/456/2462690/Effect-of-Condom-Use-on-Per-act-HSV-2-Transmission
“We found that condoms were differentially protective against HSV-2 transmission by sex; condom use reduced per-act risk of transmission from men to women by 96% (P < .001) and marginally from women to men by 65% (P = .060)."
2)
Case-crossover analysis of condom use and HSV-2 acquisition
Jeffrey D. Stanaway, MPH,1 Anna Wald, MD, MPH,1,2,3,4 Emily T. Martin, MPH, PhD,6 Sami L. Gottlieb, MD, MSPH,7 and Amalia S. Magaret, PhD2,5
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3334342/
"We found a 3.6% increase in the odds of acquisition associated with unprotected acts, and failed to detect a significant increase in the odds of acquisition with protected acts. The similar results obtained with the continuous and categorical measures of condom use suggest that, despite its being sometimes approximated, our continuous measure of condom use can be interpreted with confidence. With the categorical measure of condom use, the odds of acquisition associated with sometimes using condoms fell between the odds associated with never and always using condoms; this dose-response relationship further supports the validity of our findings."
"In either analytical approach, the confidence interval surrounding the OR for the risk of acquisition with protected acts included 1.0, ; as an OR of 1.0 corresponds to 100% efficacy, these findings are consistent with but do not demonstrate complete protection. Other strengths of our study include the use of laboratory confirmation of acquisitions, prospective data collection, and the large number of acquisitions observed."
💜💜💜 Thank you!! 💜💜💜 I really needed this!
Hi Ella I truly admire how you went about this situation because I have yet to overcome the fear of rejection Herpes comes with. I am still confused on some things though, I have both HSV 1 and 2 and I have never had an outbreak which is good and sometimes confusing. It’s confusing because I don’t know when to be extra careful since I am asymptomatic. I have looked all over and I have yet to get an answer. Should I tell the person I have HSV 1 before kissing them or should I wait?
hi ella
today i was told to listen to a podcast you made with new york magazine. it was wonderful and gave me some hope for my future. this morning i had the inevitable discussion which as per usual left me in tears, and alone. he was the perfect gentleman about it, but it hurts so bad. so i guess i’ll be turning to you and your wonderful blog for comfort. i do have a question regarding transmission. my doctor informed me (over 10 years ago now), that condoms were pointless as they don’t help in any fashion. i’m horrified to think i was given the wrong information and maybe if i had known they do in fact reduce risk, this morning may not have been a complete disaster. (a lot of the information i was told by sexual health clinics has unfortunately been blown way out of proportion it seems) i have not had an outbreak for around 10 years, but i still beat myself up like it was the day i had my first outbreak. i am hoping that through your articles i may be able to heal some of the damage i have inflicted upon myself. sending love and thanks xx
Condoms absolutely do help prevent transmission! They don’t prevent it 100% because herpes isn’t transmitted through fluids, but they do help cover the affected area during sex. Condoms, dental dams and other barrier methods can help. You can also look into suppressive therapy like a daily dose of Valtrex to help suppress herpes in your system. If you haven’t had an outbreak in 10 years, suppressive therapy probably isn’t necessary but could provide peace of mind. And if you haven’t had an outbreak in 10 years, you’re super unlikely to transmit. Best of luck!!
thank you so much xx
Even if it’s been 10 years since your last outbreak, I don’t think that decreases how likely you are to transfer the virus, since there is still the possibility of “shedding” it. Otherwise people who are asymptomatic wouldn’t transfer it. I got it from someone who was asymptomatic and didn’t know he had it
The longer you’ve had herpes, the less likely you are to transmit! Source: http://www.thestdproject.com/what-is-my-risk-of-spreading-herpes-transmission-risk/
Realistically there is so little information and research on herpes. Honestly many Dr.’s that i have come in contact with that have little or no experience with herpes. Some don’t know about prodrome symptoms- one of mine being incredible sensitivity in my right leg sometimes left but never both. I had to look it up on forums search the web and there you go others with the same symptoms. My point is that people will experience things differently and If you are not having a breakout and have never had a break out and get tested it is still very difficult to see if you actually have it. I have had sex without a condom with two of my partners they have both been tested and both do not have it according to tests. I have never had sex while having a full blown outbreak but i have had sex when one was may i say it “drying up” and still both partners knew and wanted to have sex and both do not have herpes. Herpes just like other infections and disease i believe depends on you and your partner. Maybe there immunity is crazy good and mine awful. Before I got diagnosed I gave it to an EX so I know that I can pass it on but as of the last few years I haven’t
That’s such a relief, the part about being super unlikely to transmit after 10 years of having it. I was told I had it over 20 years ago and have read that the chances of someone contracting it via viral shedding now at this stage are something like 0.02%. There’s still a possibility, but it’s very very unlikely. It’s nice to have that affirmed again to remind me.
I made a huge mistake a few months ago. Usually, I tell all my sexual partners that I have it or wear condoms, but this one time I brought a friend home and we had a bit too much of some substances after a party. I had no intention of sleeping with him, but it just kinda happened and I don’t quite remember how it happened, but when I realised there was no condom I kinda freaked but I haven’t been able to tell him since then and I figured from what I read, that because it’s been 15 years or so since I had an outbreak, and I forget I even have it (I look after my body and my self very well as a result of contracting herpes 25 years ago.)
I felt so much self-loathing over it and I guess I am an actual asshole for not telling him, though I was really out of it when we got together, I mean after the fact…I just couldn’t bear to upset him as we like each other and have spent nearly every day since together. I don’t want him to be scared or reject me. I’ve left it too long now (3 months) and don’t know how to broach the subject without him getting really angry? I really don’t think he’ll get it. None of my past partners who did know got sores. I know there can be people who carry the virus who never present symptoms.
Is it bad that a part of me thinks that maybe some people need to get it so they can start looking after themselves and their sexual health a bit more? I’m tired of having to always be the one asking for a condom and guys …really smart and otherwise intelligent men, think they can just waltz around having unprotected sex with every girl they meet and think they can tell who has it and who doesn’t. Stats say that most men in Australia at least, over the age of 35 have never been for an STI test. That’s a lot of people thinking they couldn’t possibly catch it, even though stats say that nearly everyone has it anyway?? The funny thing is I bet they are all paranoid about getting herpes…but none of them will educate themselves or take precautions?? I find it really weird…and a bit stupid.
20 years on, herpes does not impact my life in any way whatsoever. Like I said, I totally forget I have it most of the time and make sure my stress levels never reach too high. To me, it’s really nothing to worry about, but I get that explaining that to someone who is fearful of catching it (even though he won’t wear condoms??) is challenging.
I am not expecting you to tell me what I want to hear here and I know it’s assholish of me to not inform him…it’s just so hard and I’ve never been in this situation. We were both irresponsible. I’m usually very responsible about this particular issue and I take it very seriously…it’s just this one time I was so out of it I just didn’t even notice, and by the time I did it was too late and I just don’t know how to break it to him…even though I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have it, due to me having had it for more than 20 years and only had 2 outbreaks that whole time of only one lesion! I’m the luckiest person alive in that regard.
You are soooo gross, even without the herpes… Btw , your behavior is proof you are highly depressed and screaming for attn u need and love. You thrive on any type of attn , good or bad, preferably good! That’s not unique at all, what makes you bat shit crazy is the extremes you will go to get it. If you continue you will have several suicide attempts in the next decade, hopefully for your sake, they are all fake attempts. I could careless, because your behavior is pure evil, and only spreads evil , to gullible women at their weakest.
Hey Jason! Thanks for your comment, and for including your email address as your name. That was very considerate.
This meant the world to me. I just got
Out of a relationship of 2 years, only to find out my ex had been plagued by terror of getting it someday. Even though we were safe. He ended things because he could not commit to being with someone who compromises his sexual health, leaving me feeling dirty and like there will never be anyone out there. So thank you. For hope. For confidence. For solidarity.
You are so strong and brave! I found out a few years ago that I had contracted herpes. I was scared and alone. It took me months and months to finally tell a friend that I had it and she was extremely supportive. Recently I had met the guy of my dreams! Or so I thought….once I told him I had herpes he was in shock. He didn’t say much. He said he still liked me but didn’t want to be the asshole who left me bc of herpes. Well we never finished the conversation and went about our “normal” lives. For about 3 weeks after that he became distant, short conversations, would t txt or call when he said he would. I asked him what was wrong on multiple occasions, asked if the herpes bothered him and he just kept saying he was busy. Finally I had to end the relationship with him bc I was so unhappy. I cried and cried. How could someone who claimed to care about me so much just stop. Just not care at all….well I finally found out it was my herpes diagnosis. He said that once he found out he was instantly turned off. Despite having herpes 101 ( I educated him on what herpes is, how it’s stigmatized and how it poses no health risks), he just couldn’t get past it. He said he didn’t tell me bc he was sparing my feelings. That’s bullshit. He should have talked to me about his concerns, not just Check out of the relationship. I am a very open and honest person. I would much rather have the truth than be “spared” hurting my feelings. Being lied to, or not knowing hurts more! My heart was broken, but this guy’s rejection did not make me question my self worth. I am strong, funny, successful independent and I have herpes. If he had truly cared about me in the first place he would have respected me as a person by disclosing this information. He wouldn’t have cared about the herpes bc he knew I was so much more. I know there is someone out there who uderstands that what I can offer in a relationship outweighs my stigmatized rash ten fold. I was hurt. But this man is not worth crying over. I want others to know that too, if they truly care about you, they won’t run away.
I thank you so much for this! I met a guy a few months ago and of course the topic of sex came up. I would always change the subject because I was not ready to tell him my positive status. Well, I did eventually and he accepted it. He wants to have unprotected sex and while I love him, I do not want to change his life by passing the disease to him. Your article has truly encouraged me but I want to wait before I start having sex with this new guy, especially unprotected sex.
Just got my diagnosis of HSV2 today and after some furious Googling have been happily reading through your back catalog. You are, despite being younger than my youngest brother, so wise about sex in this way and I really appreciate your writing. This blog (and a couple other things, like Herpes Opportunity) have been helping me go through the whole shit-self-loathing-understanding-acceptance process at warp speed. I’m still psyching myself up to tell my recent sex partners, but I’ll do it soon and it’ll be much easier because of you. Thanks.
This article made me cry happy tears. Thank you so much for your encouraging words..
an STI does not ruin your sex life, it doesn’t need to curtail it, and it doesn’t taint you. My body is mine. It is strong and it is beautiful and it is soft and it is not disgusting. I refuse to be at war with it anymore…I used to think opposite of this
I was just visually diagnosed with herpes yesterday (still waiting for blood test results). You say this doesn’t majorly affect your life much and I’m scared it will ruin mine.
The outbreak I have right now is very painful with lots of lesion clusters (cannot even sit in a chair) that have multiplied in the past 24hrs since I started using Valtrex and some zinc oxide cream. I’m scared that this is going to be my life now.
Hi Alex –
I was diagnosed with type 2 herpes just last November, genitally and in my throat, and went through a really rough month just suffering through the first outbreak. It was the sickest I’d ever been EVER (mainly due to the throat outbreak, which had a host of severe affects in and of itself), where I also could not sit down, was crying all the time, and was just darn miserable. But once I got on the right meds and allowed myself to release all my pent up emotions about it, I completely recovered.
It’s alright to be scared right now. It’s a scary new thing with no expiration date and that in itself is difficult to confront psychologically, let alone physically. You’re reading the right article for the former, and here’s a link I love and have bookmarked for the latter: http://www.herpes.org.nz/patient-info/herpes-relationships/ The more you know about it all factually, the easier it will be to predict, track and manage. Most of the fear is in the unknown.
The first outbreak is always the most severe, and the recurrences (if you ever have any) will be surprisingly mild – like it might take you a few days to realize they’re even happening kind of mild – and spaced maybe a month or two apart (depending on a few things – read the linked article; it says it all better than I can). Personally I’ve only had two recurrences since November, and zero more in my throat, and I barely noticed they were even happening. Mostly I felt unpredictably tired, and a little foggy-brained for about a week.
Now I take an L-Lysine supplement in the morning, which helps prevent outbreaks (literally $10 at walmart. take L-Argenine too while you’re at it, since your body requires it to properly break down lysine in your stomach) and Valtrex as a daily suppressant. I just added them to my daily vitamin regiment and birth control and have been perfectly fine ever since.
Realistically, herpes is just a skin condition which pops up from time to time like eczema to cause some personal inconvenience…and that’s it. It will force you to be more conscious of your stress levels and general health, and make you more open and honest with your potential sex partners. But otherwise, it’s just a life event that seems momentous at the time (like getting your period for the first time in a really embarrassing public place), but in retrospect is just another part of life. I really, really promise you’ll be alright. Just read up as much as you can on everything and become friends with your gyno. You’ll figure it out.
Good luck.
Wise words, thank you for your advice 🙂 xx
Laina, the exact same thing happened to me this weekend and I was just diagnosed yesterday. Thanks for your comment and advice it means a lot.
HI alex
I have HSV-2 and let me tell you there’s no sugar coating it the first outbreak and even the first year is so fucking tough. But if you can get through it, which you will, I promise you may even feel stronger than before. My first outbreak made it way to my buttox from my vagina, covered my hood around my clitoris and was even crawling its way up to my back. I tried to keep very clean washing every moment I could- in retrospect maybe wasn’t a great idea because I was damp a lot. I have learned at least for myself that drying out the herpes is the easiest way to get them gone and yes staying clean and washing your hands! When things are really bad I’ve used real aloe vera on outbreaks that are not internal. The aloe will dry them out and thus speed up healing process. I also have a year supply of valtrex. I was taking them daily but i still got outbreaks. Now i just take it when i feel an outbreak coming on and when i have one. That is the other thing you will get to know your body really well. You will know a tingle feeling and other symptoms that may be tell tale signs. ALSO STRESS i know its difficult to not be stressed but the less stressed you are the better.
I love you for this. Thank you. ❤
Do you still take daily Valtrex?
Have you passed the virus on to any of your partners? I was just tested and my doctor thinks it’s a 60% chance that I have it. Still waiting for the lab results. I never had unprotected intercourse so I’m wondering and beating my head, how could this happen? I feel devastated right now. Honestly I feel dirty and I feel why would anyone want me now? I feel so depressed right now. I feel prone to not tell any future partner but take all necessary precautions but I don’t want to be an asshole, like you stated in your article. How could a virus that is related to chicken pox and transmitted so easily have such a horrible stigma.
Can I email you ? I need some advice and almost a counsel to ask some questions and cheer me on through the horror I am going through right now. Please send me your email so I can contact you. It would mean a lot!!!!
I do not have herpes, but the man I am dating, whom I really really like, just told me that he does have herpes. It was a shock, I can’t lie about that. I know that I have a risk of getting herpes from him, and that is something that I have to weigh against how great of a man and a person is and how happy I was with him before I knew. It must have been so hard to tell me, and cannot imagine having to do it myself…but the possibility of having to potentially do that someday is there if I were to contract herpes from him and the relationship does not work out. Having the virus itself does not scare me, the social stigma it carries with it is what scares me. You all are admirable to me and you are great people.
Thank you for your bravery and candour in writing this article. It will be people like you who break down the stigma surrounding herpes which is after all only a mild skin irritation.
I was diagnosed over two years ago now and was completely devastated at the time. What I now realise is the stories I told myself back then were all in my head. Mostly that no one would ever want me again. It turns out I was wrong. I have been open with several exes and male friends about this and keep hearing the same message…it would make no difference to us! I’ve also had a serious relationship where we chose not to use condoms.
I’ve actually not had an outbreak since my initial diagnosis, so not everyone gets recurrences. It does seem vaguely comical to be getting upset about something that, for me, is invisible and has no physical impact on my life.
It seems that by far the biggest issue with this condition is people’s attitude to it so bravo to you changing that!
Hey,
I’m a 34 year old women from Holland, i have been diagnosed with herpes 14 years ago, i got it from my ex husband. We at the time did not know you can get genital herpes from HSV-1. The first years after i was diagnosed where hard, i had outbreaks often, they hurt a lot and we also wanted children really bad and i was so scared of passing it on to my children.
Luckely we got two healthy daughters, i did not have a outbreak at the time i gave birth and they are fine.
Sadly after 7 years of marriage me and my ex husband broke up, after a while i started dating the man i’m with now, this amazing, understanding, non judgemental man who accepted me just the way i am, and bonuspoints, he already had HSV-1 so i could not give it to him.
Almost no one else in my surroundings knows i have genital herpes, sometimes i did tell people and then they accused my (ex)husband of cheating on me and i could not convince them otherwise, sometimes they would even tell me i had to have cheated on my (ex)husband. People did not understand you can also get it from a common cold sore.
But now 14 years later, i’m doing really good, i havent had a outbreak in years, most days i don’t even remember i have it, it’s not a part of my life anymore.
I just want to thank you for being so open about this, it’s a hard topic to talk about because of all the judgemental opinions.
I have one friend who i know is dealing with the same, she is still strungling, i think your blog will help her a lot, so again, thanks.
Greetings
Thank you for writing this! I am nearly 15 years post diagnosis (received from a partner while using condoms) and have now been condom free with my husband for many years between honest communication, paying attention to my body, an IUD and suppressive meds (otherwise I get outbreaks approx every 2-3 months). It’s a long road, and you explain it perfectly!
I just wanted to say thank you. I’m sure you hear this all the time but from the bottom of my soul, thank you.
I’m calling my obgyn in the morning to make an appointment to be tested. I’m fairly suspicious that I could have herpes. (Not positive but enough for me to be concerned.) My first thought was: ‘holy gods above, I’ll never be able to have sex again! I’m a hazard!’
So thank you for making me feel a little less scared if the answer is yes. Thank you. ❤
Can I say I love you without it being weird? 🙂
It has been over 15 years since I found out I had herpes. It slowed me down a little, but I got educated and got over it. I’ve had 3 long term relationships since then and managed to enjoy being single for a little while in there too. I’m happy to say, I’ve not passed anything on to any partners. The “conversation” never did get easier and I hate that. In the end though, I got through it by learning as much as I could about transmission and how to know when an out break is coming, I took suppression meds with one relationship at his request, but I don’t take them now. Heck! I’ve even managed to get pregnant (clearly protection was not being used in order for that to happen) and have 2 vaginal (it isn’t TMI, it makes a difference) births (after talking with my OB and choosing suppression meds for the last month of the pregnancy).
Wow. I am so thankful I have read this. When my cousin was about 28 she got herpes. It was no big deal, she is a strong woman, she got on with life and married and has adult children. Nearly 5 years ago while in a relationship I got herpes. Aged 50. A devastating blow. Even telling a doctor took all the courage I could muster. The relationship ended about a year later and I have spent the last five years shut down sexually, emotionally. I feel shame, and have no idea how I could begin to tell someone. I haven’t accepted it, or adapted, and do feel ashamed. I feel a glimmer of hope after reading your post and the comments that follow it. Thank you
Hi Sharon, I feel your shame. I found out 2 years ago, my then partner flatly refused it was him. We separated last year & I’ve recently found out he did cheat on me. I have now started seeing a lovely guy & the time has come for me to tell him. I am simply dreading it. I have type 1 & 2, I find having type 1 so much easier to deal with…well if this new guy decides he doesn’t want to stick around, he isn’t the right one. Good luck x
You are an incredibly strong and brave woman. Thank you for writing this–you have no idea (or maybe you do) how powerful this is for someone like me, a woman who “shouldn’t” have herpes but does, to read. Everything you wrote about, I have felt. All of the fears and anxieties and self-doubts. The way you have handled them, you are nothing less than superwoman. Stay fierce, beautiful woman.
The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is tell a new partner about ‘it’ (can’t even really say it still, even after 4 years!) I felt like I’d never be able to have sex again and had been single since my diagnosis (still will never know how I caught it). But I’ve met someone who is so kind and never judges me. And just likes me for me. After years of being repulsed by myself and so ashamed, I’m finally having a relationship with a fairly normal sex life with a wonderful person. I think if I’d known this might be a possibility, maybe I’d have saved myself some tears. I’m going to try to keep talking to him about it so it’s not a scary thing, just ‘one of those things’. So if anyones reading and feeling shitty or dirty or suicidal, try to remember that life goes on just the same, you’re still the same you, and one day someone will see you for that.
Thank you! I’ve struggled so much with it all… Guilt, depression… Isolation… Further guilt and then alcohol and drug abuse…. For what?!
A skin irritation…. And a shit load of social slander….
You’ve definitely given me more strength and I’m so glad I stumbled across this! Feel like laughing off the past 3 years but all I can do is cry in relief that not everyone feels ashamed and I don’t need to anymore. Thank you and for everyone here. I fucking love you x
Very, very brave! I got herpes nearly 30 years ago while at Wes and despite much initial depression, I’d have to say that it’s overall impact on my life has been negligible… awesome of you to alleviate the fears and private terrors of others by writing about it.
Great post! Really interesting to read about what it’s like to live with herpes, there’s so much focus on not getting it, and seemingly not so much advice about what your options are afterwards. Look forward to your future posts 🙂
Your posts help me so much. Every time I read one I feel like I can handle this a little more and everything is going to be okay. Please keep writing. 🙂
As always…raw and beautiful…
“Years ago, I harangued a bro friend for being what I perceived as sexually irresponsible. He admitted to having casual sex with women at his college who he didn’t know very well without using a condom because, as he said, “They’re on the pill.” This is actually my only memory of discussing herpes before my own diagnosis. “That’s how you get herpes,” I scolded him, with more judgment than I’d like to admit. “You need to be more careful.””
Personally, I’m more likely to lecture young men on always wearing a condom if they are not ready to be a Baby Daddy, because IMO it’s not fair to put ALL the birth control responsibility on the woman’s shoulders AND because BC does fail (just as condoms don’t always protect from Herpes)…. I know, I have a beautiful 4 yr old BC grandchild whose father is still not able to financially support her leaving my daughter to have to put her studies off (or at least slow down how long it will take her to finish her degree) so she can work full time to support herself and her child.
Beyond that, I totally and completely agree that as long as both partners are well informed and make an ADULT, clear headed, rational CHOICE to forego condoms (whether the risk be pregnancy or STI’s) then there’s certainly nothing wrong with that decision. I tell people all the time: A life well lived ASSUMES risk. There will always be things we do that *could* get us hurt or killed. Just getting into a car puts you at about a 1% risk of injury each year … not much less than the risk of a guy getting Herpes from a woman on anti-virals. Anyone who is into sports has to know that an injury could change the course of their life. If you can’t deal with that, go live in a bubble…. Me? I plan to enjoy every moment that I can of this life … and when I DO get into a relationship, odds are (given the age of my suitors) condoms won’t be part of the package once we have established trust and are ready to “go to the next level”. At 53, I at least don’t have the pregnancy issue to worry about any more!
Proud of you chica … keep spreading the word…. you are doing a great job 🙂