How to Date and Have a Love Life after Herpes

It is no secret that herpes is a sexually transmitted disease, and people who suffer from the disease may effectively consider themselves out of the dating game. However, there is absolutely no reason you should stop looking for love and fun in your life. In fact, there are ways in which you can safely begin to date and even have a healthy, fulfilling relationship despite your disease.

Acknowledging the Disease

For most people who find out they have herpes after they are already in a relationship, the most difficult thing to do is to talk to their partners about it. There is constant fear of being abandoned after confessing about their condition. However, if you hope to be sexually intimate with your partner, you have to broach the subject sometime. It is important to consider that the disease does not detract from all your other qualities. There are a lot of things you can still do without any fear. Kissing, fondling and cuddling, for instance, are completely safe and have nothing to do with your disease. You can have sex when you do not have an outbreak, so discussing these options with your partner can be really helpful.

Starting to Date

If you are single, and have just been diagnosed with herpes, it may seem like the end of the dating game for you. However, it doesn’t have to be so. There are millions of people who are living with herpes, and it is not always impossible to find someone who has the disease and understands you better. This in no way means that you can only date those who have the disease too. In fact, you can begin to date outside of the herpes community too. You just have to plan your love life better and be honest with your partner. Before getting sexually intimate with a new partner, you should talk about your condition and how you can safely continue to have sex without passing it on. A lot of emotional support groups are sprung up in the last decade, and many of them help couples who want to have a normal life post herpes. You can seek support from them.

Handling Rejection

Not everyone would understand about your disease, and so you should be prepared for rejection as well. Still, no amount of preparation can help you from feeling dejected if someone rejects you for having a disease. On the brighter side, anyone who dates, may have to experience rejection. In fact, rejection is a natural part of the dating game, so try not to take it too personally. There is someone special out there, who will love you for you, and would not be disturbed by the fact that you have a sexually transmitted disease. So unless you find this person, you should not give up on love. Meanwhile, show yourself a little love too. If you are confident and willing to take chances, you will soon have love in your life.

Important note:

Your health care practitioner can help you chart out a plan for healthy living. With the help of retroviral drugs, you can prolong your periods of remission and improve the likelihood of leading a normal life. Proper home care, along with medical intervention, can help you approach your dating life with more normalcy and confidence.