Personal herpes questions asked and answered

These are questions about HSV that have been sent in that I have saved over time.

I decided it might be a good idea to actually post the question and then answer them in the best way that I can over on the herpes message board OR on my Sexual Health Buzz blog.

I don't mind at all when people write and ask me about how herpes has affected my life. I'm hoping those that are newly diagnosed will see and understand that herpes is not only manageable but that you can go on and do the things that you've always wanted to do.

I know that when I was first diagnosed with genital herpes some of the things that went through my mind were 1) is anybody ever going to want to be with me? 2) Will I ever be able to have children? 3) Will I have to have a c-section if I become pregnant? 4) What about oral sex? Will oral sex totally be lost because I have herpes? 5) Is my sex life as I know it over with now because I have herpes?

Those are just a few of the things that crossed my mind when I first found out about my status. I promise you that as hopeless as you might be right now thinking that your life is over, you are not. There is hope as long as  you are willing to read more about this. The more you know the better you will feel. I promise you that if you give it some time and do a lot of reading you will feel better about the situation.

If you are feeling desperately lost about the whole thing I want to encourage you to see a counselor. Perhaps you are suffering from other things in addition to just finding out that you have herpes. Just know that it's going to be ok. In the meantime, if you have any questions you would like to ask me I am more than happy to answer those.

I don't mind the questions and you can get as personal OR as detailed as you would like and I will do my best to answer them as quickly and directly as possible. Typical personal herpes questions that people have asked me about are as follows:

Am I always shedding even without an outbreak?

Becoming sexually active after herpes

Do you and your husband frequently discuss HSV?

Do you still get flare ups even having had HSV after all these years?

How do you even try to conceive a child without a condom?

Has unprotected sex with your husband ever been an issue?

The Bathroom And Herpes

I will post the questions and the answers as I receive. Sometimes I update this page once a month and other times once a week. If you can't find the answer to your question do a search on the herpes message board OR pick up the phone and call your doctor. If you don't have a doctor see if you can find an std clinic, county health department, OR planned parenthood.