Living with Genital Herpes: Seeking Support and Hopeful Stories

Hey girl! I was diagnosed at age 20. It's really hard, I know! But after a while you will realize that it's not a big deal at all. Time definitely heals. I was completely distraught when I got my diagnosis, but now 1 year later, i'm okay. When approaching new partners, just disclose and educate them if they don't know much about it. And educate yourself, too. The best way to cope for me is just being completely open and even joking about it with friends/family. I just have to laugh about it now because there is nothing I can do to change it.

Hey! :) I was diagnosed when I was 21 (32 now). It was a huge shock and I went through a lot of emotions at the time. My best advice I could ever give - is to find a therapist and work through everything your feeling with a professional. This will help with any negative feelings you may have because of the stigma around it. (Because, honestly it’s just a little skin rash. That’s it. Nothing more). If it helps to hear, I found my husband just a couple of years later and he’s been sooo accepting. We don’t ever think about it even! Been together 8 years now. I’m always happy to answer any questions :)

I was diagnosed in 2016 when it wasn't talked about too much and there was a lot stigma around it and in 2018 I meet someone and they excepted me and the fact that I had it and we had a beautiful child together just be yourself and be up front about it things will work out there are ways to be safe and protect your partner from it and one thing keep in mind too is that are a staggering new number of cases every year world wide so you're not alone

Hii I was diagnosed with HSV2 at 20 years old in 2020. It was really shocking at first but after learning how common it is, and finding a good doctor, I’ve learned to cope with it better. My partner is okay with it and I’m very lucky she was already educated on the matter. When I told her she was very understanding and calming and that just reaffirmed I picked a good one :) Best of luck to you!

Hey I got it when I was 20 now 23 and honestly it didn’t change much of my life/ dating it can be scary to disclose at first but it it’s easier and most of the ppl I’ve talked to /dated where okay with it or just wanted to research it before doing anything sexual. It also help to educate yourself as much as possible on it so you can answer questions you partner may have. You can text me if you need anything or just wanna talk