I caught herpes when I was younger and dumber from a one night

How bad is it? What are your symptoms? dunno how the situation in america is, but if you are talking about the herpes simplex virus, approx. 85% of adults have it in their bodies and it only breaks out when the immune system is on low. Where i live, this isn't a biggie. Just don't do stuff if you have an outbreak and treat it right. Best is to be as healthy as possible so you don't get outbreaks.

well a billion Africans have no qualms about doing so, chicken pox vaccine is thought to virtually cure it

>>16521131
Most people have herpes. Unfortunately, most think they don't because most are asymptomatic. So lots of misinfo gets spread around. I'm sure you'll be able to find a wife.

>>16521149
Calm down there with those numbers. I urge you to look in to just what kind of herpes is so common. It's not like everyone has herpes on their dicks and pussies just waiting to break out.

>>16521904
With the prevalence of oral sex, that's pretty much moot nowadays. Herpes is herpes.

>>16521890
you're thinking of cold sores aka herpes simplex 1 which is extremely common, herpes simplex 2 or genital herpes is not very common at all (about 15% of people in USA have it)

but ya there are dating sites where you enter which kind of std you have to date others who already have it

>>16521946
This is outdated. Yes, there are two strains of the herpes simplex virus, but ultimately, herpes is herpes. You can just as easily get 1 on your genitals and 2 on your mouth. 1 is more common overall, and because of the increase in oral sex practices, 40% of all new genital herpes infections are caused by HSV-1. About 20% of oral cases are caused by 2.

A ton of people have genital herpes. One out of six people in the US get it, according to the CDC. I don't think all their lives are ruined forever.

I got herpes simplex 2 when I lost my virginity, despite the condom (it didn't cover the base, I guess). I barely notice I have it. In the seven years I've had it, I have had sores twice.

There's medication you can take to help prevent the spread. If you touch a sore, don't touch any other part of your body (especially eyes) without washing your hands. Keep your junk clean and dry.

It'll be fine.

Sorry to hear that buddy.

Luckily, like these guys said, its way more common than the media makes it out to be. Tons of people have it and just don't show symptoms, so they think they don't have it.

It's no the end of the world, but its tough because you should definitely bring it up before having sex with someone. But if you guys are having a real connection, well, life.... finds a way

>>16521915
>>16521981

...

You are a goddamned idiot. "Herpes is herpes"? You're so stupid it's no wonder you caught it.

>>16521985
Approx ~15% is not a ton of people. Clearly, that is way more people that DON'T have it than DO have it.

I understand that you all have herpes, and I am sorry to hear that, and you all can still find love - and you deserve it - but stop acting like the next 9 out of 10 people you see have herpes. It is still very much uncommon or else it wouldn't be so frowned upon to catch it.

>>16522030
I'm not OP. And I've never had symptoms of herpes, but unlike you, I actually know what I'm talking about. More than half of people in the U.S. test seropositive for HSV-1. That means probably me and you too. It's just a fact. Most people have herpes. And that's not including 2.

Also, you're assuming that OP has 2 for some reason, when he hasn't said which type.

How do you know you don't have herpes?

>>16522030
15% is pretty common in the grand scheme of things. If you can look around a party and say, "yeah, a couple of these people probably have genital herpes, or will get it at some point in the near-ish future," that's a substantial number. I'm not saying the majority of people have it. Just that it's not a rare disease that will transform you into a social pariah.

>>16522081
>killing yourself
>over herpes

kys

Good grief, OP. There's people out there who are fucking serial killers and they still get love letters in their jail cells. There's single parents who still find love, disabled people finding love, hell even the ugliest folks out there managed to get married like it ain't a thang.

I'll tell you one thing that will ALWAYS make you single and bitter: Low self-esteem. If you don't like yourself, everybody will pick up on it and shove you aside. That goes for men, women, gay, straight, doesn't matter. Everybody likes a confident person. Everybody.

Herpes is only a dreaded STD because big pharma wanted to sell drugs that blunt the symptoms.

Up til the 70's it was considered about as inconvenient as a pimple.

It's a lot easier to sell people on an expensive med for a horrible, disfiguring STD that will make them foreveralone than for a pimple.

I have HSV1 and 2 and I get monthly outbreaks down below. I've had no problem finding love and being accepted. I've been very upfront as soon as I know things are getting to the point I know we both want to bone and I always have told before the first kiss.

I also take medication that helps with the outbreaks and overall I have a pretty positive attitude about it.

Don't let it get you down son.

>>16522759
Exactly this. It's a recurring pimple, or cluster of pimples, that may also tingle and hurt for a couple days when it resurfaces.

How it ever got made into this horrible affliction that some people ACTUALLY want to kill themselves over is beyond me.

Oh that's right - pharmaceuticals.

>>16521149

>85%

and everyone told me being a virgin was bad

also that number seems inflated

>>16523234
90% of the global population has one or both viruses. That 9 out of every 10 people. Over half of the US and European populations have HSV-1 alone. That's more than one out of every two. Being a virgin isn't bad, and it certainly reduces your risk, but most people get herpes as a baby from close contact with family, not through sex.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK47447/

>>16523271
I'm a kv with herpes I must've gotten it from family. In fact I have a cold sore right now as I had an allergy attack the last few days. If 9/10 have it am I still supposed to tell people before kissing? I didn't start getting the cold sores until a few years ago but I think a lot of people are infected but aysmptomatic/dormant, but can still infect others, is that right? Why does this all have to be so complicated, like someone mentioned it's basically just a pimple...

>>16523430
>a lot of people are infected but aysmptomatic/dormant, but can still infect others, is that right?
Yes

>am I still supposed to tell people before kissing?
I don't think I can really answer a moral question for you, but I believe honesty and openness are good policies in life and especially in relationships. These things are complicated, but they really aren't the end of the world.

>>16521131
Herpes is fucking nothing. Find a girl who isn't an absolute fuckwit and they won't give a shit.

Symptoms:
- Get less severe over time, to a barely noticeable extent
- Get far less frequent over time
- Are fucking nothing in the first place. A sore for a week? Come on.

Who gives a shit? Get some aciclovir if you want it to go away more quickly.

Chances are you'll give it to whatever gf/wife you have and she will be asymptomatic her entire life. Exactly what's happened with all of my girlfriends so far.

I sortof know the feeling. My first unprotected sex partner, 3rd sex partner, was diagnosed with HPV soon after we began dating. The genital kind. I should have broken up with her early on but I was 21 and stupid and ended up eventually marrying her. She has BPD and serious depression so it lasted 5 years and ended. During my marriage I developed lots of nasty hand warts and eventually some small genital and anal warts. I tried different treatments but the best by far was dry ice. In less than a year of routinely dry icing my warts into submission, the wart nightmare was over, the remaining ones all went away at once and never returned. My immune system had caught up.

I didn't mean to but I really liked the first girl I dated after my divorce and, I'm still with her 2 years later. Stayed with the rebound girl... Probably a dumb idea but she is a good girl. She has the gardisil vaccine so we're good and I never have to worry about warts again, so it seems.

That's why your situation is tougher. I guess either h-date or you need to have safe sex forever.