Being in a relationship with someone who has herpes is a pure show of love and understanding. It is an adorable thing to have a guy or a lady accept a partner with herpes, just for who the person is. But truth be told, someone with herpes have so much to worry about already −from the journey of trying to get someone who truly loves them to dealing with the relationship itself; It is not a bed of roses. Although every relationship has its challenges, dating someone with herpes has a few concerns more than the usual. Here are some challenges peculiar to dating people with herpes that you should know of.
NB: These things are not to discourage you; knowing them beforehand will only help you and your partner to set things right in the relationship.
The fear of rejection
Having herpes can make one feel devastated. The fear of rejection is even worse. It is why some of them try to meet other people with herpes because they understand how it feels and won’t feel pressured. When it comes to relationships, people with herpes live with the fear of rejection; moreover, it is difficult to trust someone with the hurting truth of your own life. For those in a relationship with someone without the virus, they live in fear of being possibly rejected or spoken down on, someday. The best you can do is to treat them with dignity.
There are conditions for sex
People with herpes are careful with their sex life. They have to be careful with intercourse so that they don’t spread the virus during their outbreak, etc. They have to choose when to have sex, and during an outbreak, the best thing is to abstain from sex so as to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their partners.
People with herpes are careful with their sex life. They have to be careful with intercourse so that they don’t spread the virus during their outbreak, etc. They have to choose when to have sex, and during an outbreak, the best thing is to abstain from sex so as to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their partners.
The cost of medication
This may not be an issue for some, but it is sure worth mentioning. Suppressing outbreak and transmission requires dedicating funds for medications. So, while in a relationship, constant funds will have to be dedicated to the medication, periodically.
Extra-carefulness is required to reduce the risk of infection:
Just the way the parties have to be careful with sex, they also have to be careful with other intimate things such as kissing and sharing utensils. Herpes causes cold sores, which are communicable. So, extra care has to be taken to manage the person with herpes and to prevent the partner from contacting the same thing, if s/he is unsure or already tested negative for the herpes virus. A simple demarcation of utensils may help and occasional avoidance of kiss when an intending outbreak is sensed.
A carrier requires an extra level of care
A person with herpes can feel body pains and itches with or without prior warnings. So, more than the care given to the regular lover, one with herpes needs to be watched, understood, cared for, and allowed to rest. Sometimes, your partner may experience mood swings from being very lively, this minute to being calm and sore, the next minute. The swing does not necessarily mean you have done anything to hurt him or her. If you are not mentioned as the cause of the sudden change, then the swing might have been triggered by herpes. More care and understanding of body soreness or itchiness is necessary to help you walk them through.
Conception and childbearing are delicate
Couples with herpes (either one or both) go about with the concern of their children not catching the virus. It may require regular visits to the doctor and the purchase of antiviral medication to prevent an outbreak before or during childbirth, so as to reduce the chance of letting the innocent child contact the virus.
Usually, an outbreak happens when the body’s defense mechanism is weak. Therefore, it is encouraged that a herpes patient eats well and stays healthy as much as possible.
A carrier is not the disease. And all these challenges can be properly managed without hassles or complications. The most important and helpful thing is that partners are open to each other and to have a trusted doctor that they can always talk to any time, especially during pregnancy.
