Trying

Thanks dancer, I try to imagine some are, makes me feel a little better

I have a partner who is not phased by this, but I live in constant anxiety about somebody else finding out about this and shunning me because of it. I have children and even that worries me, the school mums I feel would not be open minded. I'm just having a crap day

Why do I live here (aus) and feel no one is open minded :(

Hey adrial what company is this through? I can't participate but just like knowing the go lol, is it through vical or agenus or genocea or is there another contender :)

Seeker the cure for hep c points to sometimes it is about healing the people :)

Guys it can be really tough...we are told "oh you can still have an awesome life" then pretty much get told you can't ruin someone else's life....people say "anyone who loves you will accept this or they done deserve you" and then we think well they say they love me and want a future so of course they will and I don't want to tell.....we all know it's a hard place to be

I wasn't keen on the challenge either but it did go soo far...I would like that anonmess feeling alone in this is the worst part

Hey I read if you get chlamydia twice you have 50% chance of being infertile as the second time it's more likely to do damage and cause pelvic inflammatory disease. I know a lot of people who have had it once and gone onto have babies so fingers crossed you are fine, maybe they can do ultraound to have a look at scar tissue, I think that's where the problem lies.

I was 23 also, it can be hard. I had bad days where I don't get off google and good days aswell. Do your research, look at the post I just made under this, it may out things into perspective

Maybe ask if he has cold sores before? If he says yes mention you think during oral he has given you one below, and assure him it highly unlikely he will get it genitally from you, since he already has the hsv1 virus (if he has in fact had cold sores) ...how old are you's?

I want to reduce the stigma, with things going viral online so much these days how great would it be to start something for herpes...the ALS ice bucket challenge went everywhere, I saw Nicole Richie do it with jessica alba, doesn't jessica have herpes? I would even like to see a link that gains popularity, I would write something like this; THERES A GOOD CHANCE GRANDMA HAS GENITAL HERPES! Yep that's right 50-70%!!! Of women over 45 have the virus which causes genital herpes (http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/04/latest-genital-herpes) . Herpes statistics are only increasing (30% higher since the 70's) so how will that effect youth of today by the time they reach this age? Medical experts predict by 2025 48% of women and 38% of men will carry HSV2, add that to the fact a lot of genital herpes infections today are caused by hsv1 (cold sores down below) and you have to ask , who WONT have genital herpes? So why is this happening? You could say we are marrying later and having more sexual partners, but there's no denying that the facts herpes is NOT, I repeat NOT included in a standard STD check, condoms don't give complete protection, 80% of people have no symptoms, and that once you have it, the condition can be significantly suppressed but not cured are all adding to the spread. So what needs to be done? End the stigma! If people could talk about this, they would know what I stated above, be comfortable taking to their doctor, and be comfortable talking to partners. If everybody was diagnosed I guarantee everybody would find a friend to lean on (statistics are as high as 1 in 4 women). There hasn't been any new medication in the area for many years and if the people who had herpes had a proud and collective voice I'm sure there would be advances . People diagnosed with herpes feel ashamed and alone,, but the proof says otherwise! If everybody who had herpes actually knew and didn't feel they had to hide the world would be a better place....not just for the people diagnosed but for every single person who will ever be sexually active, period. Labelled the "gift that keeps on giving" because of the no cure status, but made the centre of jokes because it's not lethal, surely people would have compassion when they realise their mother, sister, uncle, school teacher, bank teller could be silently suffering. Now isn't that message something to spread? Or something like that maybe that's abit to corny haha but you's know what I mean, if people were educated on this I could maybe talk to someone as could everyone else but I feel I need to hide Behind mask...I just wana put it out there I mean until I got this I never thought it "would happen to me" and would never suspected to know someone who has it but statistically I now know I do. There's needs to be awareness I really feel that.

I don't know if my pessimistic streak is less because I live in Australia and the government covers all out medical expenses, or because I trust ian, or because I think herpes isn't aids or cancer and most people don't even get treatment....or because I just need to have hope...

They did a study of 11,000 people here and tested them, that's how they got the percentage, and of that percentage 80-85% of them were unaware....yes I may or may not be overly obsessed with googling info, I think I need to stop

Yes I would do that, also there is no shame in doing so anonymously. Some may think it cowardly but I heard to many stories of people saying shaming and spreading the news

I pray you are wrong @seeker and I am hoping the small % of people who know and get treatment outweighs the high percentage who would get the preventative, and even as a "functional cure" I would be willing to pay a big amount every year to have booster if transmission was vastly decreased over valtrex, hopefully it works like that.

I have thought about this aswell, I think going back so many years, people do need to take a little responsibility for themselves and get tested...although herpes isn't in most tests but still, people do need to educate themselves a little I suppose. People from 20 years ago have probably had numerous other relationships where they could have been at risk, decided to demand a herpes test, some could have had symptoms....I think doctors agree not to test without symptoms because the physiological effect is so bad! In a way I agree, if they are happily cruising along after 20 years I don't know if I would chase them up. Maybe recently though.

Hey can I ask how you kept it from him if you had his child? Did you let the doctors know and they kept quiet around him? Just curious

Look into ian frasers vaccine. I'm really hoping that does well, but of course living life in the meantime lol

@jordenellison I wondered that myself...of course I respect the opinion and was given this without disclosure, but wondered why he bothered signing up if not h+ or contemplating a relationship with someone h+

Hey someone might correct me, but I think they can both be transmitted the same way as they are basically the same...with oral it can be through straws as you can take a sip and instantly pass it to somebody else within a matter of seconds. With hsv2 generally being below it's labelled skin to skin contact because generally there's nothing we share within seconds to someone else. It's a myth you can get it of toilet seats because someone can't come in and sit down within 5 seconds IF you got virus on the seat...because it CAN be spread through sex toys as this is immediate contact...I hope that clarifies

@whitedaisies I think if can shed from the general "mucous area", and that condoms are therefore more effective for women...but then add in the fact that women are more easily infected due to having a larger "mucousal" area and it would even it out?

@FLnewH your story is great, I get worried about people finding out ...wish I had the confidence that reactions would be positive

I read the virus can't be shed or transmitted through intact thigh skin. Only mucous membranes or broken skin.

Just think of all the turmoil this is causing you now and you should act differently in the future. Disclosure advice: if you want to keep your mouth closed you must also keep your legs closed ;)if the industry and lifestyle you are in considers sexual relationships as fun, by all mean do a pash and dash or other things, but don't do things that can spread this unless you are willing to disclose (someone has probably posted links to transmission) no denying the way you approach sex and dating will be different now but hopefully it will just lead you to better big hearted people

I think it causes more distress for you, and partners. Do try not to get to down about it, as you get older you will want to get to know someone anyway, and if you get to know someone and you can't imagine not having each other in your lives you's will be able to work around the situation. You just need to feel normal again, which is hard I know. See what happens with this guy, doctors don't even advise testing because the emotional distress outweighes the pros and "statistically doesn't stop the spread" , but I don't think we can take that to mean it's ok for us to pretend we don't know, although I know it's tempting, plus think about if you give it to someone and they tell everyone ! With this guy, he may not have it, and by the sound if how much he is sleeping around doesn't seem like an ideal guy to fall in love with.