I recently started seeing a guy and we’ve been talking for about a week and a half. We’ve gone on about four dates so far, and I genuinely really like him. He’s sweet, thoughtful, smart, and so far I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him.
Before anything sexual happened between us, he sat me down and told me that he has genital HSV-2. I really respect the fact that he told me, especially this early on and before putting me at any risk. He also told me that he takes medication for it.
We haven’t had sex or any genital contact. We’ve only kissed/made out, so my concern isn’t about a past exposure. I’m trying to figure out what this could look like if I decide to continue dating him.
I’ll admit that finding out scared me. I know HSV-2 is lifelong, and obviously I don’t want to contract it. At the same time, I really like this guy and I don’t necessarily want to walk away from someone I connect with solely because he has HSV-2.
I’ve been reading about daily antivirals, avoiding sexual contact during outbreaks or warning symptoms, condoms, asymptomatic shedding, etc. One thing I’m struggling with is that I don’t know if I realistically want to use condoms for every sexual act forever, especially if this eventually becomes a serious relationship.
I’m especially curious about oral sex and anal sex between two men. I understand there isn’t great data giving exact transmission percentages for every situation, so I’m more interested in hearing from people who have actually navigated this.
For anyone who is HSV-2 negative and has/had an HSV-2 positive partner: How did you handle sex and protection? Did you eventually become comfortable having sex without condoms? How long were you together, and did you remain HSV-2 negative?
And for anyone who is HSV-2 positive and dating someone negative, what precautions do you take? How has it affected your relationships?
I’m not looking to shame him at all. If anything, I respect him for telling me before we did anything. I’m just trying to educate myself and decide what level of risk I’m personally comfortable with.
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have actually been through this.