Knowing How to Live with Genital Herpes Helps Put You In Charge

Sexual intimacy

There is no reason genital herpes should prevent you from enjoying an active and healthy sexual relationship, just like anyone else.

Granted, there will be times – especially during an outbreak – when sexual activity will need to wait. You will also need to be careful at other times, too, and always practice safer sex even when there are no signs or symptoms present (see Transmission & Its Risks). Sure, you may sometimes feel that puts limitations on your enjoyment of sex but having genital herpes doesn’t mean that the sex you have can’t be good.

Remember, there’s more to sexual intimacy than intercourse. You can find sexual pleasure in other ways such as kissing and cuddling, sharing intimate thoughts and feelings and quiet time spent together. All of these let you express your sexuality, so explore other ways to have a satisfying sexual relationship that doesn’t always involve intercourse.

1. Clarke P. The Impact of a Herpes Diagnosis and the Implications for Patient Counseling. Clinical Management of Herpes Viruses,1995: 75-85. IOS Print, Washington, DC. 2. Whitley RJ, Kimberlin DW and Roizman B. Herpes Simplex Viruses. Clin Infect Dis 1998;26(3):541-553. 3. Sacks S. The Truth About Herpes. 4th Ed., 1997. Gordon Soules Book Publishing Ltd. 4. Kemeny ME, Cohen F, Zegans LS et al. Psychological and Immunological Predictors of Genital Herpes Recurrence. Psych Med 1989;51:195-208. 5. Aoki FY. Canadian Guidelines on Sexually Transmitted Infections 2006 Edition; Genital Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Infections. Public Health Agency of Canada http://phac-aspc.gc.ca/std-mts/sti_2006/pdf/sti2006_e.pdf. Accessed May 15, 2006. 6. Cuisini M and Ghislanzoni M.The importance of diagnosing genital herpes. J Antimicrob Chemo 2001;47(Topic T1):9-16.