Many people who have contracted genital herpes buy into the mythological view that they are now part of a tiny, shunned fragment of society.
It is all too easy to believe that having both genital herpes and relationships with others (romantically, at least) is no longer possible.
If this is your mindset, it is helpful to remember that between 20-25% of the adult population in North American currently has genital herpes.
This means that you could throw a pebble into a crowd on the busiest street in your city and have a pretty good chance of hitting someone who has it.
Of course, having herpes and relationships with others is made more complicated by the fact that nobody is willing to come right out and mention their condition when they first meet someone new.
The truth is that most people do not have the iron resilience to deal with someone who reacts very badly to the news, someone who has not contracted genital herpes themselves (or does not know they have).
Because of this, the modern way to have both herpes and relationships with others is through online dating.
There are specific sites that cater to people who have contracted an std - and don't want the hassle and humiliation of telling every potential mate.
Now you may not want to talk or think about herpes anymore, or you may be at a stage where you want more knowledge and understanding.
With a herpes dating site, you could get either: finding someone else who already has herpes takes you both past the point of needing to talk about it or disclose it, or you may use a herpes dating site as a support group to gain more information or share experiences.