I told a guy I'm dating that I have herpes and he broke up with me. What can I do to make sure this doesn't happen again?
First of all, good for you for being brave enough to tell this guy that you have
herpes! That is a scary thing to do and even if it did not turn out the way you hoped, you were honest and brave and you should be proud of yourself for that.
Unfortunately, no matter how honest and brave you are about telling people you date about your herpes, you cannot control how they will react. The good thing is that just as there are experiences like the one you just had, there are good ones too. There are guys that will be willing to learn about herpes, talk to you about it, and do what they can to protect themselves from becoming infected, too. Also, there are plenty of guys out there who are also living with herpes themselves and looking for someone who will be understanding and supportive just like you are.
There are dating web sites just for people who have an STD, though these are really for adults. This may be an option for you when you get a little older. In the meantime, check out the American Social Health Association at
www.ashastd.org. They have a lot of resources for people living with herpes,
HPV, and other STDs, including advice about telling partners, protecting partners from being infected, and information about local support groups.
Good luck and keep being brave!