There has long been stigma attached to people who contract an STD. Even when it’s a common STD such as herpes, people tend to be very judgmental. Even when someone has cold sores, they often get strange looks and are given a wide berth in public spaces. Saddest of all, most people reacting poorly are […]
Herpes – It Makes You Accept People – STI Interviews
What better way to turn lemons into lemonade than to take a herpes diagnosis and use it to help your friends. We hear this a lot, at The STI Project, that once someone shares their experience with their friends, they become the resident STD guru, and we think that’s awesome. Most people don’t know who […]
HSV2 – 3 of My Friends Have it Too – STI Interviews
Thank goodness for interviews like this! All of the perspectives shared on The STI Project are anonymous, authentic, and absolutely necessary, but I love to see the progression that happens after the initial shock and shame. While every experience in our life alters our perspective and changes how we view subsequent related events, that change […]
HSV2 – I Never Told Him He Gave it to Me – STI Interviews
One of the first questions interviewers ask me is if I know from whom I contracted herpes – HSV2, for me. And the answer is always the same, “No, I don’t, because when I was diagnosed, I had already been sexually active with more than one person, and I was too afraid of asking the […]
HSV2 – It’s Not Something I Want to Discuss – STI Interviews
First, your story about living with HSV2 is safe with us, interviewee. And you’re so very welcome; we can’t eloquently explain how important it is to us to learn that we’ve been able to help and that reading others’ stories has been cathartic for you. Messages like yours keep us keepin’ on! Also, we definitely […]
Genital Warts, High Risk HPV, HSV2 – Just a Skin Condition – STI Interviews
Naturally, when anyone is first diagnosed with HPV or HSV2, their first thought usually centers around how they contracted the infection, with the second most common thought following shortly thereafter: who is going to want to date me now that I have a long-term infection? While some people will choose to date someone else, there […]
My Herpes > Your Self-Loathing – A Love Letter to a Family Member
Angry rant/train wreck commences now: So, without naming names, it’s been brought to my attention that, 3+ years ago, when I launched The STI Project, a family member called my employer to ‘tattle’ on me – they wanted to make sure the Fortune 300 company I was working for knew what I was doing, because they […]
Recognizing STI Symptoms: A Guide to Five Common Infections
This feature article was written by Dr. Wayne Osbourne, a GP and the Head Practitioner at Treated.com. I’ve been working in general practice for 13 years now, and I can tell you that STIs are just as much of an issue here in the UK as they are in the United States. Permit me to […]