Anyone that says they will forgive a cheater because it's human nature has obviously cheated on someone in the past. Anyone that has been cheated on would not have the same answer in my opinion. His previous sex life is his business, but the least he can do is tell you if he has had unprotected sex and if he has been tested for STD/I's. Always wear a condom and be careful with this guy because he may cheat on you.

it sounds a bit fishy
even though talking about the ex is a fishy topic, by this time he should be comfortable enough to open up about them. you guys have been together for 5 months, that is the time you need find out who he really is and decide where you want to take the relationship.
i would feel a little bit uncomfortable if he cannot share his dating history with me. if he was over his ex, he should be able to openly talk about them. maybe there is something about his history that he doesnt want to share with you knowing you would think differently of him. perhaps he still has feelings for his ex. or he is not proud of his cheating ways.
my concern is that he is not willing to talk about it because he doesnt want to lie to you and telling you the truth would upset or hurt your feelings in some way. so he dodges the topic altogether.
i've been in your shoes before and it wasnt pleasant when i pressed him to talk about it. i ended it the next day. just make sure that he's not having feelings for his ex while he's dating you.

Hiding got a point there. I was cheated on by my ex-fiancee and I don't find cheating a forgivable mistake (again, that's just my pov). That's practically one of my deal breakers. My hub's ex also cheated on him and he feels the same way as I do.

Anyway, I do agree with Hiding that you need to also be careful with whomever you enter a sexual relationship with. Practice safe sex and get tested.

As for talking about his past, it's actually only his business whom he sleeps with or cheated on. It's his choice to divulge as much as he wants. You can ask, but of course, he can avoid answering you or not answer at all.

If you find it suspicious that he cheated in the past and that you have the 'fear' that he may cheat on you some day based on his past, it's really up to you if you want to continue with the relationship or not. Time to decide I guess.

5 months is relatively new so better decide now before you guys go on and on (in case you can't accept his past behavior).

If he's silent, he is most likely hiding something. Maybe he was a cheater and had a lot of unprotected sex in his past.(sounds like my ex, yuck) It's up to you to decide if you think it's worth the risk to get hurt in the future. Although you don't need to know everything about his exes, it is helpful to know some information about a person's dating habits. If you decide to move forward, I would just be cautious.

Wait... you classify knowing details about his ex-girlfriends a "need"?! And one that must be met after having slept with him? Honey, you're doing this backwards. Don't try to pull the "I can't move forward until I know" bit when you know that if it was really that important to you, you would have found out FIRST! An STD test is fine to ask for; a chronological history of ex girlfriends and all their flaws is not. Perhaps you should re-think your priorities in relationships and next time, try to meet your needs first, yes? You shouldn't get 5 months into a relationship without finding out if he has any communicable diseases. The other stuff... sure, he probably did cheat if he won't tell you. Honestly though, if he did, what will you do with that knowledge? Break up with him, or just use it in an argument as a weapon?

go get tested. his past is none of your business.

Oh come one. Since when is knowing about your S.O.'s past so horrible. If I'm going to be with someone, I want to know the whole person, and what life experiences and choices have shaped them to be the person they are today. Even if those choices aren't the best in the world. I can't see any reason someone would want to keep their past secret from their current S.O. unless it was something like cheating that they didn't want there current S.O. to find out about. Personally, I wouldn't date someone who cheated in the past b/c people RARELY change. So yeah, I do think I have a right to know something like that about a person I'm dating. No secrets in my relationships, even if you aren't proud of them. There's no reason to have secrets like that as far as I can see.

I wouldn't stay with the guy OP. I'd feel pretty sure he cheated in the past and might do it again. Especially if he is already keeping secrets from you and thinks that's ok. If he decides to cheat again, he would just keep that a secret too. JMHO though.

I have a different opinion about this one. To be honest the whole 'how many people have you been with' is a tricky question, and I don't really blame him for avoiding that one. If the number is too high, you might judge him and think he is slutty, if the number is too low, you might think that he has had trouble attracting women. In any case, most men and women lie or exaggerate about this number anyway.

In my opinion, this information is not your business, unless he feels comfortable telling you. As for any heath related issues that you are concerned about, find out if he has had a recent STI test. If not, why don't the 2 of you go together to an STD clinic or planned parenthood, and then share your results? Perhaps he didn't feel comfortable
talking about cheating because he was badly hurt by an ex cheating on him and does not want to talk about it? I am just saying that I don't think that you have to assume the worst here. Some people are just more private about their sexual history and past relationships than others and that is ok. But I do think that it is good to talk about some of the reasons why past relationships did not work out (if the person feels comfortable), because it gives your partner an insight into what type of person you are in relationships. If I were you, I would just tell him straight out, 'listen I respect the fact that you do not want to tell me about the number of people that you have slept with, but I feel confused and a bit surprised that you think cheating is ok. Can we please talk about how you feel about this?' Good luck.

First, get tested. Better yet, get tested together. You could've even made it a cute, kind of exciting date kind of leading up to the exciting first time, but too late for that. Just go get tested. Second, his past is none of your business. If you think cheating is unforgivable then you need to find a boyfriend who feels the same way. People have all kinds of practices when it comes to dating, relationships & sex. Its no ones place to judge anyone. What you have to do is find someone who shares the same views on the issues that are important to you, in this case cheating. If you feel you NEED to know ALL of your boyfriends history, then you need to find a boyfriend has the NEED to share it.

I agree with the above comments. If you are having sex together, you should both get tested. If he refuses, then you DO have something to worry about. A doctor once told me you should use condoms for the first in a relationship. I have to agree. I'm different I guess. I don't want to hear about all the previous relationships. Afterall, everyone has a past, but you do have the right to know if he has had unprotected sex or risky sex. Five months is not a long time. It takes longer than that to really get to know someone. Maybe you should have waited a little longer before getting intimate?

Oops, the first YEAR in a new relationship. sorry.

the first YEAR in a relationship. oops.

Use a condom with the guy. What matters is how you feel about him and how he treats you. You could wait until he's ready to tell you about the past. It's only been five months. I'm sure he'll confide in you if things got serious. It sounds like he cheated and he's being smart not to say anything about it. It sounds like he realizes some mistakes he made and he's leaving that in the past where it belongs. Unlike some men who tell you their life story on the first date.