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It's always questionnable as to when to reveal a secret. There are many factors to consider, including: how long have you known the person you're planning to reveal it to, how serious the secret is and what are the ramifications of telling or keeping it a secret?

A recent article on CNN discusses when to reveal your secret to a date. According to Kimberly Flemke, a therapist on staff with the Philadelphia-based Council for Relationships(a nonprofit relationship-counseling group), "if you have a big secret, you want to have that trust established first so you know that the person is going to honor your privacy," she says. "You can't do that in a new relationship because you don't know the other person yet."

According to Dan Savage, a sex columnist, "once you're seeing the person a few times a week and sleeping together, it's time to come clean about any secrets that could affect the relationship."

If revealing the secret might jeapordize the relationship, allowing a prospective partner a chance to get to know you in other ways might be beneficial. It's important not to keep a secret that could endanger another person though, like having an STD and not mentioning it before sleeping with someone.

Grappling with whether or not to reveal a secret can be stressful. Supportive anonymous online forums can be a way to get advice on how to proceed before taking the plunge.