lifechange

Firstly, if you give blood they dont screen for herpes, well I live in Canada and I know they don't look for it here when you donate blood.

If you have been exposed to the virus you can find out through a blood test for herpes but you have to ask for it as they just don't look for herpes. It is called the Western Blot test and there is another one which is called the IGG - You may wish to go for the test to get to the bottom of this for sure. It does not make a mistake and even if you never have an outbreak the blood will tell you if you have the virus or not.

And yes of course you can have kids if you have herpes, millions of people do! You may not need Valtrex - do you have any outbreaks and how difficult is it to deal with? My boyfriend and I both have herpes...his outbreaks are mild and few and he does not take anything for it. Mine are getting better over time, but they are still not pleasant and I take daily Valtrex.

We have unprotected sex when both of us are totally outbreak free, and given we both have it there is no real problem. But please read up on it.

Go for the blood test before having unprotected sex - it is important to always tell someone you have it if you do!!! You should know there is something called '' Viral Shedding" ( that is how I got it ) It means that a person with the herpes virus does not necessarily have to have ANY symptoms to transmit the virus. It is transmitted through skin to skin contact. My ex fiancee never told me he had herpes and because he never had an outbreak at the time, and I got it from him. I know for a fact that he had no sores present on him, so I know it came through shedding or maybe he had just cleared up from having an outbreak and it was still active on his skin. Either way I felt so betrayed and it certainly changed my life so to speak. So, you should really always tell someone you have been in contact with the herpes virus and let them make the decision about protection.

There are some very informative sites about herpes on the internet and believe me I learned more about it through research on the internet than through my doctor. I even told her stuff about herpes that she did not know. Read as much as you need to. All the best to you.