Question:
Hey everybody - I need some advice as to what I should do.

3 months ago, I had protected sex with a guy who has a "questionable" sexual history. He was my second partner. (I found out later that he had taken home strange girls for three weekends until he met me, and he lied to me about this... He didn't think it was a 'big deal'. I doubt he was ever tested for herpes and I have no idea about the number of his partners.) I wasn't too worried about STDs because he didn't finish and we used condoms, but recently I was diagnosed with chlamydia, and I am almost positive it was because of him. We are no longer in contact.

After finding out about the chlamydia, I did some online research about herpes, and now I am freaking out. I had no idea that so many people had it, and I realize that the condoms probably offered slim to zero protection. We had sex twice in two weekends, and I never saw anything that I thought looked questionable on him (though after sex, his skin did get irritated, but it didn't look that way before hand so I'm assuming it's because of the condoms)

During the three months afterwards, I did not experience any noticable herpes symptoms. Now I flip out even if I have a momentary itch down there. I am driving myself crazy checking myself for new 'spots' down there everytime i'm in the bathroom. I did experience some red bumps and itching, but I think it was from razor burn because it was right after i switched to a cheaper razor, and only in the parts that I shaved. I have some red tiny bumps that aren't in that area, but they don't hurt or itch at all. Could it just be from irritated hair follicles?

What do you think are the chances of me getting HSV-2 from this guy? How many other people ended up with HSV-2 from similar sexual experiences?

I want to get a blood test to know for sure, but I am afraid to. I know that most people have HSV-1 and it isn't a big deal, but being diagnosed with HSV-2, even if I never have *any* symptoms, puts a big stigma on me and would change my entire life. It seems ridiculous that such a stigma can be on something that a huge percentage of people have yet often causes no symptoms. Advice?

Answer:
Relax. Easier said than done, I know. Look at it this way...if you do have it and it hasn't presented yet, it's going to be one heck of an outbreak because you're stressing yourself out so much. If you've read about HSV-2, you know stress is often a trigger. It lowers your immune system and everything hits harder than it would it your stress was managed. The situation you described sounds iffy. Ask your doctor to do a complete STD work up on you. COMPLETE. That should help put your mind at ease a bit. Good luck and keep your chin up.