Question:
You all are so knowledgeable and I hope you can shed some light on this.
Ok.. a bit of a back story first: Hubby is infertile and we have a known sperm donor instead of going through a sperm bank. (There will be no skin to skin contact, we're using a catheter. But, that's all beside the point) He just tested negative for Herpes 1 and 2. His wife has herpes 2 and has it under control with Valtrex. Anyway, I was surprised when his test came back negative. They have been together for 7 years and he has never had symtoms of herpes. Her outbreaks have been few, but on her lower back/above the crack area. Of course they are very careful, but I'm just not sure I believe the test. His doctor says we should be fine with the artificial inseminations and that a negative is a negative. The doctor feels pretty positive that since he tested negative and it's been 7 years that he would have shown symptoms by now.
Any advice?

Answer:
I believe the herpes virus resides on the skin, not in the seminal fluid. So it seems like a catheter (assuming you are doing this under sterile and/or Dr. supervision) should keep you safe. Anyone else agree? disagree?
~M


Answer:
Well, I did some more reading on the subject and apparently, by law, a person is not supposed to donate sperm if they have Herpes (amongst other things). Best to wait out test results.
~M


Answer:
M ~ Thanks for replying. We already got the test results. They came back negative for herpes. Doc says he doesn't have it.

Answer:
What test did they perform? And what were the numbers?

I wouldn't trust anyone's claim to not have herpes for something like the procedure you are going through. Find out what test was done, who did it, what the actual numbers were, which lab did the work, etc... There are a lot of inaccurate tests out there, a lot of incompetent doctors, and a whole lot of ways to catch herpes because of someone else's incompetence. Your child is worth a bit of investigation...

Answer:
Ok, this is a family member (by marriage and NOT a blood relative of mine) that would not lie about this. I'm not sure which test was done, other than the fact that it was a blood test. The blood test came back negative. What test do we need to request? Also, he has never had any outbreaks and he tested negative.
I thought the only risk to the baby was through delivery.

Quote "Your child is worth a bit of investigation...."

That's why I've been stalking this site for the last 2 weeks.;)

Thanks for your reply:)

Answer:
I wasn't talking about dishonesty. I was talking about lack of information and inaccurate testing procedures. The type of test is very important for accurate test results. I would ask for the papers on the blood test, which should tell you all the information you need to know. Docs are usually incompetent idiots about herpes, even when it comes to interpreting test results.

Answer:
I'm curious to know how you can say that doctors are incompetent idots. Is this your opinion or is it something you can say with certainty? People are looking to this site for facts and we can't be clouding the issues with our opinions, can we? By all means, if you have some evidence of this, present it, but don't bash the doctors because of a bad experience or someone else's. The disease has been around for a LONG time so I think they have some kind of idea about it. Sure the number of people infected has gotten worse but research has been done to provide the doctors some level of education. I'm sure they've read test results a time or two and know how to read them. I'm not trying to be harsh here, but provide something we can verify please. I'll be happy to do more research.

Answer:
I'm curious to know how you can say that doctors are incompetent idots. Is this your opinion or is it something you can say with certainty? People are looking to this site for facts and we can't be clouding the issues with our opinions, can we? By all means, if you have some evidence of this, present it, but don't bash the doctors because of a bad experience or someone else's. The disease has been around for a LONG time so I think they have some kind of idea about it. Sure the number of people infected has gotten worse but research has been done to provide the doctors some level of education. I'm sure they've read test results a time or two and know how to read them. I'm not trying to be harsh here, but provide something we can verify please. I'll be happy to do more research.
It is clear that you haven't read much of anything on this site and don't have much experience with herpes just like the doctors. And don't tell people here to not share their opinions and experiences. This site is more "real world" opinions and experiences than "textbook" controlling dogma. If you really do need a research study supporting my claim that doctors are usually idiots about herpes... do your own homework and formulate your own conclusion (opinion). Maybe even go see a doctor and share you experience, be it good or bad.