Question:
Just a question: I've seen from a lot of posts that doctors and others in the medical community are not keen to give people blood tests for HSV, especially to people who have shown no symptoms. I personally remember being told by a perfectly nice and seemingly competent doctor I asked to test me when I met my HSV2+ partner that "It just creates difficulties and blame".

My question is: if so many of them are saying it, does their position have at least some merit?

When I see posters like Daisy1, for example, who if she hadn't had a blood test might never have known she was HSV2+ and (given she's never had an outbreak) probably would shed asymptomatically only 15 days a year (if indeed the HSV2 is in her genital region and not her lips), I wonder if the emotional pain involved in an HSV2 diagnosis is worth it. And that emotional pain can make it harder for a person to reach their full potential as fast as they might otherwise - so third parties might suffer too: children; family; heck, even society, if the person concerned was destined to cure cancer but because of the stigma attached to herpes, has trouble finding the enthusiasm to follow her dream, even if it's just for a few months.

I suppose the obvious response is: a blood test can help you avoid infecting others. But how many people who have HSV2+ asymptomatically really do end up infecting others? I see "most new infections are caused by people who didn't know they had it..." mentioned in some books and websites, but as a man I have to question how honest men are when they say "Honest, I had no idea I had it".

Right, not all this is my opinion, but I am interested in seeing a debate on this topic.

DM

Answer:
I partially agree, and partially disagree.

I feel that blood test should be done because if people don't know they have it or that they were exposed to it then they can't change their behaviors! I believe that people honestly are morally good, and knowing they might/could have it would make them practice safe sex and inform their partners so they can make a decision on if they want to contract it or not - something most of us didn't get to do.

On the other hand, I am caught in limbo...and that is a terrible place to be. I have my blood test that has shown I'm positive for HSV-2 (which btw my IgG count was 1.18 and positive is >1.10 so I'm not that over) but I've never had symptoms. I've been told by so many people to "get a second opinion" because I was diagnosed at my school's health center by a registered nurse, but I can't help but wonder...what is a second opinion going to prove?

Either the blood work from the second opinion is negative which still doesn't give me peace of mind, or it's positive, which again doesn't give me peace of mind since i've never had symptoms.

One thing I do know and do believe in: weather this pans out that I do or do not have this disease, my actions will forever be changed. My views on these kinds of diseases will forever be changed, and my life will never be what it was. Because if it turns out I'm negative (which i'll apparantly never really know) I still had to live my life feeling I was HSV-2 positive for months.