Question:
another question-is there a way to find out if you are a shedder or not?

Answer:
this is all really new to me so I hope I do not sound uneducated, but....what is a "shedder"

Answer:
well apparently even if you are not having an outbreak or any symptoms you can still "shed" the virus from the area you usually have an outbreak ---& spread the virus to someone

Answer:
thier is no test to see if a person is shedding..

Asymptomatic shedding as it known, is when a HSV carrier has the viurs on thier skin, which is contagoius, but has no sores or signs of an outbreak.

Answer:
It seems most likely that viral shedding starts to occur before an outbreak, and then during an outbreak of course, and then for a while after the outbreak. If one doesn't have outbreaks, or even have an "almost outbreak", then viral shedding is less likely to happen. (An "almost outbreak" might be defined as getting symptoms that are so mild that they are probably not noticed, and definitely not bothersome, and which may seem just like a very slight irritation which is passed off as being a heat rash or something.) From the research I have done, it seems that there are 3 factors involved in infecting someone else. First, it is the QUANTITY or AMOUNT of the virus. From the above it can be surmised that there are times when the quantity or amount of the virus is relatively small. The second factor is the STRENGTH of the virus. The virus is in a weakened condition, actually dying, when it does not have support to keep it alive. For instance, the virus can stay alive on a towel used by someone who has herpes, but it is getting weaker by the minute once it is deposited there. The third factor is the RESISTANCE of the other person. If that person has a very strong immune system, then they are less likely to get it. (For comparison, you probably know some lucky people with naturally strong immune systems who don't get the flu when everyone else is getting it.) …….I got this from the website http://www.herpesadvice.org/

Answer:
The person I caught H from has never had any symptoms that he can recognize, and since I've caught this he has really tried to remember if there ever was tingling, itching, anything, and he can't recall anything. While I've been with him there certainly hasn't been anything obvious, so shedding CAN occur when there is absolutely nothing going on that you can detect. It probably doesn't happen that often based on research, if that is any comfort... but the never knowing is a killer to be sure.

I did read this about home swabbing, but I have no idea what the cost would be or any details since I am not too worried about passing this on since my partner is the one who gave it to me:

Home swabbing
If you have a diagnosis of genital herpes, you may wish to know how often, or if, you are shedding virus from the genital area. You can get this information by swabbing your genitalia at home every day for some extended period of time. If you are interested in knowing more about the possibility of daily home swabbing, feel free to call the clinic at 503-226-6678 and ask to speak with Lanie or you can email her at lanie@westoverheights.com.