Odds of having herpes...

[Curious5]

I have just been newly informed with information that is kind of scary.  1 out of every 5 or so people have herpes in America and most people who have it do not know they have it.  I am a 21 year old man and have slept with 9 women before with out a condom.  Seven Americans and two Australians.  None of which "had" herpes.  However, I now know that they indeed could have had the infection with out knowing.  I have never had any symptoms myself and am curious how likely it is that I contracted the virus with the above conditions.  Thanks.  

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I agree with Dr. Handsfield (we nearly always do agree)  You have not had symptoms and your partner number is about average. I would not categorize you as high risk. EWH

[Curious5]

I read another doctor on this site say it isn't a good idea to get tested unless you are high risk.  False negatives and other things just make it more stress than it is worth.  Given my conditions above am I high risk enough to go get the blood test?  Thanks

[Edward W Hook, MD]

The topic of herpes is a complex one.  There are two types of herpes virus, Herpes Simplex (HSV)-1 and HSV-2.  The disease is common with HSV-1 (the virus that causes most cold sores and some genital herpes, usually as the result of receiving oral sex) being present in over 60% of adults and HSV-2 (the virus which causes most genital herpes) being present in about 1 in 5 Americans.  For both infections, the majority of people who have the infections are not aware that they are infected, either because they either acquired it without knowing in the past or because they misidentified their herpes as something else.  The best way for a person who is unaware of  whether or not they have either of the infections and wants to know is to have their blood tested using one of the available type-specific tests such as the HerpeSelect.   In general, many of these questions and information about herpes can be obtained by accessing excellent informational web sites such as the one run by the American Social Health Association (disclosure, Dr. Handsfield and I are both on the Board of Directors of ASHA).

Hope this helps. As I said, there are many questions that tend to come up when wonder begins to wonder about herpes as you have.  The ASHA web-site is a very useful source of additional information.  EWH

[Curious5]

Also, I only had sex with 3 of the girls more than once and only 2 of the girls more than 3 times.  Thanks