Why You Probably Have Herpes And Don't Even Know It

I didn't mean to scare you by my headline, but the sad truth is, there is a very good possibility that it is true. Right now there are approximately 50-70 million people in the U.S living with genital herpes, and this year around 1/2 a million people will be newly diagnosed. That ends up being 1 in 5 people and 1 in 4 women. The rate is slightly higher for woman than men. Read that again people, 1 in 5 of us has genital herpes (hsv-2) What's worse is that 80 to 90% of people infected with herpes don't even know they have it.

Now I know what most of your are saying, "I know I'm clean", or "I've been tested". Well guess what? I bet you haven't. Here are the reasons why I say that. Did you know women, that when you go in for your annual pap test you are NOT tested for std's? The only way you are checked for std's is if you specifically ask for it. Furthermore, even if you request to be tested for std's during your annual exam, herpes is not one of the std's that you are tested for! How can that be? Well, unless you have an active case of herpes, a case that has a lesion or sore, only a specific blood test can diagnose herpes. So unless you have had a blood test to check for herpes antibodies specifically, you cannot say that you don't have herpes.

I've ran across a lot of women that assume because they have children they were tested for herpes when they were pregnant, this is NOT true. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) RECOMMENDS that pregnant women are screened for chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis. Notice that herpes is not listed. Also, notice that these tests are recommended and NOT required. Some doctors do not regularly perform these tests at all. So if your health care practitioner did screen you for std's when you were pregnant, herpes in not usually included in your pregnancy screening. The fact is, 20-25% of pregnant women are infected with herpes. If you have an active case when your child is born, it can cause some serious health problems with your baby. Remember an active case may have no symptoms at all.

I'm also here to tell you that herpes is not always what you think it is at all. This is why almost everyone who has it doesn't even know. Did you know that most people who have herpes have no symptoms at all? Many people have very mild symptoms or they don't realize there symptoms are herpes and not something else. Up to 70% of people who get herpes, got them from an infected partner who did not have any symptoms at all.

The classic herpes symptoms are sores or lesions. Forget the horrible herpes pictures that you can Google, most cases don't look like this. You may only have one or two sores, or just some itching or tingling. People often think they have razor burn, a zit, jock itch, hemorrhoids, an ingrown hair or a yeast infection, when actually they are experiencing a herpes outbreak. Overall though, a vast majority of people will have no symptoms at all.

There are two types of herpes, herpes simplex virus I and herpes simplex virus II. HSV-1 is what we commonly know as a cold sore. It's interesting that they are different strains of the same virus, but only one carries a stigma with it. People who have herpes can spread it even though they have no symptoms at all, due to something called asymptomatic shedding. This is why it is so important to have a blood test. Herpes affects each person differently. While some people never have symptoms other people may have severe blistering and flu-like symptoms.

I have no idea why there is not more education about herpes. I wish that doctors would routinely screen women for herpes at their annual exams and during pregnancy. Millions of people could be protected from this non-curable virus this way.

Again remember the only way to be diagnosed for herpes, unless you have an active lesion is through a blood test. Next time you are at the doctor ask them to specifically test you for herpes. Finally, we need to lose the stigma that is associated with herpes. It does not mean that someone is promiscuous or unclean. It is a virus that lays dormant in the body and just chooses to show up on the skin in a not so fun region.

Please educate yourself further and check out some of the links I have listed below to learn more. Remember 1 in 4 people has the herpes virus. It's time to be responsible and learn if you are one of them.

www.herpes.com
www.herpes-coldsores.com
www.webmd.com/genital-herpes/default.htm
www.plannedparenthood.org/health...hiv.../herpes-4271.htm
www.healthcentral.com/genital-herpes/
http://www.cdc.gov/STD/Herpes/
www.herpesonline.org