[Johnnyvee]

(09-21-2018 08:11 PM)flyinghorse Wrote:  

6 months ago I tested positive for herpes despite having zero signs of having herpes. I had mild pain when urinating so I was paranoid about stds. It turns out the pain was a mild urinary infection that went away on its own, and while I did test negative for all the serious stuff, I tested positive for herpes.

Now, because I have no symptoms and have as far as I know have a very low chance of transmission: do I have a moral obligation to mention this to women?

Would you tell a woman that while you don't have herpes sores you do have it in your system?

I'll also add that so far I haven't been telling anyone and I have just been wrapping up.

Everybody has some forms of herpes though. Even newborns often have some herpes strains. (via transplacental transmission) Herpes 3 is what causes chickenpox in children for example. Basically everyone will accumulate many of these latent viruses, and the immune system can never get rid of them. Maybe there will be a cure someday though.

I would refrain from sexual intercourse until I was 100 percent sure I was asymptomatic, then there is little reason to tell girls. It will destroy any vibe you have going anyway. The prevalence of CMV and EBV (herpes 4,5) are very high, also in the Western world. Most people will accumulate these herpes strains, even if they are sexually conservative. CMV has a very negative effect on immune ageing. It`s an immune-dominant virus, that in turn can increase your risk of dying from everything from cancer to CVD etc. (Due to reduced immune function.) Epstein-Barr (HHV4) can cause mono, which can even be fatal in some people.

My point is that it`s basically impossible to relate to, or have sex with anyone if you start thinking about these things like a virologist. Yes it`s a good idea to screen who you sleep with, since some girls have a lot more baggage than others. But anyway, as long as you`re not showing any symptoms then I wouldn`t worry about it. Give it some time though, so your immune system can form antibodies, and the virus will go into hiding. (Unfortunately forever.) Also be aware that these latent viruses can reactivate. Things like inflammation due to poor diet, alcohol, gut dysbiosis (grains, sugars often causative) and new infections also are triggers. So a healthy lifestyle will always help. (Paleo diet etc.)