General question

I have a question about spreading hsv2. I keep hearing and reading that there’s a very small chance of giving your partner herpes when you know you have it. Why is it that so many people have it then? Is it just that people who know they have it are able to prevent transmitting it because they can sense when an outbreak is coming on? But then at the same time, people who don’t know they have it transmit it when it doesn’t appear they have an outbreak?

I pose a question to your question:

If the chances are so low, why is such a large portion of the population surprised to find out they have been infected?

True, you can mitigate risk, but the statistics don't protect anyone if you don't take action accordingly.

1. Disclosure is part of consent. Nobody has a right to force themself on someone who would refuse, especially by omission of potential health effects.

2. Suppression medicine must be taken as prescribed, not toyed with. It doesn't work when taken intermittently, or occasionally.

3. Using condoms *correctly*, because there are a lot of people who don't know how to use a condom, or how to tell if one is worn properly.

That's about all there is to it, but if you look at the numbers of people who are surprised to find they are infected, you can see a huge number of people must not be doing these things.

So the best method?

Be honest with yourself and the people you sleep with. If you don't know how to do any of those things, seek advice from a doctor that takes the time to answer your questions fully.

Also, most medical clinics don't test for herpes at all when you ask them to "test for everything".

Why? I have no clue, it seems stupid and irresponsible to lead someone to believe they are STD free when they might not be. But it happens.