How to Determine If You Have Herpes: Symptoms and Testing Explained
“Do I have herpes?” is a common question among those who are sexually active. If you are asking yourself this question, here’s how to find out:
Do you have any presenting symptoms? If so, go get tested, especially if you believe it may be a new infection. Providers can use a combination of testing types to determine if you are presenting with herpes.
If you are not experiencing presenting symptoms, your provider may decide to NOT administer herpes testing. This is due to a CDC recommendation, namely noting that someone knowing their herpes status has not shown (with current research) a change in safer sex behaviors (CDC, 2017).
However, the CDC says herpes testing MAY be helpful if….
🧪your genital symptoms appear similar to herpes
🧪you are having it had sex with a partner who has herpes
🧪you desire a FULL exam and are engaging in sex with multiple partners.
While many folks (including myself a long time ago) ask this question in the throes and threat of stigma, I would argue that more people are advocating for their sexual health due to an increase in available online education.