Can my husband be the sperm donor if he has genital herpes?

My husband has genital herpes but is in great health. Can he still be the sperm donor if we go ahead with traditional surrogacy?

Reply by Rayven
Genital herpes is spread by skin to skin contact and not by bodily fluids. Having said that, if the Intended Father does have genital herpes, this does not mean that there is 0 chance of spreading it to the surrogate mother via traditional surrogacy. It would be exceedingly rare to spread it, but it is theoretically possible for the sperm to become contaminated while a deposit is being produced, due to flaking of herpes blisters, etc. For this reason, men that have genital herpes are generally excluded as sperm donors at sperm banks.

In this situation, however, as long as the surrogate mother is aware of the genital herpes, and she and her doctor have discussed the risks (again, extremely low, but not 0) and are willing to proceed, then it shouldn't be a problem.

Also, there are many potential surrogate mothers out there who also have genital herpes. This does not pose a risk to the baby unless she is having an outbreak during delivery, in which case a c-section would have to be preformed.

Bottom line: discuss this with your doctor and potential surrogate.