I want to have kids, but i have genital herpes. what are the chances of me giving it to my future kids?

Slim chance: Your baby will not automatically have herpes because you have herpes. It is more likely for your baby to become infected if you have an active lesion/ outbreak at the time of delivery. In this case, your doctor will recommend c-section for delivery. To prevent outbreaks close to time for delivery, you should take an antiviral such as Valtrex (valacyclovir) in the 3rd trimester.

Manageable risks: If a mother delivers vaginally with her first genital outbreak, there is ~30% risk the baby could get it and have a terrible illness. If a recurrent outbreak, this drops to ~4% but suppression of outbreaks (meds) or c-section delivery before the membranes are open 4 hours can cancel the risk. Rarely, some women shed herpes without an outbreak and could pass it , baby sick around 2 wks.