that would be highly unlikely since those "tools" (a vaginal speculum) would need to be unwashed unsterilized and still wet from a previous patient that had genital herpes. most vaginal speculums are not plastic disposable ones. many clinicians still use metal ones but these must be autoclaved (sterilized) before any subsequent use. make sure your diagnosis of herpes is laboratory confirmed not just by clinical observation before you let your mind run amok. while it is not uncommon for a married man to stray and have sex with someone else you need to make sure the diagnosis is correct. since genital herpes is almost always sexually-transmitted it is normal for you to have concerns.
can you get genital herpes from a pelvic exam? . i have been married for 19 years and we even use a condom when having sex. we both have always been healthy. i recently had a pap smear done and on that same day felt very swollen in my vagina. the next day we tried to have sex but it was too painful and couldnt. then i noticed a bump followed by by more bumps and high fevers the following few days. the bumps turned into sores. they checked me and said it is herpes. could i have gotten from the tools they used to check me?