I am a male in mid-20s. I had blood work done for HSV 1 and 2 (type-specific) antibody testing. I had no reason to do so. I just wanted to get checked out to soothe my conscious. My HSV 1 test came back strongly positive with a titer level of around 5. I have had cold sores for as long as i can remember, and I was expecting to test positive for HSV 1 antibodies. However, I never thought I had HSV 2. I have never exhibited any symptoms of genital herpes, or symptoms for any STD or genital irritation for that matter. Thus, I was expecting a negative result from my HSV 2 antibody testing. However, my results came back positive, yielding a very low 1.23 titer. From what my physician has told me, I have nothing to worry about. He said the threshold for positive HSV 2 antibodies is a titer of 1.1, and mine is just hardly above that. He said that, had we performed the test on any other day, I might even test negative for HSV 2 antibodies (i.e. below the 1.1 threshold).
So my question is twofold: 1) Could this be a false positive result for HSV 2? I read that there is sometimes a false positive relationship in men who test for a high titer of HSV 1 antibodies but a very low titer of HSV 2 antibodies. Is this true? And is this a possibility in my case?
My second question: I have never exhibited any symptoms of genital herpes, but is it possible that I may exhibit them in the future due to the presence of HSV 2 antibodies in my blood (assuming that I do not expose myself to anyone else with the HSV 2 virus hereafter)?
Also, do I need to inform my sexual partner? We use birth control so we do not use protection. Should I be legitimately worried about spreading the HSV 2 virus to my partner? Am I contagious even with such a low HSV 2 titer and no genital symptoms? I am well aware of the dangers of HSV 1 infection due to oral sex but I am only inquiring about HSV 2 genital contact.
Thanks for all the help!