HSV IgG - IgM Confusing Results

I live in France and my French isn't very good, so I am having trouble finding a doctor who can answer my question.

11 months ago I noticed a small lesion in my genital area, very low in my bikini line.  It was a small blister that went away in two days, never formed a scab and didn't look like herpes photos I saw on the internet.  I didn't have any reason to worry about an STD so figured it was an ingrown hair from my brazilian bikini wax and forgot about it.  

6 months ago I had symptoms of a vaginal infection for a few days, and then a blister appeared again.  I went immediately to a doctor whose diagnosis was bacterial vaginal infection and told me specifically I did not have herpes.  I went back to her in a few days and the lesions were gone and the infection was getting better.  I was very concerned I had an STD but she still said it wasn't herpes, but wrote an order for a blood test if I wanted to be sure.  I didn't do the test then as it seemed a moot point.

Two days ago the lesions returned.  I tried to find an english speaking doctor right away to do a culture but couldn't so I went to the lab for the blood test.  The results are positive HSV 1 & 2 IgG.  Negative IgM HSV 1 &2, including a result that recent infection is probable.

At this point it seems clear that I have HSV 2 and the doctor was wrong, which I don't understand.  But why would the lab note that the infection was recent?  There is no way I was recently infected, plus lesions have come and gone for nearly a year.  

It seems unlikely that a gynecologist and a laboratory are both wrong so I hope you can help me.  Is it possible that I have HSV 2 and the  recurring lesion really is something other than herpes?  

Thanks in advance

[GranCru]

Sorry, I made a mistake - the lab result says "recent infection NOT likely", which leads me to believe the doctor was wrong last year.  Again, since I had the test during a breakout, I would have expected to show a recent infection.  

[gracefromHHP]

I was expecting " I live in france and my english isn't good"....lol..Phew on the other way around because my french isn't good at all....he he he

the igm herpes test isn't very worthwhile and isn't an accurate predictor of recent infection anyways.  You had the igm at least 5 months into things it appears so you would expect it to be negative anyways.

You can have false positives with the hsv2 igg's but you've had symptoms of what sounds like classic genital herpes twice now so it's doubtful yours is wrong to be honest.  From this point forward , I'd assume that you really do have hsv2 until proven otherwise.  bacterial vaginal infections are triggers for herpes recurrences so I'm guessing that the provider who told you it wasn't herpes, was clueless and indeed it was. too bad a lesion culture wasn't done at that time to confirm for you.  I know this isn't the answer you probably wanted to hear but it's better to know what you have so you can deal with it and treat it and take precautions with a partner than it is not to know and to risk transmission by not taking precautions.

the herpes handbook and the patient counseling video at www.westoverheights.com are terrific resources to start learning more.  I encourage you to take the time to go through them both and then ask any questions you have.  Hang in there - it's not as bad as it sounds and educating yourself helps you control the virus and manage it better :)

grace