Herpes index value

[Brent90]

Recently CPL labs changed their index value system for herpes testing. The old index  <=0.89 anything below is negative and now anything below <=1.000 is non reactive. So my hsv2 value  came back as 0.067 so I was wondering if that was low? Math is not my strong point so I'm wondering if it's 6.7 or .67 on the index scale. Back in Oct when I tested for herpes my result cam back as <0.10 just a vague number.

[Brent90]

I had a unprotected sex 6 months ago and I wanted to know if my results were conclusive. The only test I had done previously was in October after 6 weeks of exposure. Thats when I received the vague <0.10 number. I recently got this test at 26 weeks (6months) and was confused about the reporting. So if I understand you correctly then let's say for example a result with a value of .900, that would be closer to a borderline reactive test right? Since it's closer to 1.000? Do you know why CPL labs might have changed their system?

[auntiejessi]

I have no idea why CPL changed their ranges, unless maybe they realized that very few people with inconclusive results ever come back positive. You'd have to ask them, though.

Yes, a value of .90 would be closer to a 1.0, and a 1.0 is still a really low positive test. Anything below a 3.5 needs to be confirmed since it could be a false positive. 50% of tests between a 1.1 (or a 1.0 in this lab) and 3.5 are false positives - this doesn't apply to you, but is just for your information. The lower the number, the higher the chance it's a false positive.

A report of <.10 isn't actually that vague. It just means that your result is really low and didn't react, and they didn't need to make it highly specific. A .07 isn't different from a .03, clinically. They're both clearly negative.

People develop antibodies by 12 weeks, and 70% will by 6 weeks. You don't need to wait 6 months. You have no need to test any further.

[auntiejessi]

So you don't have to do math to figure this out.

.067 is a smaller number than 1.0.

Any number that isn't starting with whole number (as in the  decimal point here - .067) is smaller than a whole number (a number followed by a decimal point with numbers, or not).

Your previous test result was <.10, which means "less than .10," and .067 is less than .10. (It starts with a 0, lower than 1. A .67, which you didn't get, would be higher than .10, since it starts with a 6. Make sense?)

You are still clearly negative. The number doesn't mean much when you are clearly negative or clearly positive, and no one ever gets a 0.00.

Why are you testing so much?