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Herpes or Yeast?
Apr 6 I slept with an ex 1 time unprotected & no oral. The day after had minor itching and burning in my genitals. Saw gyno April 10- it was a yeast infection via wet prep & prescribed me with Diflucan. Negative for STDs. YI went away for 10 days. Apr 24 symptoms came back. Saw gyno did exam and wet prep- she didnt see yeast on the slides but wanted me to try an anti-fungal. She did a thorough exam and said nothing looked like herpes.
The anti-fungal helped but not completely. May 6 developed a tingling feeling not only in my genital area but all over body which has never stopped. Saw dr & they said could be symptom of anxiety disorder. I read herpes causes tingling so I can't help but associate with that. Saw gyno May 8 & did an exam, said she didnt see yeast but also didnt see anything that looked like herpes. She said if it would make me feel better she would order HSV type 1 & 2 igg test and igm. Took test May 8 (5 weeks past exposure). My results were neg for hsv type 1 (.54), neg for hsv type 2 (.19) and neg igm. She said it was probably just the YI recurring & prescribed me diflucan. It didn’t work symptoms persisted.
Went back to the gyno Jun 13 & she was concerned enough to take cultures to see if anything would grow out. She reordered the hsv igg and igm tests which I took 10 weeks past exposure. I was negative- results: type 1 neg (.64) type 2 neg (.16) & igm neg. The culture came back positive for yeast! I have not had any sort of bump or lesion.
Are my neg hsv igg and igm exams at 5 weeks and 10 weeks post encounter and a positive culture for yeast enough to assume this is due to a persistent YI and stop testing?
Anything < .9 is neg but are .54 and .64 neg results on my hsv 1 igg tests considered high? Will I test pos later? Does hsv-1 take longer to seroconvert.
Why do some peoples test results who are negative come out at .05 and other people who are negative come out at .5? Is there any difference between .08 .24 .81?
The anti-fungal helped but not completely. May 6 developed a tingling feeling not only in my genital area but all over body which has never stopped. Saw dr & they said could be symptom of anxiety disorder. I read herpes causes tingling so I can't help but associate with that. Saw gyno May 8 & did an exam, said she didnt see yeast but also didnt see anything that looked like herpes. She said if it would make me feel better she would order HSV type 1 & 2 igg test and igm. Took test May 8 (5 weeks past exposure). My results were neg for hsv type 1 (.54), neg for hsv type 2 (.19) and neg igm. She said it was probably just the YI recurring & prescribed me diflucan. It didn’t work symptoms persisted.
Went back to the gyno Jun 13 & she was concerned enough to take cultures to see if anything would grow out. She reordered the hsv igg and igm tests which I took 10 weeks past exposure. I was negative- results: type 1 neg (.64) type 2 neg (.16) & igm neg. The culture came back positive for yeast! I have not had any sort of bump or lesion.
Are my neg hsv igg and igm exams at 5 weeks and 10 weeks post encounter and a positive culture for yeast enough to assume this is due to a persistent YI and stop testing?
Anything < .9 is neg but are .54 and .64 neg results on my hsv 1 igg tests considered high? Will I test pos later? Does hsv-1 take longer to seroconvert.
Why do some peoples test results who are negative come out at .05 and other people who are negative come out at .5? Is there any difference between .08 .24 .81?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Sixteen is more definitive. If it will help you sleep better, do it once more, but no more than that.
Yes, at 0.2 I would believe it is negative, within the bounds of that test.
Terri
Yes, at 0.2 I would believe it is negative, within the bounds of that test.
Terri
Terri- thank you again so much you have really helped clarify some things for me- I suppose the timing of my symptoms are just really bad and causing me anxiety.
Two last questions and then I promise I'm finished.
Would you recommend I take the igg test for hsv 1 and 2 one last time at 16 weeks. I've read 10 weeks is fairly accurate but that 12-16 is really more definitive.
And lastly- say my hsv 1 result comes back more around .2 at the 16 week point would you think that was a true negative result?
Thanks again for all your help it has really helped answer my questions and ease some anxiety.
Two last questions and then I promise I'm finished.
Would you recommend I take the igg test for hsv 1 and 2 one last time at 16 weeks. I've read 10 weeks is fairly accurate but that 12-16 is really more definitive.
And lastly- say my hsv 1 result comes back more around .2 at the 16 week point would you think that was a true negative result?
Thanks again for all your help it has really helped answer my questions and ease some anxiety.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I"m not clear that you need to take a western blot test at this point. What would you do if it was positive for HSV 1 that you aren't doing now? I seriously doubt that your symptoms are due to HSV 1. If it would make you feel clearer, you could do it, but again, not sure what you would do differently. There is a saying in my field that if you don't know what you are going to do with a test result, don't order it.
If, on the other hand, you want to know for some reason like future transmission risks, that might make some sense, but this test won't tell you where you are infected, only IF you are infected.
I have seen people with high negatives that are truly negative, of course. But with HSV 1, we really don't most often confirm high negatives unless we actually suspect new herpes, which I don't in you.
Yes, both a .55 and a .05 could be truly negative.
Terri
If, on the other hand, you want to know for some reason like future transmission risks, that might make some sense, but this test won't tell you where you are infected, only IF you are infected.
I have seen people with high negatives that are truly negative, of course. But with HSV 1, we really don't most often confirm high negatives unless we actually suspect new herpes, which I don't in you.
Yes, both a .55 and a .05 could be truly negative.
Terri
Dr. Warren- thank you so much for your response. I just wanted to clarify a few things. You said my hsv 1 igg results are high negatives. Do you recommend I get tested by the western blot test? Do you think i should repeat the igg test at 16 weeks? Prior to this I have never had any of the genital symptoms I'm describing except when I had a yeast infection and I have never had a cold sore. If I was positive for hsv 1 would it most likely be oral? I think you're saying its very unlikely I acquired genital herpes from this encounter.
Also- if my negative scores are high then why are there so many ppl who test equivocal that are really negative?
Have you seen people who are truly negative for both hsv 1 and 2 (confirmed by western blot) have high negative igg scores like mine?
And if I read your response correct there is a difference between a .05 and a .55 igg result BUT both ppl could be truly negative it just depends on the test itself- is this correct?
Thank you again so much for all your help.
Also- if my negative scores are high then why are there so many ppl who test equivocal that are really negative?
Have you seen people who are truly negative for both hsv 1 and 2 (confirmed by western blot) have high negative igg scores like mine?
And if I read your response correct there is a difference between a .05 and a .55 igg result BUT both ppl could be truly negative it just depends on the test itself- is this correct?
Thank you again so much for all your help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
First of all, many women have yeast that colonizes the genital tract without symptoms and without being a problem, so a positive yeast culture doesn't mean much to me, really.
In terms of the IgG - those are high negatives on your HSV 1 score. The test is not as good for HSV 1 as it is for HSV 2, so you could actually have HSV 1 infection if you were tested by the herpes western blot. However, even if you are truly infected with HSV 1, it is unlikely that these particular symptoms are being caused by HSV 1 genital infection. First, you didn't describe any oral contact, and most often, in my experience, people who have HSV 1 genitally acquired it from receiving oral sex. Not every time but often. This is not the case for you. So you are really more worried about HSV 2. Your scores on that test are very negative. So in other words, I think you are fine in terms of getting herpes from this encounter so far from your testing.
The results on this test can and do vary, depending upon their relationship to a positive and negative control that is built into every test run.
Terri
In terms of the IgG - those are high negatives on your HSV 1 score. The test is not as good for HSV 1 as it is for HSV 2, so you could actually have HSV 1 infection if you were tested by the herpes western blot. However, even if you are truly infected with HSV 1, it is unlikely that these particular symptoms are being caused by HSV 1 genital infection. First, you didn't describe any oral contact, and most often, in my experience, people who have HSV 1 genitally acquired it from receiving oral sex. Not every time but often. This is not the case for you. So you are really more worried about HSV 2. Your scores on that test are very negative. So in other words, I think you are fine in terms of getting herpes from this encounter so far from your testing.
The results on this test can and do vary, depending upon their relationship to a positive and negative control that is built into every test run.
Terri
You are reading content posted in the Herpes Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
