Results from herpes test, please help

[five5ifth]

3 weeks ago, I had oral sex (lasted less than 30 sec) and she finished me with a really rough handjob. The next day I started feeling some tenderness on the right side of my genitals. There was no swelling, no lesions, no reddening of the skin, but I became obsessed with the idea that i might have contracted Herpes.

I just got tested two days ago for everything. Im clean except for HSV1. The IGG test came back with a result of "20 High". This really high. How would I know if this is new infection or pre-existing? I haven't really had any symptoms but this is scaring me.

Thanks in advance for any input.

[Westeros139]

You are very welcome. Good luck with everything.

[five5ifth]

Thanks alot Westeros for all the info. I really appreciate it.

[five5ifth]

Thanks for the correction. So a high score after 3 weeks would usually be an indication of a pre-existing infection?

I've also read that it takes months for the body to develop the antibodies for the virus. I"m guessing it's not very common to have a number in the 20s after 3 weeks?

If I test again in 3 - 6  months...what would that prove, if my number is already high (positive)

[Westeros139]

I apologize but I gave you some incorrect information. I researched further into the matter and the blood test cannot tell you when you've been exposed to the virus... BUT you wouldn't have a score that high after 3 weeks. A reliable blood test is 3-6 months after exposure because that's how long it takes for your body to produce antibodies for the virus. HSV goes through this thing called "viral shedding," For oral HSV1, you shed the virus about 18% of days (which means you can transmit it). For genital HSV1, you would shed around 3-5% of days. If you have an oral HSV1 infection and have given oral sex, you can definitely transmit the virus (harder to on the genitals than mouth, but still very possible). But, if the girl already has HSV1 antibodies, it is very unlikely you would give her HSV1 in another spot. Another thing.. you may have given some of those women an HSV1 infection and they never show symptoms. HSV1 genital is a lot less bad than HSV2 genital. Hope this helps!

[five5ifth]

Ok, last question/comment:

I've never had a cold sore ever and I've given oral sex to many women with no issue. What does the high number actually mean?

For example, if you've had HSV1  since you were a small child, would your number be high (20s and up) or lower?

Thanks for all the quick responses.

[Westeros139]

believe I meant, sorry!

[Westeros139]

You are very welcome. Like I said, a score that high is more than likely not early. Also, it's 99.9999% not a false positive. That usually is in the range of about 1.1 - 3.5 I beleive.

[five5ifth]

First of all Westeros, Thank you for responding to my post.
One more quick question. I've read about false positives/negatives with these test if taken too early. Does this fit the false positive case with such a high number so soon after exposure? Could this be due to a really good immune system? Just wondering about the one-offs and weird cases.

[Westeros139]

That is more than likely a pre-existing infection. That is a really high number so it shows that the antibodies have been in your body for some time. It is most likely oral HSV1. The transmission rate for oral sex (without symptoms) for HSV1 is very low (and especially a one time encounter). You are 99% probably fine. Don't worry about it at all.