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Worried about HSV after unprotected sexual encounter
Hi, 23 year old male.
In October I had unprotected anal sex (giving) with someone who I was seeing at the time. Prior to it we had both gotten tested for STDs, though neither of us had tested for HSV because it wasn't part of the regimen. Furthermore, according to my partner, it was his first time receiving, and that he had no symptoms of anything. Being the naive person that I was, I went ahead and did it with him multiple times over the span of a week. I also received oral sex from him. Felt nothing odd immediately after the encounter.
About a month later, so towards the end of November, I began to feel burning in the urethra, sensitivity at the tip. The burning would come and go, sometimes exacerbated by urination, and ejaculating was painful (though not extremely painful, just annoying). Furthermore, at times, it felt as if my penis was inflamed, sometimes itchy, though that also came and went and was very inconsistent. Lastly, after doing visual inspections on myself, I noticed the development of a very small rash on the edge of my penis' head. The rash itself is painless and I don't feel anything when I touch it, and it's possible that it's been there for a while and that I just haven't noticed. There were times as well where I wouldn't feel any symptoms (particularly when waking up).
Not long after these symptoms had started, I went to see my doctor. They had me tested for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and checked for the presence of bacteria, all via a urine sample. All came back negative. They also put me on antibiotics (gave me an antibiotic injection, then doxycycline for 7 days). Felt like the symptoms didn't really change after that. So afterwards, I went to a free clinic. Got tested again, came back negative. Furthermore, the physician at the clinic performed a visual inspection, and they said that they didn't think I had HSV because the symptoms weren't lining up (no lesions or sores). I felt a bit of relief after that, so went on with things as normal, hoping that the symptoms would eventually go away.
2 weeks after that, symptoms still there. Furthermore, I had started to experience what felt like pressure in the perineum (prostate pain?), and slight anal irritation and itching. Frustrated, I go back to my primary care physician. They take another urine sample, and detect the faint presence of red blood cells in the urine, though everything else came back negative once again. My doctor wasn't sure what it was, so they had me referred to a urologist. So, set up an appointment with them on the 25th.
It is the 7th of January now, and the symptoms still remain, unchanged. That faint rash that I mentioned is still there, unchanged. And I don't know what to do, other than seek input from someone here. Does this sound like HSV? I'm worried that it could be viral because the three urine samples did not detect bacteria. What's confusing to me though is that there's no lesions or bumps, and it's just been this annoying series of symptoms for the (almost) past 6 weeks. Also, if it helps, I haven't had a fever or any flu like symptoms. Can HSV manifest this way?
Thanks
In October I had unprotected anal sex (giving) with someone who I was seeing at the time. Prior to it we had both gotten tested for STDs, though neither of us had tested for HSV because it wasn't part of the regimen. Furthermore, according to my partner, it was his first time receiving, and that he had no symptoms of anything. Being the naive person that I was, I went ahead and did it with him multiple times over the span of a week. I also received oral sex from him. Felt nothing odd immediately after the encounter.
About a month later, so towards the end of November, I began to feel burning in the urethra, sensitivity at the tip. The burning would come and go, sometimes exacerbated by urination, and ejaculating was painful (though not extremely painful, just annoying). Furthermore, at times, it felt as if my penis was inflamed, sometimes itchy, though that also came and went and was very inconsistent. Lastly, after doing visual inspections on myself, I noticed the development of a very small rash on the edge of my penis' head. The rash itself is painless and I don't feel anything when I touch it, and it's possible that it's been there for a while and that I just haven't noticed. There were times as well where I wouldn't feel any symptoms (particularly when waking up).
Not long after these symptoms had started, I went to see my doctor. They had me tested for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and checked for the presence of bacteria, all via a urine sample. All came back negative. They also put me on antibiotics (gave me an antibiotic injection, then doxycycline for 7 days). Felt like the symptoms didn't really change after that. So afterwards, I went to a free clinic. Got tested again, came back negative. Furthermore, the physician at the clinic performed a visual inspection, and they said that they didn't think I had HSV because the symptoms weren't lining up (no lesions or sores). I felt a bit of relief after that, so went on with things as normal, hoping that the symptoms would eventually go away.
2 weeks after that, symptoms still there. Furthermore, I had started to experience what felt like pressure in the perineum (prostate pain?), and slight anal irritation and itching. Frustrated, I go back to my primary care physician. They take another urine sample, and detect the faint presence of red blood cells in the urine, though everything else came back negative once again. My doctor wasn't sure what it was, so they had me referred to a urologist. So, set up an appointment with them on the 25th.
It is the 7th of January now, and the symptoms still remain, unchanged. That faint rash that I mentioned is still there, unchanged. And I don't know what to do, other than seek input from someone here. Does this sound like HSV? I'm worried that it could be viral because the three urine samples did not detect bacteria. What's confusing to me though is that there's no lesions or bumps, and it's just been this annoying series of symptoms for the (almost) past 6 weeks. Also, if it helps, I haven't had a fever or any flu like symptoms. Can HSV manifest this way?
Thanks
COMMUNITY LEADER
This sounds nothing like herpes, but if it's been since Oct that you had any sexual contact with him, why don't you just get a type specific IgG herpes blood test and see if you even have either type?
There are drawbacks to that - the blood tests can't tell you where you have the type, just that you have it. It's mostly a concern for hsv1. You can have hsv1 orally and genitally, so testing would be to just rule it out. The hsv1 IgG test misses 30% of infections.
There are false positives on the hsv2 test, which is a real concern. If you get a low positive result, it might not be accurate, and then you'd have to go for follow up testing, which can take weeks and a lot of money - hundreds of dollars - to resolve.
You can get a test by going to LetsGetChecked.com or STDCheck.com.
A doctor can do a PCR swab of the area to see if any herpes is found on the skin. A dermatologist, urologist, family doctor - anyone can do that. IF you're in the US, show any of your doctors this:
https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/herpes.htm
If they are testing for and diagnosing STDs, they need to know these things. Getting it swabbed would be easiest and most reliable.
Also, why are they giving you antibiotics when you are testing negative for things? Did they treat you while you were waiting for results?
Have they tested you for mycoplasma?
It could also be non-bacterial prostatitis.
I really don't think it's herpes. Symptoms would have come and gone by now. Try to hang in there, okay?
There are drawbacks to that - the blood tests can't tell you where you have the type, just that you have it. It's mostly a concern for hsv1. You can have hsv1 orally and genitally, so testing would be to just rule it out. The hsv1 IgG test misses 30% of infections.
There are false positives on the hsv2 test, which is a real concern. If you get a low positive result, it might not be accurate, and then you'd have to go for follow up testing, which can take weeks and a lot of money - hundreds of dollars - to resolve.
You can get a test by going to LetsGetChecked.com or STDCheck.com.
A doctor can do a PCR swab of the area to see if any herpes is found on the skin. A dermatologist, urologist, family doctor - anyone can do that. IF you're in the US, show any of your doctors this:
https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/herpes.htm
If they are testing for and diagnosing STDs, they need to know these things. Getting it swabbed would be easiest and most reliable.
Also, why are they giving you antibiotics when you are testing negative for things? Did they treat you while you were waiting for results?
Have they tested you for mycoplasma?
It could also be non-bacterial prostatitis.
I really don't think it's herpes. Symptoms would have come and gone by now. Try to hang in there, okay?
12 Comments
Hi, thank you for the quick reply.
Correct, in fact I haven't had any sexual encounters since October. I haven't sought a blood test because I had read that results would be inconclusive unless I had waited at least 12 weeks before receiving one, etc. I will request a PCR swab of the area when I go to the urologist on Jan. 25th. I'll be sure to present that CDC page.
Regarding the antibiotics, they had treated me while they were waiting for results in case it was bacterial. And they haven't tested for mycoplasma; in fact I had no idea what that even was until I had started reading posts on this site.
How does herpes typically present itself? And is it promising that I did not start to receive symptoms until about a month after the encounter?
Correct, in fact I haven't had any sexual encounters since October. I haven't sought a blood test because I had read that results would be inconclusive unless I had waited at least 12 weeks before receiving one, etc. I will request a PCR swab of the area when I go to the urologist on Jan. 25th. I'll be sure to present that CDC page.
Regarding the antibiotics, they had treated me while they were waiting for results in case it was bacterial. And they haven't tested for mycoplasma; in fact I had no idea what that even was until I had started reading posts on this site.
How does herpes typically present itself? And is it promising that I did not start to receive symptoms until about a month after the encounter?
Just realized that it would be from the time of exposure and not from the start of symptoms so I suppose a blood test would provide conclusive results by now. I'll look into that as well and post results.
Herpes usually presents as blisters, sometimes as paper cut lesions. They most often appear within 2-12 days, though many don't get symptoms at all.
Getting symptoms a month after an encounter suggests it's coincidental. How are you with hydration? Do you drink enough water? Too much alcohol or caffeine or carbonated drinks?
It could also be a totally unrelated prostatitis, too. Unfortunately, the list of possibilities is long.
LetsGetChecked.com offers a mycoplasma test. STDCheck doesn't. Something to consider.
Getting symptoms a month after an encounter suggests it's coincidental. How are you with hydration? Do you drink enough water? Too much alcohol or caffeine or carbonated drinks?
It could also be a totally unrelated prostatitis, too. Unfortunately, the list of possibilities is long.
LetsGetChecked.com offers a mycoplasma test. STDCheck doesn't. Something to consider.
UPDATE after seeing a urologist on Jan. 25th:
The visit to the urologist left me with more questions than answers. He examined me, performed a scan of my urinary tract system, then flat out told me that I do not have an STD, and couldn't find anything wrong with me. He suggested the possibility of prostatitis, but said the best thing to do would be to wait and see what happens, and come back in three months if the symptoms persist? I told him that I was concerned because of the sexual encounter, as well as the duration of the symptoms, but he did not seem alarmed at all. I also brought up the idea of receiving an IgG blood test but, like my primary care provider, he said that without a current outbreak, testing would not be a good idea because of the chance of having a false positive result.
Is that a legitimate concern with regards to those tests? Would you recommend that I press the issue further and get tested anyway, or order one independently? Or should I heed his advice?
This is starting to drive me mad. It is hard for me to concentrate on my daily life because of this, not to mention that I've been talking to someone lately (romantically), and don't know if I should say anything because I haven't received an official diagnosis yet. I'm starting to be consumed by guilt because I feel like I could be hiding something from them. For all I know, I could have it, or don't have anything. And meanwhile, these symptoms continue to annoy me, 2 months and 9 days since this all began: burning when urinating (especially when my urine is concentrated, so in the mornings typically), occasional, generalized penile pain that doesn't come from any specific spot, occasional soreness at the tip, and now I've also been feeling slight, dull pains in my thighs and lower abdomen as well (which could be unrelated or psychosomatic for all I know). These symptoms come and go throughout the day, but generally I've only gone a maximum of two days without feeling anything. Overall, something feels off and I can't take it anymore.
The visit to the urologist left me with more questions than answers. He examined me, performed a scan of my urinary tract system, then flat out told me that I do not have an STD, and couldn't find anything wrong with me. He suggested the possibility of prostatitis, but said the best thing to do would be to wait and see what happens, and come back in three months if the symptoms persist? I told him that I was concerned because of the sexual encounter, as well as the duration of the symptoms, but he did not seem alarmed at all. I also brought up the idea of receiving an IgG blood test but, like my primary care provider, he said that without a current outbreak, testing would not be a good idea because of the chance of having a false positive result.
Is that a legitimate concern with regards to those tests? Would you recommend that I press the issue further and get tested anyway, or order one independently? Or should I heed his advice?
This is starting to drive me mad. It is hard for me to concentrate on my daily life because of this, not to mention that I've been talking to someone lately (romantically), and don't know if I should say anything because I haven't received an official diagnosis yet. I'm starting to be consumed by guilt because I feel like I could be hiding something from them. For all I know, I could have it, or don't have anything. And meanwhile, these symptoms continue to annoy me, 2 months and 9 days since this all began: burning when urinating (especially when my urine is concentrated, so in the mornings typically), occasional, generalized penile pain that doesn't come from any specific spot, occasional soreness at the tip, and now I've also been feeling slight, dull pains in my thighs and lower abdomen as well (which could be unrelated or psychosomatic for all I know). These symptoms come and go throughout the day, but generally I've only gone a maximum of two days without feeling anything. Overall, something feels off and I can't take it anymore.
And I would like to add that I haven't had any sexual encounters since the one in October, nor do I plan to until I get this figured out.
Okay, so false positives happen on the hsv2 IgG, but it has nothing to do with whether or not you're having an outbreak or not.
The test looks for antibodies to hsv2, and those are similar in molecular weight to some normal blood proteins, and that can cause a false positive. If you got a low positive, then you could get a Western Blot confirmation test to make sure. It's expensive, and takes time to get, and you'd probably have to self pay because doctors don't know about it, or refuse to do it, but it is possible to actually determine your herpes status.
All that said, I think herpes testing would be for your peace of mind, and I don't think you have it. I'd understand the need for you to test, but herpes symptoms don't linger for so long without stopping.
Did you ever get a mycoplasma test?
That or prostatitis are my guesses.
How do you think your new partner would react if you just told them everything? I mean, you've tested negative for everything so far, right? If if were me, I'd be happy you trusted me with it, and you get a chance to see how they react to things. I don't know know them, obviously, so trust your gut with it.
The test looks for antibodies to hsv2, and those are similar in molecular weight to some normal blood proteins, and that can cause a false positive. If you got a low positive, then you could get a Western Blot confirmation test to make sure. It's expensive, and takes time to get, and you'd probably have to self pay because doctors don't know about it, or refuse to do it, but it is possible to actually determine your herpes status.
All that said, I think herpes testing would be for your peace of mind, and I don't think you have it. I'd understand the need for you to test, but herpes symptoms don't linger for so long without stopping.
Did you ever get a mycoplasma test?
That or prostatitis are my guesses.
How do you think your new partner would react if you just told them everything? I mean, you've tested negative for everything so far, right? If if were me, I'd be happy you trusted me with it, and you get a chance to see how they react to things. I don't know know them, obviously, so trust your gut with it.
I understand. Yes, it would be for my peace of mind. Part of me is willing to go through with all of the trouble of doing it just to be sure, but I'm aware that I'm not exactly being rational right now. But wow, I had NO idea that HSV testing was so hard and complicated. At this point in time, with modern medicine, I thought it would be as simple as getting tested for anything else!
I never did get a mycoplasma test. I wanted to do it through the urologist but he didn't want to do it, and I'm not exactly confident about ordering and administering a test myself. I might try to contact my PCP again and see if they'd be willing to order the test for me, and see if insurance could cover it. And the free clinic (because PCP didn't have a soon enough opening) wanted to skip testing and just go straight to prescribing me Moxifloxacin after I had brought it up, which sounded risky to me (especially without a test confirming that I needed it) because my friend's Dad ended up with peripheral neuropathy after taking it, and that is listed as a potential adverse effect.
I just want to figure out what this is. So perhaps I'll give my PCP another call. Work down the list of potential causes.
I don't know how they would react, but I'm not as worried about that. I'm concerned about having them worry about something that they might not have to worry about. Part of me thinks that it would be hasty to tell them my concerns without a diagnosis. Furthermore, it's sort of a long distance thing, so physical intimacy would be off the table for a little while if this were to work out (which is something that we both understand and accept), which allows me some time to figure this out. However, if I were to receive a diagnosis showing that I had it, then I'd tell them straight away. But I still can't help but feel a little guilty. I don't know, this is so complicated.
I never did get a mycoplasma test. I wanted to do it through the urologist but he didn't want to do it, and I'm not exactly confident about ordering and administering a test myself. I might try to contact my PCP again and see if they'd be willing to order the test for me, and see if insurance could cover it. And the free clinic (because PCP didn't have a soon enough opening) wanted to skip testing and just go straight to prescribing me Moxifloxacin after I had brought it up, which sounded risky to me (especially without a test confirming that I needed it) because my friend's Dad ended up with peripheral neuropathy after taking it, and that is listed as a potential adverse effect.
I just want to figure out what this is. So perhaps I'll give my PCP another call. Work down the list of potential causes.
I don't know how they would react, but I'm not as worried about that. I'm concerned about having them worry about something that they might not have to worry about. Part of me thinks that it would be hasty to tell them my concerns without a diagnosis. Furthermore, it's sort of a long distance thing, so physical intimacy would be off the table for a little while if this were to work out (which is something that we both understand and accept), which allows me some time to figure this out. However, if I were to receive a diagnosis showing that I had it, then I'd tell them straight away. But I still can't help but feel a little guilty. I don't know, this is so complicated.
Herpes testing kinda sucks, but we can work through any outcome.
A mycoplasma test is just peeing in a cup. The LetsGetChecked mycoplasma test is only done with their 10 panel test - $249. You can get it at mylabbox for $89 - https://www.mylabbox.com/product/mycoplasma-ureaplasma-home-test-mtl/? I found a code when I was searching for 30% off - MLB30 - don't know if it would work, but wouldn't hurt to try.
MyLabBox only has an hsv2 test, which would be okay here, unless you had oral sex. I don't know if it gives you an index value so that if it's positive, we'd know if it's a low or high positive.
It's something your PCP could test for, easily, as well as a type specific IgG herpes blood test.
I don't think it's deceptive to not tell your new partner just yet. You don't really know anything.
A mycoplasma test is just peeing in a cup. The LetsGetChecked mycoplasma test is only done with their 10 panel test - $249. You can get it at mylabbox for $89 - https://www.mylabbox.com/product/mycoplasma-ureaplasma-home-test-mtl/? I found a code when I was searching for 30% off - MLB30 - don't know if it would work, but wouldn't hurt to try.
MyLabBox only has an hsv2 test, which would be okay here, unless you had oral sex. I don't know if it gives you an index value so that if it's positive, we'd know if it's a low or high positive.
It's something your PCP could test for, easily, as well as a type specific IgG herpes blood test.
I don't think it's deceptive to not tell your new partner just yet. You don't really know anything.
I gave it a second look, and your discount code actually worked, so I went ahead and ordered the mycoplasma test. With the code, the home kit was actually cheaper than what my insurance is currently having me pay out of pocket per visit.
Yes, there were two occasions where we had oral sex. Nothing seemed off about him at the time (and I was under the false belief that HSV1 cannot easily transmit to the genital area, especially without obvious sores). Besides, no one ever wants to use a condom for oral sex, even though it would've been smart at the time.
I'm glad that you don't think it's deceptive, because that's not my goal. I'm an open book, I just want to be sure about things before I say anything.
I'll post the results of the test here. Thank you for the code, and for all of the responses so far.
Yes, there were two occasions where we had oral sex. Nothing seemed off about him at the time (and I was under the false belief that HSV1 cannot easily transmit to the genital area, especially without obvious sores). Besides, no one ever wants to use a condom for oral sex, even though it would've been smart at the time.
I'm glad that you don't think it's deceptive, because that's not my goal. I'm an open book, I just want to be sure about things before I say anything.
I'll post the results of the test here. Thank you for the code, and for all of the responses so far.
Insurance sucks. I won't get started, as I'm sure you already know.
Genital hsv1 is becoming quite common - some sources say it's at least half of all new genital hsv infections. The thing with the blood tests is that it can't tell you where you have it, just that you have it.
Also - as I mentioned before, and more herpes test suckage here - the hsv1 IgG blood test misses 30% of infections. It's still what we start with though, and I still don't think you have it genitally.
If you decide to do a herpes test, I'd recommend LetsGetChecked. They run specials all the time, and you can always search google for "letsgetchecked coupon codes".
I really don't think it's deceptie. I wouldn't tell a new partner that I wouldn't be intimate with anytime soon that I had a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis, right? I would tell them at some point that I have herpes, but that's a confirmed diagnosis for me. I'm an open book, too, but if I don't know someone well yet, they don't need to know about my vaginal health lol.
Hang in there, and good luck with the test. :)
Genital hsv1 is becoming quite common - some sources say it's at least half of all new genital hsv infections. The thing with the blood tests is that it can't tell you where you have it, just that you have it.
Also - as I mentioned before, and more herpes test suckage here - the hsv1 IgG blood test misses 30% of infections. It's still what we start with though, and I still don't think you have it genitally.
If you decide to do a herpes test, I'd recommend LetsGetChecked. They run specials all the time, and you can always search google for "letsgetchecked coupon codes".
I really don't think it's deceptie. I wouldn't tell a new partner that I wouldn't be intimate with anytime soon that I had a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis, right? I would tell them at some point that I have herpes, but that's a confirmed diagnosis for me. I'm an open book, too, but if I don't know someone well yet, they don't need to know about my vaginal health lol.
Hang in there, and good luck with the test. :)
Finally got my results back after an issue where they had to send me another test because the one they had sent was apparently outdated, and it looks like I'm not infected with mycoplasma genitalium.
So what else could it be, then? Trichomoniasis or prostatitis? This is still affecting me and I'm just tired of it. Looks like I need to call the urologist again, but I'm tempted to just do an HSV igG test anyway. I'm also scared of the fact that they aren't really all that accurate, and that it could come back as a false positive.
So what else could it be, then? Trichomoniasis or prostatitis? This is still affecting me and I'm just tired of it. Looks like I need to call the urologist again, but I'm tempted to just do an HSV igG test anyway. I'm also scared of the fact that they aren't really all that accurate, and that it could come back as a false positive.
It could be trich, but I'd guess it's more likely to be prostatitis. Herpes just doesn't give symptoms this long with no relief.
I'd follow up with the urologist, for sure, and take the herpes test if you want. If it's a possible false positive, we can work through that, though it is expensive. If it's negative, though, at least you'll know.
I'd follow up with the urologist, for sure, and take the herpes test if you want. If it's a possible false positive, we can work through that, though it is expensive. If it's negative, though, at least you'll know.
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