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Herpes and Antibody Blood Tests
My sexual partner of 6 months recently had an annual check-up where he was revealed to have a UTI. He had no discomfort, and was completely unaware, so his doctor put him on a week prescription of antibiotics. Almost immediately afterward (though we did not have sex since then), I exhibited clear symptoms of a UTI. I went to my doctor, was diagnosed, received a 3 day treatment of antibiotics. I felt much better by the 2nd day, but pretty much back to normal by the 3rd. His still isn't completely gone, so his doctor ran a blood test and today my partner told me that his doctor said he tested positive for Herpes. I don't think my partner knew enough to ask if it was 1 or 2, so I couldn't get that information.
In the past, I had partners that were active to say the least. Every year since I first had sex, I have gotten tested once every year (even when I am not actively having sex) for all STD's. All of them (including my most recent one which was performed prior to the UTI, but after I began having sex with this partner) tested negative. However, I read all these posts online about the antibody herpes tests being inaccurate unless you have had an outbreak or infection. Neither he nor I can recall having an outbreak in our pasts.
I guess my questions are:
1) Is it possible that I passed it to him, though I have been testing negative?
2) If I show no symptoms, would the regular blood test show accurately whether or not I have herpes?
3) Is there a possibility he as herpes, but I don't if we have been having unprotected sex?
4) Is painful intercourse, but no visible lesions an indication of herpes?
I found out late today, so I am sitting here suffering until I can call my OBGYN in the morning for an appointment, so I am trying to find quicker answers. Thanks for your time.
In the past, I had partners that were active to say the least. Every year since I first had sex, I have gotten tested once every year (even when I am not actively having sex) for all STD's. All of them (including my most recent one which was performed prior to the UTI, but after I began having sex with this partner) tested negative. However, I read all these posts online about the antibody herpes tests being inaccurate unless you have had an outbreak or infection. Neither he nor I can recall having an outbreak in our pasts.
I guess my questions are:
1) Is it possible that I passed it to him, though I have been testing negative?
2) If I show no symptoms, would the regular blood test show accurately whether or not I have herpes?
3) Is there a possibility he as herpes, but I don't if we have been having unprotected sex?
4) Is painful intercourse, but no visible lesions an indication of herpes?
I found out late today, so I am sitting here suffering until I can call my OBGYN in the morning for an appointment, so I am trying to find quicker answers. Thanks for your time.
Thank you so much for so promptly addressing my concerns. A little more background detail to help you understand our situation - my partner is not exactly a young man. I am in my mid-20's and he is 27 years older than me. Does that somehow explain the likelihood of his UTI?
His doctor said it could have been lying dormant in his body, and that increased stress and so forth may cause it to become active. Do the antibody blood tests indeed give a high number of false nagatives, and so if herpes is dormant in your system, do these blood tests not pick up on it?
I have called my doctor and he won't be able to see me until mid-January at earliest. He called his doctor for clarification, but has not been able to get a hold of him. I intend to remain abstinent until I am screened and have a better understanding of my situation. Per your suggestion, I will discuss waiting a few months before getting tested. I will share with you any further developments. Should I post here or start a new question?
His doctor said it could have been lying dormant in his body, and that increased stress and so forth may cause it to become active. Do the antibody blood tests indeed give a high number of false nagatives, and so if herpes is dormant in your system, do these blood tests not pick up on it?
I have called my doctor and he won't be able to see me until mid-January at earliest. He called his doctor for clarification, but has not been able to get a hold of him. I intend to remain abstinent until I am screened and have a better understanding of my situation. Per your suggestion, I will discuss waiting a few months before getting tested. I will share with you any further developments. Should I post here or start a new question?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
In re-reading your question, I orginally missed your comment that your partner has a positve test for herpes. I'm guessing it's HSV-1, which is present in half of all healthy people -- so that wouldn't mean much. But if either of you has a positive test for HSV-2, it would increase the possibility that either or both of your apparent UTIs was in fact herpes. I still don't think that's likely, however. But if you decide to follow through with additional blood tests, be aware that it takes several weeks -- usually 6 weeks, sometimes up to 3 months -- for the blood test to become positive. Feel free to report the details of your partner's HSV blood test, as well as your own if and when you are tested.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum. I'll try to help.
The most striking thing about all this is your partner's diagnosis of "UTI". Urinary tract infections are very rare in healthy young men. The large majority of "UTI" in younger sexually active men are in fact urethritis -- that is, an STD. The most common causes of sexually transmitted urethritis are chlamydia, nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) due to things other than chlamydia, or gonorrhea. So my bet is that your partner had one of these problems, not a UTI. Unfortunately, lots of health care providers simply are naive about these issues -- so misdiagnosis is common by docs who don't really understand STDs.
So that leave an interesting and uncertain situation in regard to your UTI. You might have had a non-sexually transmitted UTI. If so, it probably was unrelated to your partner's problem. Or, your apparent UTI might actually have been to gonorrhea, chlamydia, or the other causes of NGU. The symptoms often can be the same. Ideally, both you and your partner would have been tested for the common STDs. But since you say nothing about that, I assume such tests weren't done. This is something for both of you to speak about with the health professionals who treated you.
Standard UTIs are not transmitted between sex partners. Aex often triggers UTIs in women, but not because of transmission from a partner. It's simply that during sex, bacteria in the genital area can be "massaged" into women's urinary tract, and from there they ascend into the bladder.
As for herpes, this doesn't sound likely. Sometimes herpes can mimic a UTI, but it isn't common. And most people with herpes with symptoms have very obvious genital blisters and sores, which you don't mention. I doubt herpes is the problem here.
Bottom line: Both of you should discuss these issues with your own providers. Even better, you should go together to one provider and discuss it. Depending on what antibiotics you each were given, perhaps the problem is now gone. But NGU, chlamydia, and gonorrhea don't always respond to the antibiotics used for UTi -- so please do check it out.
Feel free to report back with more information after you talk to your doctor(s) about it.
Regards-- HHH, MD
The most striking thing about all this is your partner's diagnosis of "UTI". Urinary tract infections are very rare in healthy young men. The large majority of "UTI" in younger sexually active men are in fact urethritis -- that is, an STD. The most common causes of sexually transmitted urethritis are chlamydia, nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) due to things other than chlamydia, or gonorrhea. So my bet is that your partner had one of these problems, not a UTI. Unfortunately, lots of health care providers simply are naive about these issues -- so misdiagnosis is common by docs who don't really understand STDs.
So that leave an interesting and uncertain situation in regard to your UTI. You might have had a non-sexually transmitted UTI. If so, it probably was unrelated to your partner's problem. Or, your apparent UTI might actually have been to gonorrhea, chlamydia, or the other causes of NGU. The symptoms often can be the same. Ideally, both you and your partner would have been tested for the common STDs. But since you say nothing about that, I assume such tests weren't done. This is something for both of you to speak about with the health professionals who treated you.
Standard UTIs are not transmitted between sex partners. Aex often triggers UTIs in women, but not because of transmission from a partner. It's simply that during sex, bacteria in the genital area can be "massaged" into women's urinary tract, and from there they ascend into the bladder.
As for herpes, this doesn't sound likely. Sometimes herpes can mimic a UTI, but it isn't common. And most people with herpes with symptoms have very obvious genital blisters and sores, which you don't mention. I doubt herpes is the problem here.
Bottom line: Both of you should discuss these issues with your own providers. Even better, you should go together to one provider and discuss it. Depending on what antibiotics you each were given, perhaps the problem is now gone. But NGU, chlamydia, and gonorrhea don't always respond to the antibiotics used for UTi -- so please do check it out.
Feel free to report back with more information after you talk to your doctor(s) about it.
Regards-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs 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.
