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herpes 2 question
Last year in about sept/oct while I was seperated from my husband I had unprotected sex with 2 different guys. Well since me and my husband have been back together I just can't stop thinking about if I have an STD. I constantly think that I have herpes 2. I haven't had any blisters but I get this pimple on my vaginal area every once in awhile. I have had it twice in the same place which was inside my outer lips where there is no hair but not inside my vagina. The third time I got a pimple it was where there ispubic hair on the outside of my outer lip. They never hurt they just feel like a pimple and they are right in the area that I can feel when I wipe after the bathroom. I do have a history of folliculitis down there that I had last november. I know it was folliculitis in november because it was all over my pubic hairs and none even near my vaginal entry. I also saw a doctor at that time and was given a RX for folliculitis. Those were not blisters either and each bump had a hair in the middle. I just keep freaking out everytime that a single pimple shows up down there. In April I went to planned parenthood for a bacteral infection and I had the doctor look at the pimple since I had it at that time. She said that it just looked like a pimple or ingrown hair. But I told her that is the second time it has been in the place so she said that it could be herpes but that it couldn't be cultured because it didn't have anything to culture. So I decided to go ahead and fork out the money for the herpes blood test. Well that was 6 months past my most recent exposure and the blood test came back negative. It has been almost a year since my questionable experiences. Based on my negative blood test at 6 months is it safe to say that I can move on and live my life? Or should I do another blood test at 1 year? Also, is it possible to just get a pimple or ingrown hair in the same place?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Anytime more than 4 months after the last exposure is conclusive. And anyway, my opinion you don't have herpes is not based only on your test results, but on the test plus all the other information you provide.
That will be all for this thread. No matter what "yes but" or "what if" questions may come to mind, the answer is that you don't have HSV-2. Please accept this as definitive good news and don't second guess it.
That will be all for this thread. No matter what "yes but" or "what if" questions may come to mind, the answer is that you don't have HSV-2. Please accept this as definitive good news and don't second guess it.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum.
You are interpreting advice you have found on line (and perhaps on this forum) a bit too literally. When it is said that recurrent herpes outbreaks are in the same place every time, it does not mean the exact same spot. It means only that each outbreak is typically on the same side of the genitals and same place give or take an inch or so. In other words, if it's the left labia minor, it will be the left labia minor each time -- but not the exact same spot. On the other hand, recurrent folliculitis -- or, more likely, a recurrently inflamed sebaceous cyst -- can occur in precisely the same spot each time. That's because sometimes the same sebaceous gland, with a blocked pore, repeatedly gets inflamed or infected.
In other words, you have it backwards. Recurrence of a lesion at the precise same spot each time is against herpes and in favor of folliculitis, an infected sebaceous cyst, etc. Further, recurrent herpes usually (but not always) has multiple lesions. Finally, herpes lesions tend to be more superficial than folliculitis etc. Think of herpes lesions as being "on" the skin, with the others welling up from "in" the skin.
And finally, you have had a negative HSV blood test. Combining the nature of your problem, plus the blood test result, you can be certain you do not have genital herpes, regardless of the infection status of your past partners. And anyway, the odds also were in your favor, before you were even tested. In heterosexual couples in which one partner has HSV-2, who have unprotected vaginal sex 2-3 times a week, trannsmission occurs in only about 5% of couples (1 in 20) every year.
Bottom line: You can put your concerns about genital herpes to rest. The evidence against it is very strong.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are interpreting advice you have found on line (and perhaps on this forum) a bit too literally. When it is said that recurrent herpes outbreaks are in the same place every time, it does not mean the exact same spot. It means only that each outbreak is typically on the same side of the genitals and same place give or take an inch or so. In other words, if it's the left labia minor, it will be the left labia minor each time -- but not the exact same spot. On the other hand, recurrent folliculitis -- or, more likely, a recurrently inflamed sebaceous cyst -- can occur in precisely the same spot each time. That's because sometimes the same sebaceous gland, with a blocked pore, repeatedly gets inflamed or infected.
In other words, you have it backwards. Recurrence of a lesion at the precise same spot each time is against herpes and in favor of folliculitis, an infected sebaceous cyst, etc. Further, recurrent herpes usually (but not always) has multiple lesions. Finally, herpes lesions tend to be more superficial than folliculitis etc. Think of herpes lesions as being "on" the skin, with the others welling up from "in" the skin.
And finally, you have had a negative HSV blood test. Combining the nature of your problem, plus the blood test result, you can be certain you do not have genital herpes, regardless of the infection status of your past partners. And anyway, the odds also were in your favor, before you were even tested. In heterosexual couples in which one partner has HSV-2, who have unprotected vaginal sex 2-3 times a week, trannsmission occurs in only about 5% of couples (1 in 20) every year.
Bottom line: You can put your concerns about genital herpes to rest. The evidence against it is very strong.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
How conclusive is a negative herpes blood test at 6 months? What are the chances that it is negative yet I still have it?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Don't overthink it. Often is isn't possible to see a hair in individual folliculitis lesions. The nature and recurrence pattern of the lesions you describe are against herpes. Combining that with the blood test results, you can and should put herpes to rest. You don't have it and do not need any more testing. And I absolute agree you should stop search online for herpes symptoms.
Thank you for your time! I have been suffering severe anxiety and having panic attacks over this. One more question. Does it matter that the time I had a pimple in a different spot it was still on the same side of my genitals? Also, the area where I have gotten the pimple twice before was in an area where there wasn't any hair. Can you still get folliculitis or a clogged pore if there is no hair? Or would my blood test at 6 months be conclusive and none of these pimples matter? I just really want to put this to rest. Once I get my answer I will no longer be searching these forums because I believe it makes me worse. Thank you!
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.
