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Avatar universal

Confused by test results; general questions

Hello. I had my annual pap about four weeks ago, and asked to have full STD testing done. (I get this done every year with my annual exam, and have only been with one new partner in the past four years.) My results have always come back clear until my exam last month. They called to say that my HSV 2 test was postiive, but a "low positive," so they wanted to re-test. I went back nine days later to get re-tested. My doctor told me that for some unknown reason, she's had a TON of false positives recently with both Quest and LabCorp. She said in her 20 years of practice, she's never seen anything like it. She also said that my test was very low on the positive range. (Note that I had all the same tests performed for my annual exam last year and everything was negative.)

So she did the same test and sent it to the same lab. I called today and the nurse said I tested positive for HSV 2 again, but that it was still very low. I asked for the name of the test and the numbers. She said they tested specifically for HSV 2 both times. The first IGG results were 1.15. The second test, taken nine days later, was 0.98. From what I've read online, that means I'm in the positive range, but as they said, relatively low on the positive range. They asked me to make an appointment to come back in 3-6 months to get re-tested. As you can probably imagine, this has been weighing heavily on my mind, and knowing that I have to wait 3-6 months is making me want to gather as much info as I can.

Here is some background info before I list some questions. I've only had one partner I've had in the past four years, and our last contact of any sort was on Thanksgiving (exactly four months prior to my first positive test). Unfortunately, I did have unprotected sex with him, so there is the possibility I received this from him. I have had no symptoms, and he did not have any obvious symptoms.

My questions:

1) My test results for all STDs, including HSV 2, came back negative last year. Since I've only had one partner since then, does that mean I definitely got this from him?

2) Is it possible to get HSV 2 long ago, and test negative because it's been in my system for so long? (The reason I ask is that although I've never had ulcers or blisters, I have had unexplained vaginal irritation on and off for about 10-15 years. The research I've done describes tingling/burning/itching skin, and that describe what I've experienced on and off over the years.

3) Can someone explain (or direct me to a good resource) how the IGG numbers tend to change over time? Does it mean anything that mine went from 1.15 to 0.98 in the nine days between testing? Does it start out high and get lower, or vice versa?

I'll probably have more questions, but these are weighing on my mind because I really dread contacting the one partner I had this past year. If there's any chance I have this though, I need to let him know so that he doesn't give this to anyone else. But if there's a chance I'm negative, I'm relieved about not having to contact him.

Thanks for your help, and my apologies in advance if I asked questions that can be found elsewhere on the forum. I've been reading articles constantly since I first got the news of the positive result, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the info (sometimes conflicting between different sites), and thought it wouldn't hurt to just ask!
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101028 tn?1419603004
Your initial + hsv2 igg of 1.15 was just barely positive. Your repeat was equivocal which means it's negative. there is no reason for continued hsv2 testing at this time.

grace
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Avatar universal
just read the blog below it kinda explains a little better w accuracy w scores under 3.5. doctors should be explaining results but most dont urgh. there are tons of cases like ours and most turn out negative. have a rapid bio kit or w.b.(some people always test under 3.5 even though they are negative status confirmed through w.b.)

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Herpes/false-positive-testing-accuracy-not-that-accurate/show/714052
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