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How conclusive is herpes testing at three months?
October 20th I had (after being heavily pressured) unprotected vaginal sex with a male who was not aware of his STD status.
Around October 30/31, I noticed a painful spot on the inside of my labia (majora). However, it was pretty low, so it was pretty difficult to look at it. It looked red, but didn't appear fluid filled, or looked like any of the classic herpes pictures you see online. I say this knowing full well that symptoms of herpes vary. The spot only hurt when I bothered it, but did not hurt on its own. I checked the spot again on November 1st, and it was gone (no noticeable scabbing over or anything). I had no tingling, and no flu-like symptoms.
Appointment on November 7th at my university health services building with an RN. She examined me and didn't see anything. Told me not to worry.
November 6th, my partner tested for herpes type I and II via Quest Diagnostics. They use an IgG HerpesSelect test. This test was taken 14 weeks after what would have been his last possible exposure (excluding me, as during the summer I tested negative for both type I and II after 8 months since last possible exposure)--his last possible exposure would been around July 25-27. We got the results the next day, and he tested negative for both type I and II. I told the RN this, and she said not to worry about having herpes then.
My partner is also sure he's never had symptoms, even stating that for the past two years he has been paying close attention to what's been going on down there. However, I am also aware that some people with herpes may never have symptoms or very mild symptoms.
My (then) partner is getting tested again this Thursday, so it would be six months since his last possible exposure prior to being with me. I asked him to do this because I know that for some people, it takes six months for antibodies to be detected.
My question(s) are:
1. How conclusive is testing at three months? Do I have any reason to be as worried or scared as I currently am right now? I don't think I would feel so bad if I didn't have what I thought to be a symptom.
Any sort of reasonable reassurance would be great right now.
Around October 30/31, I noticed a painful spot on the inside of my labia (majora). However, it was pretty low, so it was pretty difficult to look at it. It looked red, but didn't appear fluid filled, or looked like any of the classic herpes pictures you see online. I say this knowing full well that symptoms of herpes vary. The spot only hurt when I bothered it, but did not hurt on its own. I checked the spot again on November 1st, and it was gone (no noticeable scabbing over or anything). I had no tingling, and no flu-like symptoms.
Appointment on November 7th at my university health services building with an RN. She examined me and didn't see anything. Told me not to worry.
November 6th, my partner tested for herpes type I and II via Quest Diagnostics. They use an IgG HerpesSelect test. This test was taken 14 weeks after what would have been his last possible exposure (excluding me, as during the summer I tested negative for both type I and II after 8 months since last possible exposure)--his last possible exposure would been around July 25-27. We got the results the next day, and he tested negative for both type I and II. I told the RN this, and she said not to worry about having herpes then.
My partner is also sure he's never had symptoms, even stating that for the past two years he has been paying close attention to what's been going on down there. However, I am also aware that some people with herpes may never have symptoms or very mild symptoms.
My (then) partner is getting tested again this Thursday, so it would be six months since his last possible exposure prior to being with me. I asked him to do this because I know that for some people, it takes six months for antibodies to be detected.
My question(s) are:
1. How conclusive is testing at three months? Do I have any reason to be as worried or scared as I currently am right now? I don't think I would feel so bad if I didn't have what I thought to be a symptom.
Any sort of reasonable reassurance would be great right now.
Also, I am aware that HSV I can be transmitted to the genitals via oral sex. But what is the transmission rate of someone with genital HSV I transmitting it to the genitals of their partner?
1 Comments
There are no stats for this as it's believed to be a very rare event. None of the herpes experts I know have ever seen a case of genital to genital hsv1 transmission in their clinics.
12 weeks is considered conclusive with a herpes igg bloodtest. You can be very confident you do not have herpes
15 Comments
Thank you for the reply. I plan on getting tested myself tomorrow, which would be the 3 month mark for me. However, I'm still very nervous and am worried that my ex-partner was part of the percentage group that--if he was infected--didn't have any detectable antibodies.
Are there any statistics on the conclusiveness of herpes testing? For example, by one month X number of infected people will test positive for herpes?
Sorry if that's asking a lot from you. Your reply was appreciated.
Are there any statistics on the conclusiveness of herpes testing? For example, by one month X number of infected people will test positive for herpes?
Sorry if that's asking a lot from you. Your reply was appreciated.
By twelve weeks 99% of people will have tested positive. This is by time frame as you already know there are a small percentage of people who don't make antibodies.
Like I said, you can be confident you do not have hsv. Let me know how your testing goes and if you have any questions.
Like I said, you can be confident you do not have hsv. Let me know how your testing goes and if you have any questions.
I went in to get tested today. The NP I spoke with only said I should feel reassured based on my ex partners negative test result. However, she was concerned about the sore spot that I had, as was I, as that could indicate HSV I or II (though he never performed oral sex on me). What else could this spot have been? I can't really remember if I had shaved recently enough for that to have been from a razor.
I have read on some sites that 70% of people who are infected produce the antibodies that are detected by 3 months. Would you mind telling me where you got your 99% stat from?
I'm sorry for asking so many questions. I'm just having a hard to wrapping my head around what's going on as of now. Especially because I didn't want to have sex with him. I kept telling him I didn't want to do it. So if I got something from him, this will just feel like a double-blow.
I'm so scared.
I have read on some sites that 70% of people who are infected produce the antibodies that are detected by 3 months. Would you mind telling me where you got your 99% stat from?
I'm sorry for asking so many questions. I'm just having a hard to wrapping my head around what's going on as of now. Especially because I didn't want to have sex with him. I kept telling him I didn't want to do it. So if I got something from him, this will just feel like a double-blow.
I'm so scared.
12 months in considered conclusive from every expert i know. Your 70% stat is completely false it's well over 70% at 8 weeks. Unfortunately your research is only feeding your fears.
Do you mean do you mean months or weeks?
Weeks. Just like it says. 8 weeks is considered over 80% conclusive.
All your doing by reading from all online sites is driving yourself nuts. Pick experts and follow the correect info and studies. You will read all sorts of info taken out of context or flat out misinformation.
Thank you so much for your replies. Is there a difference between HSV I and HSV II accuracy after 3 months?
No differance as far as time frame goes but hsv2 igg is a far better test than the igg for hsv1. Hsv1 igg testing isn't great the test can miss up to 30% of infections
That's what I've read from Terri Warren's comments on other forums, which does worry me. My ex-partner did not perform oral sex on me, so if I were to have gotten HSV 1 genitally, it would mean that he had it genitally as well. However, you noted that HSV 1 genital to genital infection is rare, so I'm not quite sure how to feel in terms of the possibility of whether or not I have HSV 1 genitally?
Does testing again make it more possible for a HSV 1 infection that was missed previously to be detected?
I'm thinking that I can sort of rule out having HSV II, as from your comments, it seems like it would've been detected in my partners test at 14 weeks.
Does testing again make it more possible for a HSV 1 infection that was missed previously to be detected?
I'm thinking that I can sort of rule out having HSV II, as from your comments, it seems like it would've been detected in my partners test at 14 weeks.
It does.
So let's say my test results and my ex-partners test results come back negative for both types. How sure can I be that I don't have HSV 1, even though I thought I had what could be a symptom?
I really think you are way over thinking this. Herpes lesions do not go away in a day or two. Usually ten days or so. You can be confident you don't have hsv1 if you both test neg and haven't had any obvious symptoms such as a cold sore...etc.
I really wouldn't be overly worried about hsv from all of this. It's a good idea to put some condoms in your purse just in case.
I really wouldn't be overly worried about hsv from all of this. It's a good idea to put some condoms in your purse just in case.
Thought you may be interested in my results:
My partner tested negative for both types and so did I. However, my HSV 2 score went up from 0.07 (since I was first tested) to 0.16. Should I be worried? Should I get retested in a month or more?
My partner tested negative for both types and so did I. However, my HSV 2 score went up from 0.07 (since I was first tested) to 0.16. Should I be worried? Should I get retested in a month or more?
No, move on
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
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.
