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conflicting test results
I have been seeing my boyfriend for a little over two years. In that time I have not had sex with anyone else but him. Our relationship is long distance and so, we have not had sex many times. We had sex in November 2010 and a few days later, I had terrible pain, fever, blisters genitally. My gyn diagnosed me with herpes. She ran a blood test which came back negative for both hsv1 and 2. She said it was because it was a new infection and I did not build antibodies yet. So, I waited a month and had another blood test. Again, negative for both types of hsv. I had two more blood tests in the months of January and February. Negative for both. In March, I tested positive to hsv2 and equivocal to hsv1. My bf only tested positive to having hsv1, which was no surprise as he has had cold sores since he was a kid. He has never had genital symptoms. I went through months of thinking he cheated on me and that he tested negative to hsv2 because he too had a new infection, but this is not the case. Please, I need to understand these conflicting results. He seems fine to continue our relationship and just chalks it up to a lab error. I wish I could do the same, but this plagues me. Please explain to me how I can be positive for hsv2 when he is not. Thank you.
Glad to help, even though I'm not "trained to read tests", lol.
Guess I should take a course so I can go on saying things such as "results above 5 are hardly false-positive" or "the sensitivity of HerpeSelect HSV2 is 90%"...just being up to date with clinical studies is not enough. ;)
Guess I should take a course so I can go on saying things such as "results above 5 are hardly false-positive" or "the sensitivity of HerpeSelect HSV2 is 90%"...just being up to date with clinical studies is not enough. ;)
herpes won't just reoccur with sex. odds are the swelling issues you've had aren't related to herpes. be sure to use lube for sex to help reduce friction.
anytime you post anything to this thread, it bumps it back up to the top for all to see updates on so we can respond :)
anytime you post anything to this thread, it bumps it back up to the top for all to see updates on so we can respond :)
I have had some swelling in the area of my vulva where there were blisters in November. This swelling has happened after sex. It was sore feeling in that area. We have only had sex twice since November and the soreness happened both times.
I think though, that I was sore the few times we had sex before the November outbreak. I have become hyper-sensitive since all of this started and I probably attribute things to herpes that are indeed not herpes. So, to answer your question, I have not had clearly herpes-like symptoms since November. I have had paranoia. Lots of paranoia and possibly swelling/soreness due to herpes. My bf is going to repeat his test. May I come back to this thread and post results when I have them? Or is this thread not going to be revisited? Thank you very much.
I think though, that I was sore the few times we had sex before the November outbreak. I have become hyper-sensitive since all of this started and I probably attribute things to herpes that are indeed not herpes. So, to answer your question, I have not had clearly herpes-like symptoms since November. I have had paranoia. Lots of paranoia and possibly swelling/soreness due to herpes. My bf is going to repeat his test. May I come back to this thread and post results when I have them? Or is this thread not going to be revisited? Thank you very much.
I totally agree that your bf repeating his herpes igg blood test to see what his status is is a good idea. If he's still negative for hsv2 then I recommend that you follow up with a herpes WB blood test.
I assume you've had no further symptoms since november?
grace
I assume you've had no further symptoms since november?
grace
I understand, Mistakeguy. Bobrope has been helpful. In the end, I don't expect anyone on the internet to be able to make a 100% accurate diagnosis or hypothesis. I am glad to hear advice and wisdom of those who are familiar with the topic though. Thank for responding and I do hope to hear from Grace as well.
The only person that is trained to read the tests is grace. Other commentators advice about testing shouldn't be taken as a trained professional reading your tests but that of a person whom may not have specialized training to understand the differences and how to properly interpret those tests.
Their site says that they're using the HerpeSelect test, not sure if it's updated.
I must have had the Herpesselect for my last test, the one that was positive since it was through a Quest lab. The three labs prior were through the Mayo Clinic Lab in Jacksonville Florida. I don't know where the gyn sent my original lab as I don't have a copy of that result. Do you know which test is used at the Mayo Lab? Thank you so much.
Just to compliment: it is believe that HerpeSelect just won't pick up around 5% of HSV2 infections. Meaning that no matter how much passes by, some people infected with HSV2 will never have a positive result with HerpeSelect.
A study involving the HerpeSelect test (which is the test offered by Quest, I guess) concluded that prior HSV1 might delay HSV2 seroconversion, yes. But not by much. Within 6 months, the vast majority of folks already has a positive result, with prior HSV1 or not.
I'm not sure if having prior HSV1 is associated to the episodes where blood tests just won't pick up a herpes infection (false-negative), not sure if such effect was ever studied.
If his test was in November, a new infection should not be disregarded - the test was performed way too soon. If he tests positive this time, you'll have your answer I guess.
LabCorps offers the Captia test, which is slightly different than the HerpeSelect, but it should be as accurate as HerpeSelect.
I'm not sure if having prior HSV1 is associated to the episodes where blood tests just won't pick up a herpes infection (false-negative), not sure if such effect was ever studied.
If his test was in November, a new infection should not be disregarded - the test was performed way too soon. If he tests positive this time, you'll have your answer I guess.
LabCorps offers the Captia test, which is slightly different than the HerpeSelect, but it should be as accurate as HerpeSelect.
Oh, my blood work went through three different labs as I tested with my gyn, another doctor and then an independent place. I tested positive with a Quest Lab. My bf's bloodwork was through Lab Corps.
Thank you. I saw his test results. He was tested in November. He says he will test again. Does his having hsv1 for a long time affect how antibodies for hsv2 would be detected? In other words, does his hsv1 interfere with hsv2 detection?
Thanks for the info. Results above 5 are hardly false-positives (what lab are you using? Quest, Labcorp?), so I guess you are indeed HSV2+.
As for the source of the infection - the seroconvertion suggests a recent infection, meaning that the OB you experienced in November was most probably your primary infection. Since you have the same partner for the last couple of years, it's quite safe to say he's the one who gave it to you.
As I said above, some people antibody response is not accurately picked up by the current blood tests, so this might be the case of your boyfriend - meaning that the might have HSV2 for a long time and not know it. It also might be the case that this is a new infection for him - hard to know, really.
When was the last time he was tested? Did you actually get access to a copy of his results?
As for the source of the infection - the seroconvertion suggests a recent infection, meaning that the OB you experienced in November was most probably your primary infection. Since you have the same partner for the last couple of years, it's quite safe to say he's the one who gave it to you.
As I said above, some people antibody response is not accurately picked up by the current blood tests, so this might be the case of your boyfriend - meaning that the might have HSV2 for a long time and not know it. It also might be the case that this is a new infection for him - hard to know, really.
When was the last time he was tested? Did you actually get access to a copy of his results?
Thank you for responding. My hsv2 result went from completely negative for months to >5 and "out of range." My hsv1 result went from negative to .94. My bf's results were 4.0 for hsv1 and just the word "negative" for hsv2.
Tough one. I imagine your doctor did not perform a swab of your sores at the time of symptoms?
When was the last time your boyfriend got tested? Can you post your last results here (the numbers), his and yours?
You might think about pursuing a Western Blot, which is a confirmatory test that is slightly more accurate. But since you have just build up antibodies, you might consider getting another IgG test now for both HSV1 and HSV2, so we can analyse if your positive HSV2 is actually a cross-reaction to a new HSV1 infection or not. It would be good if your boyfriend could get tested as well.
The fact that he experiences cold sores is a factor that favors genital HSV1 over HSV2. But as you said it yourself, his HSV2 might be a new infection, or even an infection that is not being picked up in his blood tests (which is rare, but it might happen).
When was the last time your boyfriend got tested? Can you post your last results here (the numbers), his and yours?
You might think about pursuing a Western Blot, which is a confirmatory test that is slightly more accurate. But since you have just build up antibodies, you might consider getting another IgG test now for both HSV1 and HSV2, so we can analyse if your positive HSV2 is actually a cross-reaction to a new HSV1 infection or not. It would be good if your boyfriend could get tested as well.
The fact that he experiences cold sores is a factor that favors genital HSV1 over HSV2. But as you said it yourself, his HSV2 might be a new infection, or even an infection that is not being picked up in his blood tests (which is rare, but it might happen).
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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.
