herpesselect test

[allsmiles5358]

Asymptomatic got tested for HSV 2 with a positive of >5.0 using the herpesselect Igg test. My question is whether it is worth testing again. I have never had an outbreak and past relationships have not indicated any infection with 4 different women.

[gracefromHHP]

over 90% of folks who have hsv2, have no idea they are infected until they get tested. since it's not a part of routine std testing. many folks out there who are hsv2+ and have no idea at all :(    if you were never tested before, no way to know when you were infected.

if you are infected, you are contagious periodically regardless of how long you've been infected or how often you have recurrences. Plenty of info out there now reaffirming that. if you need a cure for insomnia, type in genital herpes on pubmed ;)

[allsmiles5358]

Thanks for all your help. This forum has made accepting this much easier. It is strange having never had an outbreak, and I was married for 18 years and she never had one. Could be that I got it from last girlfriend, but we were together 2 years and she never had an outbreak. Is it possible for someone to test positive for antibodies and have killed off the virus completely? By the way, I am a dentist, as well as a medic, so I understand how the immune system works fairly well, just not a lot of knowledge on genital herpes. Thanks again for your time.

[gracefromHHP]

they use 2 completely different tests so comparing results is like the proverbial comparing apples to oranges. both are positive results.

[allsmiles5358]

By the way the first test was with Quest, second was with Labcorp.

[allsmiles5358]

Latest test for HSV 2 Igg came in at 3.34. Why such a difference between the two? I assume this is still high range and further testing is not necessary, but wondering why the first one came in at >5 or is it because I used two different labs?

[gracefromHHP]

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/8280/how-should-I-treat-my-genital-herpes?personal_page_id=2773  ; this is a prior journal post I made that I think has the info you are in need of :)

[allsmiles5358]

Thank you for all the information. I appreciate what you are doing. For the above scenario, which is the antiviral of choice? How often should it be taken?

[gracefromHHP]

does it make sense to take antivirals even though you don't have obvious symptoms? indeed it does!  has your partner been tested to know their own status?  

daily suppressive therapy reduces transmission to a partner by 1/2. Even though you don't think you are having symptoms of genital herpes, you are still shedding the virus just as much as someone who is having obvious symptoms. you are just as contagious to a partner as someone who has the average 4-6 ob's a year.

[gracefromHHP]

not really unless you just need the confirmation so you can move forward.

the free herpes handbook at www.westoverheights.com is a terrific resource to learn more about hsv2. Be sure to watch the patient counseling video on the same site too.

[allsmiles5358]

Thanks Grace. Is it worth getting a second herpesselect test to confirm it?

[gracefromHHP]

the odds are low that this was a false positive if your hsv2 igg was over 5. If you really need the peace of mind, by all means get a herpes WB but the incidence of false positives is really low in that result range.

Over 90% of folks who have hsv2, have no idea they are infected until they are tested. Your situation is far more common than you probably suspect.

keep asking questions!

grace