Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.
You had accurate replies and advice on the herpes community forum.
You had a low risk exposure and initial herpes rarely first shows up on the thighs, groin, scrotum, etc For an HSV infection to take, the virus has to be massaged into the tissues -- this is expecially so for dry skin, as opposed to moist female genital tissues. Simple contact isn't enough. That's why initial herpes lesions are pretty much limited to those areas that get the maximum friction during sex.
Second, your symptoms don't suggest a new HSV infection. Irritation or itching alone isn't sufficient to be worried. If you had new herpes, it would have progressed to obvious blisters and sores.
Third, even with completely unprotected sex, the average HSV-2 risk for a single episode of unprotected sex is somewhere in the ballpark of one chance in several thousand. Adding up all those factors (wrong location, atypical symptoms, low risk from the exposure described) amounts to virtually zero chance you were infected.
Those comments largely address your numbered questions, but to be explicit:
1) No, that doesn't happen. New herpes usually is either entirely asymptomatic or it causes typical symptoms. In my 4 decades in the STD business, I have never seen a patient whose initial herpes symptoms were only itching, tingling, etc.
2) Correct about ~50% seroconversion by 3 weeks, so your negative result should be moderately reassuring.
3,4,7) Initial herpes symptoms wouldn't have lasted this long. But this has no bearing one way or the other on the blood test result. Having not had typical symptoms by now, you are out of the woods; initial herpes won't start to cause symptoms later than 3 weeks. And the pimples also are in the wrong location etc and don't sound like herpes.
5) Of course no distant expert can guarantee anything. But if I were in your situation, I would never have stopped having unprotected sex with my wife and I see no reason you should not resume now.
6) As you were told in one of the responses on the community forum, false positive results are not rare with HSV-2 blood tests. The more frequently you test, the greater the likelihood of a weakly positive and alarming, but false, result. If you must test again, wait until 3-4 months after the exposure.
8) See above. This was a low risk exposure and there is no realistic chance you caught herpes.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Herpes doesn't cause anything like a "big cyst / pimple" anywhere, and "the crease of leg and butt" is an especially atypical site.
There is some imprecision on the time to positive HSV test results. The longer the better; 16 weeks might be a bit more secure than 12 weeks.
That's truly the end of this thread; I'll delete any further comments. Next time you get anxious about it, just re-read all my replies in this thread and accept them at face value. With any objective analysis, leaving your emotions out of it, they will be very reassuring.
Thanks Dr,
1 last question before the thread closes. I was all happy with the test result of 10 weeks and your explaination, however, just yesterday (11th week), I got a big cyst / pimple just at the crease of leg and butt. It was painful yesterday but it has gotten a little better today. There is still a decent size bump but has no head or opening on it. I am just a little too scared. Does it sound like it is HSV2 ? Does it make sense for me to go and get another test tomorrow ?
Is 12 week or 16 week result considered the final.
Thanks
Given the low risk nature of the exposure and the lack of symptoms that suggest herpes, I would not have recommended HSV testing at all. That said, your negative result is around 90% reliable. You need to go out to 3-4 months (12-16 weeks) for close to 100% reliability.
The way to look at that is NOT that there is a 10% chance you have genital herpes. Before the test was done, we might estimate the chance you caught herpes at 1 in a million. With a 90% reliable test result, those odds would be reduced to 1 in 10 million. In other words, zero for practical purposes.
So I recommend against any more testing; that you ignore your symptoms; and that you continue unprotected sex with your wife, without any "extra caution" (whatever that means).
That will end this thread. Best wishes.
Hi Dr HHH,
I got a test done at 10 week and it has come up Negative. When should I stop the testing completely.
I am still being extra cautious with my wife. I still get some burning sensation, but looks more like foliculitis.
Thanks
Thank you Dr HHH ( Also one of my fav WWF star )
Regarding 1)How often is a new herpes is entirely asymptomatic and does it have any impact on seroconversion rate ?
And how would someone be out of possible danger if they have no symptoms in 3 weeks - could they not be asymptomatic ?
I will keep you ( this thread ) posted on my Tests at 6 and 12 weeks and continue my regular life with my spouse. Thanks again for your insight.