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Is Herpe Select reliable ?
Dear Doctor,
This is a follow-up question on my mail (
This is a follow-up question on my mail (
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Even before your 4/21 message, from the symptoms you described 4/18, I would have predicted your wife had yeast (Candida), not herpes. Her doctor is right: There is no point in doing a genital HSV culture in the absence of lesions that suggest herpes. A blood test could determine whether or not she is infected with HSV-1, HSV-2, both, or neither. Or, as per my earlier replies, you could just wait until you are retested and sort out your own HSV-2 status. If you are HSV-2-negative and she has no clinical suggestion of genital herpes, there may be no reason for her to be tested.
HHH, MD
HHH, MD
My wife got her test result yesterday as follows:
(1) HSV Culture: Candidiasis (Heavy Growth)
(2) Pap Smear: No malignant cells noted.
The doctor could not do a herpes swab test as there was no visible symptoms during examination. She was given oral and topical medication to treat her fungal infection.
In these circumstances, would a herpes blood test be warranted ?
Thank you.
Dear Doctor,
Thank you very much for your reply. My hope for not getting HSV 2 is dashed when I was told by my wife last night that she has intense itch at her genitals (so bad that she could not sleep at night) for few weeks now. There were rashes (in clusters) at both sides of her labia majora, which appeared at the beginning of the current episode and disappeared within a week. In addition, she also revealed that since last year (the year in which my suspected exposure took place) there were several occasions when her genitals became quite itchy (not as bad as what she is experiencing now) after we had had sex. The itch began one or two days after sexual intercourse and went away within a week. There were no rashes noted in those occasions. My wife has not experienced any pain so far. I do not think she is allergic to condoms as we have been using condoms consistently for the past 17 years.
Based on my wife
Thank you very much for your reply. My hope for not getting HSV 2 is dashed when I was told by my wife last night that she has intense itch at her genitals (so bad that she could not sleep at night) for few weeks now. There were rashes (in clusters) at both sides of her labia majora, which appeared at the beginning of the current episode and disappeared within a week. In addition, she also revealed that since last year (the year in which my suspected exposure took place) there were several occasions when her genitals became quite itchy (not as bad as what she is experiencing now) after we had had sex. The itch began one or two days after sexual intercourse and went away within a week. There were no rashes noted in those occasions. My wife has not experienced any pain so far. I do not think she is allergic to condoms as we have been using condoms consistently for the past 17 years.
Based on my wife
Dear Doctor,
Thank you very much for your reply. My hope for not getting HSV 2 is dashed when I was told by my wife last night that she has intense itch at her genitals (so bad that she could not sleep at night) for few weeks now. There were rashes (in clusters) at both sides of her labia majora, which appeared at the beginning of the current episode and disappeared within a week. In addition, she also revealed that since last year (the year in which my suspected exposure took place) there were several occasions when her genitals became quite itchy (not as bad as what she is experiencing now) after we had had sex. The itch began one or two days after sexual intercourse and went away within a week. There were no rashes noted in those occasions. My wife has not experienced any pain so far. I do not think she is allergic to condoms as we have been using condoms consistently for the past 17 years.
Based on my wife
Thank you very much for your reply. My hope for not getting HSV 2 is dashed when I was told by my wife last night that she has intense itch at her genitals (so bad that she could not sleep at night) for few weeks now. There were rashes (in clusters) at both sides of her labia majora, which appeared at the beginning of the current episode and disappeared within a week. In addition, she also revealed that since last year (the year in which my suspected exposure took place) there were several occasions when her genitals became quite itchy (not as bad as what she is experiencing now) after we had had sex. The itch began one or two days after sexual intercourse and went away within a week. There were no rashes noted in those occasions. My wife has not experienced any pain so far. I do not think she is allergic to condoms as we have been using condoms consistently for the past 17 years.
Based on my wife
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Only a few percent of people have HerpeSelect in the "gray zone", i.e. with optical density ratios between 1 and 3; most people have clearly negative (<1.0) or positive (>3.0) results.
No test is perfect, and HerpeSelect is new enough that research still continues on interpreting the results. But HerpeSelect is a giant improvement over the older, non-type-specific tests, and either a positive or negative results for HSV-2 is reliable in over 95% of people tested.
Regards-- HHH, MD
No test is perfect, and HerpeSelect is new enough that research still continues on interpreting the results. But HerpeSelect is a giant improvement over the older, non-type-specific tests, and either a positive or negative results for HSV-2 is reliable in over 95% of people tested.
Regards-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
