Herpes and Prometrium

[jd88]

I recently tested positive for HSV Type 2.  I have never engaged in any sexual activities and do not understand how I got this disease.  I took Prometrium in the past to regulate my menstruate cycle.  I did some research on this drug and one of side effects for this drug is Herpes.  Is it possible this medicine could cause my immune system to produce antibodies for HSV Type 2?  Or is it possible this medicine could cause a false positive or a positive blood results for Herpes Type 2?  I not sure what to do next.  

[jd88]

Thank you.  Your comments are informative.  I will heed your advice and try to locate a doctor who is willing to order confirmatory test for my situation.  

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your HSV-2 tests are in the low positive range.  If you searched and read other threads as I suggested, you have seen that although results above 1.1 are officially considered positive.  However, only results above 3.5 are definitely positive.  Your results of 1.22 and 1.54 were very low and most likely truly negative; the value of 2.44 is of greater concern.  Still, with these mixed results, and your negative sexual history, most likely you are not infected.

There are confirmatory tests that can sort this out.  See the following thread for details and show it to your doctor:  http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/IGG-Test-Result-Confusion/show/593272 .

STDs cannot be transmitted by sharing drinking glasses.  That was not a valid reason for testing -- and as you have found out, the testing has only caused trouble for you!  Even if the person who also drank from the glass had HSV-2, you could not have caught it.

[jd88]

Dear Dr. Handsfield:

I went in for my annual GYN exam on 2/27/09. The doctor asked if I would like to take a stds test.  This is first time I visited this doctor.  My previous doctor retired. Anyway, I agreed to take the test because two weeks before my doctor's visit, I accidentally drink behind someone who is sexually active.  I was highly concerned and as stated above I decided to take the tests.

The lab that conducted my tests was Quest Diagnostic.  I tested three times with Quest.  Listed below are my test results:

Date:  02/27/09

Herpes AB Type 1 IGG     0.10
Herpes AB Type 2 IGG     1.93

Date:  03/07/09

Herpes AB Type 1 IGG    less than 0.90
Herpes AB Type 2 IGG    1.22

Date:  04/01/09

Herpes AB  Type 1 IGG   0.12
Herpes AB  Type 2 IGG   2.44

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the STD forum.  I'll try to help.

Prometrium is progesterone, a normal human hormone.  You have it in your body all the time, in greater or lesser amounts, and related drugs are components of most birth control pills, as well as contraceptive rings and inserts.

Herpes is not a possible side effect of progesterone or related drugs or hormones.  Don't be misled by reading lists of potential side effects.  When a pharmaceutical company tests a drug in hundreds of people, if a single has a herpes outbreak and believes that the drug might have triggered it -- wrong or right -- the company is required to list it as a possible side effect.  In addition, it is not possible that it could alter the development of HSV-2 antibody or have any effect on the blood test result.

If you have never had sex, I agree it is almost impossible that you really have HSV-2. Your test result may be false, especially if the result was not strongly positive.  (In fact, if you have never been sexually active, it was a mistake for you to even be tested for HSV-2!  Why was the test done in the first place?

If you would like to pursue this further, return with a comment and tell me the name of the test that was done (several are available and used by various laboratories) and the numerical result of your test.  In the meantime, please read other threads on this forum for innumerable discussions about the herpes blood tests.  Use the search link and try entering such terms as "HSV-2 antibody", "herpes antibody", "herpes diagnosis", "IgG", and "HerpeSelect test" -- and others.

Regards--  HHH, MD