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Risky encounter
In March, I had a risky 1 time encounter with a male that I suspect to have hsv2(did not know at time). I am a female and had a few seconds (a couple of strokes) of unprotected genital sex. The male then put a condom on and continued sex for a few mins. The only other contact was kissing.
I began to have symptoms of UTI, tired, achy, leg pain, feverish a couple of months later. Went to the dr thefollowing day & had no UTI but was given anibiotic. Symptoms went away, but came back the following month. I became very worried & went to have bloodwork for all std's a month after. Everything negative except hsv1, but I've had a few cold sores in llife.
Symptoms still persisted & felt like a yeast infection, so I went to gyn. He said yeast infection and saw no sign of hsv. He prescribed a cream & when I was putting it on I felt a cluster of bumps inside vagina. Went back to gyn 1 week later. He done visual exam & felt bumps, but said they did not concern him. He did swab & bloodwork per my request. Called 2 days later & said swab was + for hsv(test wasnt specific to type), said labcorp result said swab was initially found neg. for hsv, but retested the swab & found + for what seems to be consistent with type1.
My ? is could I really have been Infected from this contact (1 time), also would you assume this is type 2 since I'm sure I already had type 1 orally? But shouldnt my igg specific test have been positive by 15 weeks after exposure?
Also when outbreaks seem to be gone, I still feel sort of flat bumps inside my vagina...is this hpv also that I am feeling. I've not been tested for hpv but I'm concerned of that also. Please help. I also posted on herpes community but wanted a Dr's advice also. Thank you.
I began to have symptoms of UTI, tired, achy, leg pain, feverish a couple of months later. Went to the dr thefollowing day & had no UTI but was given anibiotic. Symptoms went away, but came back the following month. I became very worried & went to have bloodwork for all std's a month after. Everything negative except hsv1, but I've had a few cold sores in llife.
Symptoms still persisted & felt like a yeast infection, so I went to gyn. He said yeast infection and saw no sign of hsv. He prescribed a cream & when I was putting it on I felt a cluster of bumps inside vagina. Went back to gyn 1 week later. He done visual exam & felt bumps, but said they did not concern him. He did swab & bloodwork per my request. Called 2 days later & said swab was + for hsv(test wasnt specific to type), said labcorp result said swab was initially found neg. for hsv, but retested the swab & found + for what seems to be consistent with type1.
My ? is could I really have been Infected from this contact (1 time), also would you assume this is type 2 since I'm sure I already had type 1 orally? But shouldnt my igg specific test have been positive by 15 weeks after exposure?
Also when outbreaks seem to be gone, I still feel sort of flat bumps inside my vagina...is this hpv also that I am feeling. I've not been tested for hpv but I'm concerned of that also. Please help. I also posted on herpes community but wanted a Dr's advice also. Thank you.
Also, just to clarify when I mentioned well known for his expertise I did not mean with herpes specifically. Just as a gynecologist, sorry if I misled. He said he's never seen a case such as mine before, he said what he's seen has been quite painful & more obvious. I've never experienced any real pain. Does your opinion & advice remain the same? Sorry, no more posts ...promise. Thanks so much!
Thank you for your help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
In theory "weak positive" means the virus is present but in small amount. However, some experts believe such results are false at least some of the time. It would be nice if it were "pretty black and white", but it just isn't. Given your doctor's confidence that your symptoms were not due to herpes (combined with his apparent expertise in herpes), your prior HSV-1 infection, and the weak result, my bet is that your test result was false and you do not have genital herpes due to either HSV-1 or HSV-2. Unfortunately, there simply is no way to know for certain except to repeat testing and see what turns up.
Given your doctor's apparent expertise, and your seeming comfort in the quality of care he provides, I suggest sticking with him. Tell him what I have said about possible additional testing (you could print out this thread as a framework for discussion). If and when you have additional tests done and would like help interpreting them, I'll be happy to help at that time. But for now I'm afraid there's nothing more that I can do, so let's wind down this thread.
Given your doctor's apparent expertise, and your seeming comfort in the quality of care he provides, I suggest sticking with him. Tell him what I have said about possible additional testing (you could print out this thread as a framework for discussion). If and when you have additional tests done and would like help interpreting them, I'll be happy to help at that time. But for now I'm afraid there's nothing more that I can do, so let's wind down this thread.
I'm sorry, would you clarify when you speak of a pcr weak positive? Do you mean that it is hsv at all or just the typing is confused in a weak positive? My gyn did indicate that it was a weak positive, going on to say this seems to be a very mild case? To me its pretty black & white, either you have it or you do not, would you give me your thoughts? And I feel that my Dr is very well educated and knowledgeable, he comes highly recommended & is well known for his expertise in this area. But, honestly I think this has him a little stumped also. He had previously told me twice that he was 99.9% certain this was not herpes in any form based on visual exams. I'm just confused & don't know what to make of it? Thank you.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Typically labs have an additional charge to determine HSV type, above the primary test. Some doctors try to save money by not determining type -- but that's almost always a mistake, since it's always important to know the type if HSV is found. My guess is the lab went back and determined type after being asked to to so, after the original result was in. Distinguishing the two types is quite reliable, whenever it is done. But occasional weakly positive results occur with PCR. Whether these are false results entirely isn't certain -- but this has been an increasingly common problem since PCR testing became the norm (instead of culture) the past 2-3 years.
Having prior HSV-1 is not known to prevent or delay HSV-2 seroconversion; I doubt that's an issue.
I would consider your exposure low risk, especially for HSV-2.
Have you been taking valtrex on an ongoing basis? If so, please stop now. Treatment can delay or prevent development of positive antibody tests. If you have been taking it all along (as opposed to a brief treatment trial), you may need to have an HSV-2 test after a year in addition to the 6 month test.
Having prior HSV-1 is not known to prevent or delay HSV-2 seroconversion; I doubt that's an issue.
I would consider your exposure low risk, especially for HSV-2.
Have you been taking valtrex on an ongoing basis? If so, please stop now. Treatment can delay or prevent development of positive antibody tests. If you have been taking it all along (as opposed to a brief treatment trial), you may need to have an HSV-2 test after a year in addition to the 6 month test.
I thought it was a little suspicious that my igg test was not positive if it was hsv2, given it was done 15 weeks post exposure. Also, my gyn spoke as if the test was type specific when he told me the results after being found + on round 2 of testing of the swab, but said results said it was consistent with type 1. But, when I got the bill from lab corp it showed a non type specific hsv test in the description. I think that it would be reliable if lab Corp put that on results after finding the swab +, surely they see eniugh of this to determine type 1 from type 2? would you think? Do you think my already suspected hsv1 status from childhood would just be delaying seroconversion possibly if this is type 2? I am sorry to be a pest & appreciate your kindness & expertise, this has been such a confusing & depressing ordeal. Lastly, would you consider the exposure described high risk? I am definitely going to retest at 6 month mark via igg test. Will my taking daily valtrex generic affect the results?
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.
