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Currently 37 weeks pregnant. Had an irritation by vagina that I believed was ingrown hair or heat rash due to excessive sweating. No pus or formed bump but I did scrub with my loofah in shower causing further irritation and skin to break open. Brought up issue at my 36 week check up for dilation (72 hours after first feeling of irritation) dr said it looked like it could’ve been a blister that popped and was an open lesion so she swabbed for HSV PCR Test and sent me for HSV IGG blood testing as well as prescribed acyclovir. PCR test came back negative for both HSV1/HSV2. IGG blood test came back positive HSV1 index level 15 and HSV2 index level 4.12, supplemental test was done for HSV2 which also came back positive. I have not had any symptoms or outbreaks that I am aware of for either HSV types, have been with my husband for 8 years and neither has he. Understand that I could be asymptomatic for both types and have cried all week accepting that may be the case. I read a research study about pregnant women who showed positive for HSV2 antibodies during weeks 10-39 weeks but after 40 weeks tested negative for antibodies or dropped 0.5-0.9 on index level. My questions are:
With HSV2 index of 4.12 could this still be a false positive?
Should I retest blood IGG after birth to see if my index numbers fall below 3.5?
Could pregnancy cause an elevation in IGG due to the stress on body/immune system?
If I’m told I have to have C-section simply for having positive HSV2 IGG should I do my best to fight against that? (Really stressed about this)
Appreciate your feedback. Hoping to gain more clarity as I am wanting to do western blot test but with new baby coming right around the corner and price inflations not sure I can afford it at this moment. -
With HSV2 index of 4.12 could this still be a false positive?
Yes, it still couldShould I retest blood IGG after birth to see if my index numbers fall below 3.5?
It isn’t about falling below 3.5 – that could still be positive. It is about getting a better test.Could pregnancy cause an elevation in IGG due to the stress on body/immune system?
And those numbers at that level are not the important thing. They are only a guidelines. If you told me the number was 10, I would feel far more certain that you were truly infected.If I’m told I have to have C-section simply for having positive HSV2 IGG should I do my best to fight against that? (Really stressed about this)
Most providers would not say that. Have you been placed on relatively high doses of antiviral medication? This is something you need to work closely with your provider about. The important thing here is a healthy baby, right? Not as much how the baby gets out.Appreciate your feedback. Hoping to gain more clarity as I am wanting to do western blot test but with new baby coming right around the corner and price inflations not sure I can afford it at this moment.
well, it surely would be good to get done, I can say that.Terri
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*Yes you are so right! Most important thing is healthy baby though I am terrified of DR pushing me into C-section for monetary reasons as I’ve heard they get paid more when doing a C-section (obviously hearsay). I am currently taking 400mg 3x daily for 30 days which runs about 5 days past my due date. Do you consider this a high dosage?
Yes, that is a good dose.If I am truly HSV2 positive I’m 100% sure I carried antibodies during last pregnancy/delivery in 2018 which had no issues whatsoever (keeping calm with this in mind).
Good!*Since IGG Blood test is covered by insurance, could it be worth testing again just to see if it did come back negative? If yes, how long should I wait to retest? If yes and IGG test came back with a way higher index like 10+ would it still be worth getting Western blot or safe to assume I’m HSV2 positive.
With your index value, I doubt it would be negative but you could try. You can do the blot now.*Since PCR test came back negative, in your opinion, would DR assume it was not an actual outbreak even though IGG came back positive?
Yes, but it doesn’t really matter as people can shed virus with or without an actual outbreak*For Western Blot, how long should I wait to test? Should I do it after giving birth (due in 2 1/2weeks)?
you can do it any time. The symptom you had is not important*What if I am unable to find a local lab that will give me my vial of blood to ship back? I’ve read that people have run into this issue.
I can work with you on that*Do IGG levels being “low” necessarily mean anything as far as how long you have had antibodies? Why are some people definitely positive but have such low positives while others IGG levels are in the 30s+?
Unknown, it is just IS*Is it possible that my husband of 8 years tests truly negative and that I could’ve never given him HSV2? We have not practiced safe sex since after the first couple of months of knowing each other. Also neither of us have never had an outbreak that I’m aware of.
Yes, that is possible and if he tests negative*Can having mono as a teenager cause HSV antibodies?
NoTerri
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