Equivocal

[Inquiry209]

Hi Terri, I’m a male who has led a very uneventful sex life due to fear of contracting anything. I’ve been celibate for over a year probably more, since about Sep 26, 2022.

Prior to that, I had oral sex (performed a Analingus and received oral fellatio no condom. I also briefly licked the shaft of an ex this was all pre pandemic around 2018.

I’ve never been penetrated. I had a full panel done two weeks ago, at my request. The doctor asked about any concerns I had none, I just wanted to know. Everything came back negative. But hsv2 was equivocal. There was no number value although I asked. He wants me to test again in 4 weeks. He said treat it as a positive . I feel that he said this because he doesn’t believe that I haven’t even so much as tongue kissed in the last year so he’s waiting to see if it will turn positive. I read you spoke on a blood protein. I have a psoriasis like (per dermatologist) condition I’ve had since before I was ever sexually active. Could this be the blood protein skewing the result.

Also, I had 4 full vials of blood drawn for all of my panel testing and had just received a flu vaccine. Could any of this make me equivocal?

What are the odds you would just now become equivocal after no sexual activity for over a year?

And can it be assumed negative if I receive another equivocal?

Thanks

[Inquiry209]

Also I was born with high red blood cell count and developed jaundice as an infant. Wondering does this affect antibodies and proteins.

[Inquiry209]

My doctor says:

“it seems like it should be positive if it was going to be positive by now since you have not had sexual contact in over a year. We do not get equivocal test results often. I cannot recall the last time this happened.”

Are equivocals uncommon?

[Terri Warren]

Equivocals are very common indeed, and if you were my patient, without any sexual contact in a year, I would tell you to consider this a negative result. Clearly, this provider, doesn’t do a lot of HSV testing.

Terri

[Author]

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