Equivocal Result – Please Help Me!!!

[VeryNervous]

Hi Terri,

I am a 28 year old heterosexual male and have been in a long-term monogamous relationship for over five years. This past April, I had unprotected sex a handful of times within a three day span with someone other than my girlfriend. At the time, this girl said she had no std’s. Stupid on many levels, I know, but what can I say.

At my recent physical, approximately 4 1/2 months after the last sexual encounter with this girl, my doctor took the full battery of std tests. I came back negative for everything, except for HSV-2. My results came back with an equivocal value of 0.94. This took me a bit off guard as I have never had any symptoms.

To be safe, my girlfriend was later tested and came back negative for everything, including a HSV-2 value of .04.

Is my equivocal value my immune system building up antibodies for an eventual positive result?

What should I do next? Please help!

Thank you.

[Terri Warren]

No, the equivocal is NOT your immune response making antibody for the first time. Last April is way too far away for that to be the case. If you were going to make antibody you would have done so by now. It can be very tough to get an equivocal value because you left in a bit of limbo on this. I would bet that you are truly negative and there is some protein in your blood that is bumping up the test. To be certain, you could get a herpes western blot to see. There has been enough time between your exposure and now for an accurate blot. But remember you are not positive at this time (but neither are you completely negative). Try not to freak out – I think you are very likely negative. But if you want to do the blot to be certain, our clinic can order this test to be drawn at a lab near you and they will ship it to UW.

Terri

[VeryNervous]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly Terri.

So to recap:

1. MOST LIKELY, if I were to actually have HSV-2, my Body would have probably tested as such by now?

2. You would guess that I have am Likely negative?

How should I proceed from here (other than a western blot test)? Should I wait another 4 weeks and get another igg test? Also, how should I proceed sexually in the time being? Should I be using protection with my girlfriend?

Thanks again!

[Terri Warren]

Since your current partner is negative, there is no point in waiting or doing another IgG test, no, that is only done when there is the possibility that you might be seroconverting, which is not the case with you, given the timing of the contact in April. Have you been using condoms with your partner in the past? How long have you been having sex with her, if you aren’t using condoms?

If you were my patient, I would order you the western blot and in the meanwhile suggest that you don’t change much of anything. If she is worried, then condoms, yes, until you really know what is going on here. We like 16 weeks from any risky exposure to do the blot – you are well beyond that now.

Terri

[VeryNervous]

I have been having sex with my girlfriend for five years. Four years unprotected.

My doctor originally told me that I was positive for genital herpes. It wasn’t until I did my own research (using many of your chats so thank you!), that I found out that a .94 is equivocal. So I’ve been an emotional wreck since I received the results two weeks ago.

Is there any reason in particular that you think I will come out negative? Will an igg test confirm those results or only a western blot?

Thank you again for everything. This is such a wonderful and informative place to come and ask questions.

[Terri Warren]

So since you’ve been having unprotected sex for four years, I think there is little point in starting to use condoms now until you get further test results back.
I think it will likely be negative because 1) your partner is negative and 2) the antibody test has had plenty of time to pick up infection from the other partner in April and 3) your antibody test is NOT positive . Another IgG test will likely be in this same range. Only the western blot can be useful as a clarifying test in this kind of situation.

Glad I could be of help. If you have other questions, please feel free to renew.

Terri

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