Exposure Herpes

[c2b]

Hi Terry,

I am a 25 Y/O uncircumcised male who had a one time protected but unprotected oral sex encounter with a woman 7 weeks ago. I tested for all STD’s right before this encounter which came back negative. Last encounter before this was 7 months ago so they should be accurate. Within the next 2 weeks of encounter I received the below symptoms. I never had any symptoms after an encounter before which is why I am super concerned. I reached out to partner who said she recently tested negative for HSV 1/2 three days before our encounter. She was with someone a few weeks before test so I got really nervous her test wasn’t accurate for recent encounters.

-Tiny unraised red spots on penis gland & shaft (doctor told me it looked like balanitis and gave me Nystatin fungal cream, went away in few days)
-Rash in both creases of groin between scrotum and inner thighs ( doctor wasn’t sure what it was but gave me Lotromin fungal cream and it went away in a week)
-Frequent Urination/Urge to Urinate
1 tiny cut on foreskin of penis (didn’t look like blister/ulcer, no fluid, cut was not painful ; cut was there for total of 4 days)
red burning scrotum ( no lesions or marks of any sort)

All of my symptoms went away within 3 weeks f exposure except for frequent urination/urge to urinate which has lasted over 6 weeks now. I went to urologist who tested my urine and came back negative for everything. After not reacting to multiple antibiotics she diagnosed as interstitial cystitis. I never had any bladder issues before this encounter.

I have taken the following tests since encounter:
IGG Herpes 1 & 2 Type Specific Test ( 3 and 6 1/2 weeks, both negative <.90 )
IGM Herpes Comb Test ( 3 and 4 weeks, both negative <.90 )

Do any of my symptoms sounds like herpes?
Does herpes cause long term bladder/urination issues like IC?
When do most people turn positive for HSV 1 & 2? ( I have heard so many conflicting reports ranging anywhere from 2-16 weeks)
Does HSV 1 take longer than HSV 2 to detect on herpes test? Since this was an unprotected oral sex I am more worried about HSV-1

[Terri Warren]

NO, none of these symptoms sound anything like herpes to me. The rashes definitely sound like fungal symptoms to me as well. Be certain to use all the medicine for as long as prescribed. And no, herpes does not cause bladder symptoms such as the ones that you describe.
Fifty percent of people who are going to become positive will do so within 3 weeks and 70% within six weeks. The vast majority will have done so by 4 months from the encounter.
The screening test misses 25% of HSV 1 infection, so not great for HSV 1. The herpes western blot, which our clinic can order for you, is far better at detecting HSV 1.

Terri

[c2b]

Hi Terry,

Thanks for quick response. It is reassuring to know these don’t sound like typical symptoms but just worried because I never experienced after any encounters before. Plus, these symptoms came between typical primary outbreak period of 2-20 days. I understand that most people don’t experience any symptoms when they get the virus. Is this correct? I am not sure what is causing my bladder issues but due to the fact that it happened right after exposure has caused extra worry. I read that herpes can be a cause of IC but couldn’t find enough medical research on this.

Is it common to test negative at 6 weeks but positive at 12 weeks?

Is there a certain timeframe to take Western Blot test? Who can I reach out to set this test up?

Can I assume that HSV 1 is my biggest concern since this was protected but unprotected oral encounter?

[Terri Warren]

Is it common to test negative at 6 weeks but positive at 12 weeks?

About 30% of people who acquire new herpes will seroconvert after 6 weeks.

Is there a certain timeframe to take Western Blot test? Who can I reach out to set this test up?

I would say wait until four months from exposure. Our office can set that up for you easily.

Can I assume that HSV 1 is my biggest concern since this was protected but unprotected oral encounter?

Yes, that’s correct, and the screening test for HSV 1 mises 25% of infections.

Terri

[c2b]

Hi Terry,

Thank you for response. I will reach out to your clinic on taking the Western Blot test in future. I have taken multiple IGG/IGM tests within last 7 weeks and they all came back negative. I will re-test at 12 and 16 week mark.

Is it possible IGM antibodies aren’t created/detected during initial infection? If they do, when do they start fazing out and create IGG antibodies. I took IGM at 3 and 4 weeks but were negative. ( I have heard test is unreliable but usually result of false positives)

Is balanitis a symptom of Herpes? These tiny red flat spots occurred on penis head and shaft 8 days after exposure. Never experienced before

Are there lymph nodes in crease of groin? I didn’t see any swelling but more of a raw rash in crease of groin between scrotum and thigh at 7 days past exposure.

[Terri Warren]

Balantis is normally a yeast infection of the head of the penis. The raw rash also sounds like a fungal or yeast infection as well and it normally occurs between the scrotum and thigh where things are warm and moist and dark, and we see this particularly often in the summer months. Lymph nodes are NOT in the crease that low, no. Not everyone makes detectable IgM with first infection, no. but that test is so awful, I would simply pay not attention to it either way if I was you.

This is our final post on this subscription. If you have more questions, feel free to renew.

Terri

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