false positive hsv 2 lgG?

[lcdcurtis]

Hi Terri,

I went for my annual physical in May this year. Doc asked if I wanted to be tested for herpes because it’s common and good to know if one has it or not. I have NO symptoms and thought nothing of it, so I agreed to the test.

My result:
HSV 1 lgG Ab = .3
HSV 2 lgG Ab = 1.4 (Positive)

I broke the news to my current long-term (10yrs on-and-off) boyfriend and asked him to get tested. Both his HSV 1 and 2 resulted Negative.

About 2 weeks after I got my results I went back to my Doc for a re-test.
This time my result for HSV 2 lgG was 1.2 ( still positive). My HSV 1 is still negative.

My question is: how likely is it that my results are false positives? I do not want to take medication without being sure I have genital herpes. Do I need to do a western blot?

I do not have any symptoms. But I do recall one time (15 years ago) I experienced burning, itching and swelling on my private part about 3-5 days after sex with a guy I dated briefly. I bought yeast infection cream and the condition went away after 1-2 days. Could that have been herpes outbreak I mistook for yeast infection?

Also, one year ago I did have protected sex with a friend.

As I mentioned above, my boyfriend tested Negative for both HSV 1&2. We have unprotected sex pretty much throughout our 10-year relationship. Could my test results be in fact false positive? Is Western blot a necessary next step?

Thank you so much!

[Terri Warren]

You need a western blot. Definitely. There is an 85% chance that this is a false positive! Our clinic an help you with that if you like. Given your partner’s negative status, I think there is an excellent chance this is a false positive.

terri

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