Help With Reading Results

[resultconfusion]

Hi Terri,

I have been seeing a gynecologist for a three-year-old persistent issue – internal vaginal burning, discharge, and general discomfort. Since there never seemed to be any answers, I’d been growing frustrated. My doctor said that since there was burning, we might test for herpes titers, and I agreed.

I got a call from a nurse a few days ago saying that I am showing up positive for herpes, that I’ve had it for a long time, and that it is recently active. I asked her which type it was, and she said something along the lines of “both, they’ve crossed over.” I asked her if I had it genitally and she was unable to tell me yes. She asked if I’ve ever had a cold sore, and to my own memory I haven’t, but I’ve also never had a genital outbreak. I was prescribed Valtrex which I haven’t taken yet, but she says that if that helps my issue, it would mean I have herpes.

I think I left feeling more confused that she couldn’t give me a clear answer. I asked her to send me my lab results and was surprised because it said I was negative for hsv2. But the reason I’m asking for help with reading my results is that another portion of the test seems to indicate I may be positive? My results are follows:

HSV1/HSV2 Glyco G Igg
HSV1 GLYCO G IGG @ – POSITIVE * Flag – A * Range – Neg
HSV2 GLYCO G IGG @ NEGATIVE * Flag – (blank) * Range – Neg

HSV I/II IgG IgM
HSV 1/2 IGG AB @ 4.71 * Units – {index_val} * Flag – H * Range (0.00-0.79)
HSV 1/2 IGM AB @ 1.34 * Units – {index_val} * Flag – H * Range (0.00-0.89)

–

I’m most confused about the ones that don’t seem to differentiate between 1/2. I don’t understand how to read that, and I can’t understand what the nurse is telling me.

Thanks in advance.

[resultconfusion]

An update: I tested on my own with QuestDirect and got a hsv1 index of 30 (high) and an hsv2 index of <0.90 (normal).

[resultconfusion]

Hi,

I think you might’ve missed my question, it seems others from around the same time I posted were answered.

[Terri Warren]

The Quest test answers your question – you have HSV 1 but not HSV 2. Most HSV 1 is still oral but sometimes people have it genitally but if you did, it would not cause all this trouble in your genital area. HSV 1 recurs about once every other year and lasts about one week. Many people who have genital HSV 1 never have another outbreak after the first.
Your doctor clearly didn’t understand how to interpret these results but the Quest test is much clearer.
HSV 1 genital infection simply does not cause a 3 year chronic genital problem. I can’t tell you where you HSV 1 infection is but I can tell you what you are experiencing doesn’t fit with an HSV 1 genital infection.,

Terri

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