HSV-1 Positive Confused

[Rivers]

Hello Terri,

I was tested for HSV-1 and HSV-2 on 1/10/22, this was a little over three months after having unprotected sex with someone and protected sex with someone else. I got the blood test IgG and came back positive for HSV-1 at an index of 2.93. I tested negative for HSV-2, I have never had a cold sore or have shown any symptoms of Herpes anywhere on my body. My question is do you think this could be a false positive and should I get tested again? Is there also a possibility of that index number going down, in which case what would that mean?

Thank you so much!

[Rivers]

I would also like to mention that my Doctor left a note with my results stating “You are positive for HSV-1 though the infection is not currently active.” Can you please explain what she might mean by that? Also if I’ve never experienced any symptoms what is the probability of me transferring Herpes to my current partner when performing oral sex? Thank you!

[Terri Warren]

That could be a false positive yes.
I have no idea what your doctor meant by that. Does she mean you don’t have a cold sore at the moment? That is a weird thing to say.
If you have HSV 1 orally, you could infect a partner whether you have a cold sore or not. If your partner is also legitimately positive for HSV 1, then this is not a real risk.

Terri

[Author]

Posts