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Hi Terri! I received a diagnosis of hsv1 genitally 2 years ago. i had a pcr test done from a swab of a lesion. i had a mild initial outbreak (just 1 lesion). i have not had any recurrence of outbreaks since and i am not using antivirals. i have had a few sexual partners since my diagnosis and have not had sex without a condom since i was diagnosed. i decided to get my hsv1 and hsv2 IGG levels checked yesterday. the results came back today as follows; hsv1: 12.9, hsv2: 3.6. i know hsv2 IGG tests can have high false positives, especially for those already diagnosed with hsv1. i also know that lower IGG values for HSV2 can be indicative of a false positive. however, i am wondering if you think i have both hsv2 and hsv1 or if you think it was a false positive for hsv2? i am thinking about ordering a western blot test but i don’t know if it’s worth it to pay $255 when either way my prognosis is quite similar. of course, hsv2 can cause more frequent outbreaks and more asymptomatic shedding so if i was positive id be more inclined to be on daily antivirals. however, my symptoms are nonexistent so i’d like to think i would have more symptoms if i did actually have hsv2 genitally as well as hsv1 genitally. do you think i have both? do you think i should order the western blot test or should i just continue living my life the way i’ve lived it for the past two years (telling partners, using condoms, etc)? i’m torn.
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oh, I think, with a high degree of certainty, that you should do the blot UNLESS you are willing, based on this test alone, to tell all sex partners in the future that you have HSV 2. Some may ask you to take antivirals to reduce transmission, are you willing to do that as well?
Since you have no symptoms of recurrences, if you were my patient, and you want to know your actual infection status, I would suggest that blot.
But if $255 is a problem for you, you could decide that you have this and live that way for the future. I personally think it’s worth the money to know but everyone is different
Telling partners that you have HSV 1 genital infection and HSV 2 genital infection is vastly different as these two infections in the genital tract are vastly different.
In addition, getting HSV 1 after having having HSV 2 is extremely unlikely. So you would have had to have had genital HSV 1 prior to having HSV 2 and having both genitally is also uncommon.
Terri
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