Low Positive HSV 2. Could it be false?

[SportsLover]

Hi Terri,

I’m a 32 year old male, I have had cold sores ever since I was a kid and would get an outbreak on my lip once every 2 – 3 years. My sores have been very small over the years and I once tested negative after a swab test in 2018. So two months ago when another one appeared, I decided to get a blood test to know for sure if it is HSV 1 and I was actually expecting a positive on that anyway.

The test results came back as follows

HSV 1 IGG > 5.0
HSV 2 IGG = 1.170

To my surprise I also tested positive for HSV 2 and I have never had any outbreaks to my knowledge. I did some research and found out about cross reactivity between HSV 1 & 2 antibodies and the possibility of false positives.

I have never, in the past, taken a blood test for HSV and this was the first time. But here is my sexual history in the past 6 months, just in case.

My open relationship partner -> Twice a week (unprotected)
Casual partner 1 -> Just once (protected)
Casual partner 2 -> 4 times (protected), Twice (unprotected)
Casual partner 3 -> Twice (protected)

**By protected I mean wearing a condom

So my questions are:

1) Could my HSV 2 test result be a false positive?

2) What would you recommend me to do next regarding my HSV 2 diagnosis?

3) If a follow up supplemental LabCrop test result comes back negative, should I disclose this HSV 2 situation to a new partner?

Thanks!

[Terri Warren]

1) Could my HSV 2 test result be a false positive?
definitely

2) What would you recommend me to do next regarding my HSV 2 diagnosis?
You could get the supplemental test. If positive, we don’t trust it, if negative, it is likely correct (not perfect)

3) If a follow up supplemental LabCrop test result comes back negative, should I disclose this HSV 2 situation to a new partner?
I would say then you do not need to disclose.

Terri

[Author]

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