Negative IgG and IgM Blood Test, Visible Symptoms – Recent Infection?

[Anon1923]

I have had protected sex with the same partner for the past month. My partner does not have visible HSV signs (e.g, sores), but did have a cut on his lip on Friday, October 20th. We engaged in oral sex and PIV sex that night, the 22nd, and the 27th.

I had my period on the 23rd to 26th, and noticed swelling/pain on perineum/small pimple which I believed to be an ingrown. I attributed the symptoms to be due to rough/prolonged sex. As of Saturday, October 28th, I now have blisters and am fully HSV symptomatic. I received a blood test on Saturday, but the clinic provided the results to me earlier today and stated I was negative.

QUESTION: If I tested negative on the IgG and IgM blood test but have visible symptoms, would this indicate that a recent infection took place within the past 2-21 days, and if so, could he be an asymptomatic HSV carrier? It seems that I would have had pre-existing antibodies in my system if I previously had dormant HSV for a longer period of time.

FYSA – I plan on getting a swab test on Thursday and am currently on antivirals. My partner is notified of my symptoms and plans on getting a blood test.

[Terri Warren]

QUESTION: If I tested negative on the IgG and IgM blood test but have visible symptoms, would this indicate that a recent infection took place within the past 2-21 days, and if so, could he be an asymptomatic HSV carrier? It seems that I would have had pre-existing antibodies in my system if I previously had dormant HSV for a longer period of time.
Yes, very likely yes. Your infection could be either HSV 1 or HSV 2 and swab testing should have been done right away when you were seen. The antivirals you are taking may very well cause a false negative on the swab test. I guess you’ll have to wait and see. If the cut on his lip was HSV 1 and he gave you oral sex, this could definitely be HSV 1. Be sure typing is requested on the swab test if it is positive

FYSA – I plan on getting a swab test on Thursday and am currently on antivirals. My partner is notified of my symptoms and plans on getting a blood test.

Terri

[Anon1923]

Teri, thank you for your prompt reply — I’ll make sure to request typing and notify the doctor of my antiviral use.

I requested the IgG lab results from the testing site and received the following:

HSV-1 <.1
HSV-2 .14

Given that the HSV-1 count is lower compared to the HSV-2 count, do you think it is likely that I have HSV-2? We did have brief frottage during our sexual encounters but never actual unprotected PIV. It might be important to note that I also had one encounter with a different partner on Sept. 29th in which he removed the condom briefly and inserted himself (30 seconds) without my knowledge.

Also, if I have HSV-2, does this mean I can never receive oral sex from an uninfected partner? 🙁

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Terri Warren]

I think the risk is greater that you have HSV 1 vs. HSV 2, given the cut on the fellow’s lip. Your test was done way too soon to have any accuracy at all, but this is simply a baseline result – where you were antibody-wise prior to your symptoms. Hopefully, the swab will tell you what is going on but it may be too late for that to be accurate. In that case, if negative, you’ll need to repeat the antibody test in about 6 weeks, but if you take a longer course of antivirals, it will impact that testing, possibly yielding a false negative result.

Terri

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