Planned Parenthood POS & Kaiser NEG

[AliasSmith]

Thank you for this site, and all your work.

3 months ago (November) I started a new relationship. She had a full STI screening in Oct and was Negative for HSV2.
Since I had sex with someone 4 weeks before we started dating, I waited 4 months for a full STI screening.
Went to Planned Parenthood and everything was negative except HSV2

All tests were done with blood as I have never in my life had symptoms

Planned Parenthood (02/27/2023):
LSC HSV 1 ANTIBODY, IGG – Negative
HSV-1 Index 0.23 (standard range <1.10)

LSC HSV 2 ANTIBODY, IGG – POSITIVE
HSV-2 Index – 3.93 (standard range <1.10)

It was upsetting news, but my new partner is very sex health educated, and we had several great talks.
I contacted my General Physician and requested another test. It came back Negative.

Kaiser Permanente (03/04/2023):
HSV 1 & 2 = Negative – No index number provided

To be thorough, I feel like a Western Blot test is the best way to break the tie.
Money is tight, but I feel like having the best information is good policy.

Guess I’m asking for your thoughts on the conflicting results and the chances of a false positive in the first test. Or could it be a false negative in the second test?

Thank you.

[Terri Warren]

Both false negatives and false positives happen with this test – it’s not good at all. Were both IgG tests, no IgM tests? I see an index value for the first one and that it is an IgG but I don’t see that for Kaiser. I’m sorry I cannot guide you more accurately here. Both false positive and false negative are options, though I see more false positives than false negatives when we run the blot and compare it to the IgG. For the record, I’ve never had Kaiser agree to order a western blot.

Terri

[AliasSmith]

Yes, the 2nd test at Kaiser was HSV 2 IGG,SER,QN test
Sorry I thought I had included that.
There was no Index number. It only says NEGATIVE.

Sadly, not surprised that Kaiser has never agreed to order a western blot.
Guess I’ll have to sort it myself.

On the home page of this site there is a link to NW Dermatology Institute.
Thoughts on going there for a 3rd test, or maybe they can help with ordering a western blot?

[Terri Warren]

Sheryl Horwitz at NW Derm can definitely help you with the western blot – she’s amazing and I know you would like her very much.

Terri

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