Should I even get tested?

[kierosaber]

Hello.
The more I read about HSV,the more confused I get.
I keep reading that asymptomatic people should not get tested, but the reasons confuse me.
Since there is an accurate test, the Western Blot, the unnecessary risk of anxiety resulting in a false positive isn’t really valid anymore, is it?
My concerns began when I, very out of character, had a brief sexual relationship with a woman I didn’t know very well. Over the course of about a week, she performed oral sex on me 3 times without a condom, and we had intercourse once, with a condom. That was 42 days ago.
I had been very misinformed about STI’s in general, and wasn’t even thinking about them at the time. All I knew was “wear a condom” and that was that.
I have since been reading so much about it all, and have become miserable.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a breakout. I do get pimples when I ride my bicycle and perspire; sometimes they’ve appeared on my shoulders, back, on my buttocks and rarely above the genitals, but I’ve had that for as long as I can remember. They don’t hurt, or burst or ooze, and go away quickly.
The woman was also not aware of any STI’s, so I assume she’s at least never had a breakout of HSV symptoms. Therefore, I don’t believe there’s any specific reason to think I was in any especially high risk, or am particularly likely to have contracted it, is there?
It would be a nightmare, however, to find myself in a situation years in the future where I’m in a happy,committed relationship and then suddenly, even years into it, my partner gets an outbreak from something I didn’t even know I had, and then suffers, blames me, or even suspects infidelity.
Should I test just to make sure, or drive these thoughts from my mind before they take over my life?
Thank you

[kierosaber]

Wanted to add that I will be getting tested once 3 months is up, in 49 days, but just wasn’t sure if I should include HSV as one of the STI’s I’m tested for, since I do think I’m asymptomatic.
Also, in my question above, I meant anxiety resulting FROM a false positive, not anxiety resulting IN a false positive, to save you the trouble of having to clarify that anxiety doesn’t cause false positives. Thank you again.

• This reply was modified 7 months, 3 weeks ago by kierosaber.

[Terri Warren]

If worry is making your life difficult, then I think a western blot would relieve that worry or at least clarify your situation.
There is zero risk of a false positive by western blot, just to clarify. The references to concerns about false positives pertain to the IgG test.
The risk from receiving oral sex is HSV 1. Condoms reduce transmission from females to males by about 60-65% so that risk is also limited.
Has this partner been tested for HSV?

Terri

[kierosaber]

I don’t know. She’s only been “tested”. We’re no longer in touch.

So it’s worthwhile to get the western blot despite having no symptoms or specific reason to suspect exposure?

If the only risk is hsv1, isn’t that unlikely to infect a future partner genitally since there are no symptoms? And most people have hsv1 anyway, right?

[kierosaber]

So I’m still not sure whether or not I should get tested for HSV at all.

If I don’t, the possibility would still bother me.

If I do, what if I had it all along and never would have known, and now open a can a worms?

As far as I know, I haven’t had symptoms, but since HSV wasn’t much on my mind before, I could have missed them and not given them a second thought.

The partner was at least not aware of having any STIs. She only said she “gets tested” with new partners, but as we all know here, that doesn’t include HSV.

To make sure I understand correctly: the single incidence intercourse was unlikely to be of concern, because of the condom, so HSVII is unlikely.

The 3 acts of receiving oral was a possibility for GHSVI,but that almost never spreads from genitals to genitals.

I don’t think I’ve ever had cold sores, so if I just don’t engage in oral sex in the future, would my fear of infecting another person be taken care of?

I’m not scared of outbreaks, not having gotten one, or at least not a noticeable one. My chief concern has been unwittingly infecting a future partner, causing suffering,and being resented or blamed for it. That’s really my only concern here.

Thanks, Terri..

[kierosaber]

Please correct my understanding of any of these points if they’re wrong:

The risk from receiving oral sex is mostly contracting GHSV1. GHSV1 is unlikely to infect a future partner from genital sex alone. HSV1 is very common, usually asymptomatic, and less stigmatized, most people have it since childhood.

Therefore, if my only risk was from receiving unprotected oral sex, and never observed any symptoms, sores or breakouts, I’m unlikely to infect anyone in the future, so no need to test for HSV1 or worry about the whole thing.

I’m fine giving up oral sex altogether. Never really cared one way or the other about it.

Is that correct? If I’ve misunderstood, please enlighten me.

[Terri Warren]

You are out questions

Terri

• This reply was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by Terri Warren.

[Confused777]

It’s a decision you’ll have to make but I can tell you my story.

Five years ago I had an encounter with a woman and a few days later I had pain, burning, itchy thighs and crawling feelings in my groin area. Doc tested for Chlamydia and Ghonorhea, gave me a shot of Racefin and sent me on my way. I had no lesions or anything other than the pain symptoms. It sucked. A week passed and they told me there wasn’t anything they could do to help, so I waited it out. I went back a few weeks later and my symptoms had cleared up. My doctor said we could test for HSV if I wanted but it was up to me. If it was a new infection, it may not show up on IgG anyhow. If I tested and it was negative, then that’s great, but if I test and it’s positive, that changes the whole mentality. He said, if I get noticeable lesions come back. I took that advice and didn’t look back.

I dated several woman in the last 5 years, none of whom I’m aware of having transmitted HSV to. One of those women I dated for 2 years. If I had told her I had it, would she have still dated me? I don’t know.

I had an encounter last October and the doctor in the urgent care gave me an HSV test and I didn’t have visible symptoms and it was positive. It sucks. I really kinda wish she hadn’t done that, because now, I feel an inner guilt, that I should tell anyone I’m involved with, even though it may not show up again for another 5 years, or maybe more. It may not spread to anyone else either. It makes me think about who I can date, and who wouldn’t want to date me. Dating is hard enough without thinking you have something you might spread to someone you care about.

It’s a weird way to think about it, but unfortunately, sex is not perfect, sex is not always clean, and it’s not our fault. We’re just humans and we want to have sex.

There’s a good chance that the person you may be dating has HSV 1 or 2 or both, so I think that testing yourself and learning you are positive can create an obstacle that you don’t need.

[Terri Warren]

And confused, what was your index value and was your test an IgG? Have you still never had sores?

Terri

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