Should I get a Blood Test for Herpes?

[Catherine1977]

I was diagnosed in 2000 with Genital Herpes. I was at the ER and they stated it was herpes, and my boyfriend at the time confirmed he had it but didnt tell me.

Since then, I have had only 4 or 5 outbreaks. None with sores, only sensation and tiredness( flu like symptoms). Last outbreak was in 2012- as I checked my RX bottle.

Last time I disclosed was 11 years ago to my boyfriend-turned-husband. I am now divorced. I actually forgot that I even had herpes until I was cleaning out the medicine cabinet. Of course, it jolted me into the reality of disclosure to new partners.

I have no idea if i have ever had a blood test for Herpes. I know that they run test while pregnant, but I since i disclosed, i dont know if they ever ran a herpes test.

Because I have such few outbreaks, do you think it is worth my while to request a blood test to truly be tested for herpes? I have read that some people have negative test results even though they have had herpes in the past.

I guess I am a little anxious about disclosure and maybe should get all the information first?

[Terri Warren]

Herpes testing is not routinely done in pregnancy, though many people think it is has been done (or should have been done).
Given those few outbreaks, yes, I think it would be worth your time to get an IgG type specific antibody test. If not testing was done with the diagnosis, it could be wrong OR it could be HSV 1 genital infection which is less infectious genitally than HSV 2. Also, if you have HSV 1 genitally (which is more consistent with your outbreak pattern), you can safely have sex with a person who has oral HSV 1 infection. So if you were my patient, I would order the antibody test right away to see where you really stand.

Terri

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