what should I do?

[22questions]

I have recently tested positive for HSV 1 and HSV2. I have been dating my girlfriend who has HSV2 for now almost two years and have been tested before but this is the first time I have gotten positive test results. I have had zero symptoms of herpes this entire time and she takes pills to help us maintain a healthier sex life. I have a ton of questions and concerns around herpes as I was not expecting these results and not sure what I should do next. I was provided my scores and told that these were really high and since I wasn’t experiencing any symptoms I shouldn’t do anything differently but alert my partner who obviously took it well as she has been dealing with this for 10 years. I on the other hand did not take this well and I am frightened by all of this. I feel disgusting about myself which is weird because I dont and have never felt this way about my partner. I feel stuck and like I wont be accepted moving forward by friends and even partners if her & I dont work out.
I wanted to ask are my scores really high? Thats what the doctors marked when I requested the my lab paperwork.
Is it worth me getting retested?
If I do get retested should I go to another clinic and request the same test?
Did I ruin my life? My self worth right now is at an all time low and I am trying to be as strong as possible and not freak out my girlfriend as I dont want her to confuse how I am feeling about myself to correlate to how I feel about her.
The physicians were not very helpful and left me very frazzled with how they called and casually delivered the news to me.

HSV 1 IGG, Type Spec Value 1.11 (High) Ref Range 0.00 – 0.90 index
HSV 2 IGG, Type Spec Value 2.46 (High) Ref Range 0.00 – 0.90 index

[Terri Warren]

Would having HSV 2 really ruin your life? I doubt that is true, but it would be good to know if this is accurate. At 2.46 there is probably a 50-50 chance that this is a true positive. You need a herpes western blot for clarity. The thing is, if you are having an ongoing sexual relationship with her, it is hard to know when to test. You could do it now and repeat it in 12 weeks, in case you were recently infected.

I think it’s good to talk more with your partner about this. you accepted her with HSV and I suspect that most people would accept you as well, if this turns out to be a true positive.

Do you use condoms when having sex with her? Her daily antiviral medicine reduces transmission from 4% per year to 2% per year, having sex about twice a week. So your ris is quite low, even if you don’t use condoms.

Try not to freak out quite yet, but makes plans to get the blot to confirm or deny this low positive index value.

Terri

[22questions]

Hi Terri,

I dont usually use condoms but we have sex about once or twice a week. Also we had sex either a day or two days prior to me testing. Would this play a factor in my score potentially being a false positive? Also, should do I need to be abstinent prior to taking the test and if so for how long? Should I do the western blot test now and no matter the results take another in 12 weeks? Last question is the 2.46 low and why did they report it as high and is the 1.11 low for HSV1?

[22questions]

Also, does the fact that she has been dealing with HSV2 for over 10 years play part at all in this? Does that increase or decrease the likelihood that I do in fact have herpes.

[Terri Warren]

Her being infected for that long decreases your risk as most people shed virus less over time.
Anything over 1.1 is considered “high” for purposes of lab reporting.
Having sex shortly before testing has no impact on the results, no.
you could either be abstinent for 12 weeks OR do the blot now and repeat in 12 weeks.

Terri

• This reply was modified 1 month, 4 weeks ago by Terri Warren.

[22questions]

If I test negative on the first WB test should I purchase again?

[Terri Warren]

You mean if you do a baseline western blot?
If you were recently infected, then the blot may not be positive yet and you could repeat, yes.

Terri

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