My thoughts

I'd like to correct an information here. HSV is transmitted from skin to skin contact. There is NO WAY she got it from the wax, unless she had sex with the waxer. The HSV virus does not live in superfices and needs a mucous membrane to spread. Please, read this article. Something that really helped me was to trust in scientific knowledge specialized in this subject (even doctors are ignorant about it) and stop looking for videos or information. Some places will tell you that the test is not accurate, others that it is, others that the only way is with an outbreak. You will find different ways to approach the virus (some people don't even care), some people don't care about disclossure, others yes; some people think HSV-1 is the same as HSV-2. Here is the right scientific information, read it, understand the virus in your on way, and make your decissions. I wish you the best. The scientist is Terri Warren, you can also watch videos of her on YouTube. https://westoverheights.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Updated-Herpes-Book.pdf

I'm talking about the blood test.

@Karl44 WHat you can do is pay for it in a lab, no need for a doctor. That's what I tell people here in the US, to whom doctors don't want to test. You pay it and that's all. ATry to google a laboratory and pay for it.

Get tested first, @Karl44 Oral HSV-2 is extremely rare, super rare. HSV-2 likes almost exclusively the sacrial ganglia, the genitalia. Even if you have oral hsv-2, viral shedding is %1. No worries.

There is research about it, and it's plenty. 50-80% Americans already have oral HSV-1. Ask your future partner to get tested. Probably he/she already has it.When you already have oral hsv-1, chances of getting in other place are minimal (super rare, in fact) because you build inmunity. You get genital hsv-1 when you enter you sexual life without having acquired the oral hsv-1 in your chilhood, and your first contact to the virus is through oral sex. A person with oral hsv-1 performs oral sex in a person without hsv-1. Tranmission of genital HSV-1 from genital to genital is extremely low. Viral shedding of HSV1 is from 1% to 3% compared to 15-30% of genital HSV2. Viral shedding is when you shed the virus without symptoms. Since the genital area is not its' prefered/favorite place, outbreaks recurrence is less than one per year. Most people with hsv-1 get 1-3 outbreaks in 2-3 years and thats all. (there are exceptions like always). As long as a person with genital HSV-1 is not having an outbreak, they can be pretty sure that they are not shedding the virus. Terry Warren, top researcher about this, says: disclosure of genital HSV-1 is more trust than transmission. You got genital herpes, but you were lucky enough to get the nicer one: HSV-1. Yes. There is research about it.

There is research about it, and it's plenty. First: 50-80% Americans already have oral HSV-1.

Hi, It is important to know what type of HSV you have, type one or two. Knowing will give you an idea of what to expect in terms of recurrences and transmission. You shouldn't assume that you got it and that it is type 1. Get a blood test done, at least 3 months after the exposure. Maybe it is not herpes and you are right, it's a razor burn. Regards,

You can schedule an appointemtnt in QuestDiagnostics, for example. You don't need a doctor. You pay for the test, thwy take your blood, and that's all. I think, it's $80, the test. This is really helpful to do because doctors don't want to test you for herpes. Just some of them will test you for it. They give you the results in one day. Regards,

Hi Grace, I kind of agree with @DistressedLady. You have HSV-1, as I can remember. So, what's the fear? The chances of giving it to him are super super super low, and the chances of he already having it too. You shouldn't be worried. Maybe, you have recurrent symptoms? Or it's the OCD making you feel bad?

Completely agree with @Flowerteacher55. You don't ping-pong HSV-1 once you got it in your mouth and you built inmunity. The only way to get in other parts of your body is if you are a wrestler, then you get herpes gladiatorum (because the friction on the mat causes cuts and allow the virus to enter). I don't think you have such a hardcore sex.

What I understood from Terri Warren on a podcast, when she made a study of IGM-IGG test vs Western Blot: - IGM: It is worthless. It is not recommended. - IGG for HSV-1 and HSV-2: 12-16 weeks after exposure, an IGG test is higly reliable. The antibody tests for HSV 2 have a sensitivity of about 92% (out of every 100 cases of herpes, the test will pick up 92 of them). If a test is positive between 0.9 and 3.5, the chances of being a false positive are 50%. The closer the index value of 1.1, the more likely to be a false positive. She mentioned she had found a false positive as high as 5.07, but it was rare. Numbers above 3.5 are positive. In these cases of low positive (0.9-3.5), she highly recommends a Western Blot. - In the case of HSV-1: The IGG test misses 30% of the positive cases; but for HSV-2, it is different, the false positives are most likely in these frame numbers (0.9 - 3.5). However, all the people tested positive for HSV-1 in IGG was 100% positive in western blot. Terri Warren is not against the IGG blood test; in fact, she doesn't agree with doctors that don't test their they patients with the excuse "there are a lot of false positives". Most false positives are more likely to happen within the range (1.1-3.5); and false negatives in people who get tested too fast and don't wait the window time (12-16 weeks).

What I understood from Terry Warren on a podcast, when she made a study of IGM-IGG test vs Western Blot: - IGM: It is worthless, as @mr_hopp says. It is not recommended. - IGG for HSV-1 and HSV-2: 12-16 after exposure, an IGG test is higly reliable. The antibody tests for HSV 2 have a sensitivity of about 92% (out of every 100 cases of herpes, the test will pick up 92 of them). If a test is positive between 0.9 and 3.5, the chances of being a false positive are 50%. The closer the index value of 1.1, the more likely to be a false positive. She mentioned she had found a false positive as high as 5.07, but it was rare. Numbers above 3.5 are positive. In these cases of low positive (0.9-3.5), she highly recommends a Western Blot. - In the case of HSV-1: The IGG test misses 30% of the positive cases; but for HSV-2, it is different, the false positives are most likely in these frame numbers (0.9 - 3.5). However, all the people tested positive for HSV-1 in IGG was 100% positive in western blot. Terri Warren is not against the IGG blood test; in fact, she doesn't agree with doctors that don't test their they patients with the excuse "there are a lot of false positives". Most false positives are more likely to happen within the range (1.1-3.5); and false negatives in people who get tested to fast and don't wait the window time (12-16 weeks). I would also assume that it is a false positive since you have a really low positive, waited 3.5 months to get tested again, and your last partners tested negative. However, if, psycologically, you are ruminating and it makes you feel bad and it causes you anxiety, go for the Western blot, or get tested again for the blood test. In your case, it makes sense. I am confident it will be negative and you will feel fine.

There is a wrong statisctic. @Flowerteacher55 Probably you meant 67% has HSV-1, not HSV-2.

Here is the link of the video: https://www.herpesopportunity.com/post/dr-peter-leone-answers-your-questions-about-herpes