I have herpes but have never had an outbreak

[Optimista]

Hi I'm new here. I found out this past May that I have herpes via blood test. I've had the panel of tests for STD's for the past 2 years but never tested for herpes because I didn't realize it wasn't included in the regular panel of testing. At my yearly visit to my OBgyn, I asked if she could test me for Herpes. It came back positive. I was shocked. I had started a sexual relationship with a man in March and we both were clean ( so I thought) and had been having unprotected sex. I instantly thought he gave it to me but he tested negative which means I had to have contracted it 2 years prior with my previous partner. The kicker is, I have yet to have an outbreak. When I first found out, I thought I was showing symptoms of an outbreak and went to my Dr. immediately but the culture came back negative. I occasionally experience itching and I think I might have had a minor outbreak because I did see a blister in my vaginal area. I sometimes think they might have mixed up my blood test results with someone elses. I guess I should count my blessings but I can't help but worry that someday a full fledged outbreak is going to hit me.

[ann122]

was it type 1 or 2? If it was type 1 it could just be oral herpes which you could have contracted as a child. And if you think you've seen a blister before then that could have been an outbreak (type 2 or type 1 genitally)....they can be pretty mild which is why most people don't know they have it.

[Optimista]

Type 2. What amazes me is if I wouldn't have requested a blood test I would have never known I have it. We all experience itching in our genital area from time to time which can be attributed to many things. I may have been experiencing symptoms or mild outbreaks all along.

[WCSDancer2010]

Well, 80% of people with H don't know they have it because they never have a (recognizable) OB ... and the non-testing for H in the standard STD panel doesn't help...so you are not at all unusual ... I have a client who had her first OB after 30 yrs of marriage... so you may go for years (or even forever) with no OB's ... the main thing is to reduce stress as much as you can ...Herpes is a First Responder and will let you know when you are experiencing too much stress.

 

What exactly were your test results BTW?

[Optimista]

 

@WCSDancer2010 I had the IgG test. The interpretation was

<0.9 Negative

0.9-1.0 equivocal

>1.0 Positive

Then there was a Result column that said 5.1, Units AI and then Flag Reference Range H <0.9. Needless to say, I have no idea what any of that means. If you're able to interpret any of this for me I would be so appreciative. My biggest concern also is having my first OB, dreadful!

 

 

[Anna01]

@Optimista I am sorry so which ones are your results for HSV1 and HSV2? For example mine are

HSV1 5.00

HSV2 5.00

[Optimista]

My results are just for HSV2, I wasn't tested for HSV1

[Anna01]

Oh OK so your result was 5.1. Which means your result was higher than 1.0 . So that is poitive for HSV2

[WCSDancer2010]

That's a very solid positive then ... most Dr's will say you are positive if you are over 1.1 but if you haven't had symptoms and it's under 3.5, I tell people to get the Western Blot test as there are some false positives in the 1.1-3.5 range in people w/o symptoms.

 

I would test for HSV1 as well ... if you came back positive for that odds are you have it orally but it's a "good to know" thing as you can pass that on unknowingly via oral sex to a partners genitals ... and 60% of young people have it before they enter adulthood ... acquired from other kids and doting parents/relatives who kiss them not knowing they can pass it on to the child. :(

[Optimista]

@WCSDancer2010, which numbers are you going by? Is the 5.1 the number that determines the positive results or the others?

[Optimista]

Also does anybody know if the higher or lower the number indicates how long you may have had it? I don't understand why people test at differently and what the numbers mean.

[2Legit2Quit]

Anything above a 3.5 w out symptoms is considered positive for sure. Anything between a 1.10 and 3.5 w put symptoms, has a margin to be a false positive. The higher the number, the longer you have had it. 5 is indicative of being an older infection. The numbers are the antibody count. The higher it is, the longer the infection has been present.

[WCSDancer2010]

I think this is what you are asking about??

<0.9 Negative

0.9-1.0 equivocal

>1.0 Positive

 

That is the standard that they are using, so it's just there to tell you that over 1.0 is considered "positive" in their interpretations ... but many are unaware of the issue of false positive issues in asymptomatic patients with results under 3.5.

 

And no, for the most part the number doesn't tell you much besides that you are positive and that it's at least 4 month old. So much affects the numbers... mostly your immune system function, but also age, how much "dose" you got initially, general health, etc :)

 

(((HUGS)))

[Optimista]

Thank you everyone for all your feedback. You've answered a lot of questions for me and I really appreciate it! :-)