Just diagnosed with HSV1 and HSV2

Hello- I’m so glad to have found this forum. I was diagnosed this week with HSV1 and HSV2 and have been struggling ever since. I’ve never had ANY symptoms, but since I’ve had two partners in the past year, I asked that my ObGyn run a complete STD panel on me during my check up, and my HSV antibody values came up positive.

My doc order type specific IgG tests for me from LabCorp. Are those accurate?

My HSV 1 antibody value is 8.61; and

My HSV 2 antibody value is 1.39

Is there any chance that my HSV 2 could be a false positive given that it falls within the 1.1-3.5 range that I’ve heard can be a margin of error for some kinds of tests.

At this point, I’m not sure where I got the virus. I’m a 56-year old female. I was in an eight-year relationship that ended three years ago. Since then, I’ve had two shorter-term relationships. So it could have been any one of these partners.

I really look forward to hearing from you all about this, cuz I’m loosing my mind. To top it off, I began dating the most amazing man about five weeks ago. I’m devastated at the thought of telling him. (One of the reasons I got tested was because of him. He and I were talking about the perils and pitfalls of dating recently, and he mentioned the importance of being tested before being intimate.)

Yes, there is a very real chance that is a false positive. False positives are more likely if you have hsv1. Get retested and either tell him what’s happened or abstain in the meantime. Don’t take antivirals before you retest.

Thank you Jeff!! I really appreciate your comment. I’m going to try to see if I can get retested next week. I just didn’t know how likely a false positive really is, so I’m bracing myself for the worst. I keep hearing that false positives can happen, but haven’t been able to find any real-life examples in my internet searches. In any case, I’m so grateful to have found this forum, since being HSV2 positive may be my new normal. Thanks again for posting!!

I just found this link with an informative video about different types of herpes testing. The video is at the bottom of the link. It looks like false-positives are more common with serologic IgM tests than with serologic IgG tests (which is what I had). But I’m still keeping my fingers crossed.

http://www.ashasexualhealth.org/herpes-testing-work/

Yes, that value for HSV2 may be a false positive. If you've had intimate contact within the last few months, you could test again in a month or two to see if the value increases. The Western Blot test is another option but has a greater testing window (meaning time from infection to accurate result). I think 12 weeks is recommend for IgG and 16 weeks for Western Blot. But Western Blot is more accurate.

Thanks Optimist! Appreciate the info. This has all been a lot to sort through in the past few days since receiving my diagnosis.

Hey Chispa welcome to the forums!

I was diagnosed about two weeks ago. I'm 25 y/o male. She didn't know she had it.

If it makes you feel better I am still going through the 'shock' process of it all. Not knowing what the future will hold.

I guess trying to stay positive helps and knowing that it's just a mild skin condition takes a lot of the load off.

Best of luck to you!

Thanks Ruiner! I’m so glad to have found this forum. It’s been extremely helpful to talk to others going through this. Yes, recognizing that this is just a mild skin condition does help.

I have never had any outbreaks that i am aware of, even though I’ve been diagnosed as HSV 1 and 2. I am pretty athletic, health-conscious, and body aware, so maybe I just have a strong immune system? The whole thing has been baffling to me.

But I’m focusing on seeing myself in a wholistic way. I am not H. I simply have antibodies to H in my system, and because of that must be careful not to compromise the health of others. I’ve been trying to do something athletic or movement-oriented every day in the morning to connect with my body, and also make sure I layer in activities every day that bring me joy. (For me, that’s music, yoga, reading, writing, seeing friends, watching great movies, etc.) In the end, we’re all a composite of our life’s experiences. It’s important that we live in ways that keep our personal light shining bright

@Chispa, if you have never had any signs or symptoms than you likely have HSV 1 orally, and your HSV2 value has an over 90% chance of being a false positive. You should obtain a Western Blot test from the University of Washington for confirmation. You can go to there website for further information.

Your doctor will have to order the test, or you can go to Terri Warren's website (westover heights and she can assist you). I would not worry about your results as your HSV-2 test is likely a false positive.

@Chispa,

When was your last sexual encounter?

Hi Jack- Thanks for the info. It’s been 12 weeks since my last sexual encounter. (And five days since my ObGyn drew the blood for my hsv test.) So, I’m wondering if the fact that my HSV-2 antibody is just 1.39 means it’s an early infection.

I’m crossing my fingers and beating myself up at the same time. This has been hell. I’ll call my doc in the morning to see if I can get in to see her soon about the Western Blot.