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Western Blot Test


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There are instructions at the Westover Heights Clinic site—I’ll try to find the link later today. Terri Warren can still help people order it even thought she has closed her clinic.

 

@camilo also wrote up some detailed instructions for doing it on your own. I’ll see if I can find the thread (probably this evening after work).

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@jm6, here’s the information I promised about the western blot test. I think you’ll find this thread both interesting and relatable to your situation: https://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/9280/important

 

The western blot is the gold standard of herpes testing, and great for situations like yours where the IgG test results were ambiguous. Terri Warren, a clinician and expert on HSV, recommends testing with the western blot if you’ve had index values below 3.5 once you’re far enough away from the suspect encounter (12-16 weeks) when the IgG will be most accurate. My index value was 40-something for HSV1, but only 3.27 for HSV2. I chose to spend the $250 it cost me at the time to have the test done to be certain. In my case, I truly do have HSV2 after all. But at least now I know for sure and can move forward.

 

This link gives you the number to call the University of Washington to order the kit http://depts.washington.edu/herpes/pages/hsv_resources

 

The Westover Heights Clinic can also help you order the test: https://westoverheights.com/herpes/getting-a-western-blot/. When I was looking to get tested, Warren was doing a study of some sort, so I had my test ordered by her and it was very easy. She told me what lab to go to based on my zip code, I showed up, they drew my blood, and they sent it in to UW. I heard back from Warren with the results about 10-14 days later.

 

Hope that helps!

 

 

 

 

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@hikingGirl.

@jm6, here’s the information I promised about the western blot test. I think you’ll find this thread both interesting and relatable to your situation: https://herpeslife.com/herpes-forum/discussion/9280/important

 

The western blot is the gold standard of herpes testing, and great for situations like yours where the IgG test results were ambiguous. Terri Warren, a clinician and expert on HSV, recommends testing with the western blot if you’ve had index values below 3.5 once you’re far enough away from the suspect encounter (12-16 weeks) when the IgG will be most accurate. My index value was 40-something for HSV1, but only 3.27 for HSV2. I chose to spend the $250 it cost me at the time to have the test done to be certain. In my case, I truly do have HSV2 after all. But at least now I know for sure and can move forward.

 

This link gives you the number to call the University of Washington to order the kit http://depts.washington.edu/herpes/pages/hsv_resources

 

The Westover Heights Clinic can also help you order the test: https://westoverheights.com/herpes/getting-a-western-blot/. When I was looking to get tested, Warren was doing a study of some sort, so I had my test ordered by her and it was very easy. She told me what lab to go to based on my zip code, I showed up, they drew my blood, and they sent it in to UW. I heard back from Warren with the results about 10-14 days later.

 

Hope that helps!

 

 

 

 

So the 1.38 came from labcorp at about 11/12 weeks. The 1.62 came from quest at 12/13 weeks. Cam the difference be due to different labs or do you think it’s be cause I’m still building antibodies to the virus? Should i check at 16 weeks or is I‎t worth getting the western blot test now? Just looking for you opinion. Thanks

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@jm6 I doubt the lab has anything to do with it, but IIRC, I think it’s typical for the index value to fluctuate slightly with each test. Certainly it’s possible that the antibodies are building, but I think it’s also possible it’s a false positive.

 

Terri Warren says that by the time you get to 16 weeks post-exposure, 97% of those infected will test positive on the IgG. As for whether to wait and retest with the IgG or test now with the western blot is probably a matter mostly of convenience and expense. If you can get another IgG at 16 weeks for a small copay through your regular doctor, it might be worth it to wait. If you’re tired of waiting, or if you get that 3rd IgG at 16 weeks and it comes out with an index value under 3.5, then I personally would confirm with a western blot.

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  • 4 weeks later...

@jm6 At the time I was diagnosed, I had just started seeing someone casually about a year after my divorce. I had no reason to think I had HSV, I just randomly asked for STD testing for good measure when I went in for a Pap smear. I’d had seven different partners at that point, and no obvious symptoms (just some itching I attributed to yeast infections). The new guy and my ex-husband both tested negative after I had the western blot done, which means I had to have picked up HSV 18-25 years earlier. So for me, it was literally decades after acquiring the virus that my IgG for HSV2 was 3.27 and still confirmed positive with the western blot.

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  • 1 year later...

I just ordered my western blot test yesterday because I recently decided to get a panel done when I had my wellness visit and came back positive for hsv 1 with a titer of 22 (I’ve known about that since I was very young) but my hsv 2 titer was 1.2. My ex just came back negative for hsv 2. I have had protected sex with 2 men and unprotected sex with one man who since his last clean panel had a sex with one person protected. The 3 sexual partners were in the span of the last 4 months with my last sexual encounter being with the unprotected man approximately 6 weeks ago. I know the western blot will give me a true answer but until then I find myself weighing the chances/odds of it being a false positive and wonder if anyone could weigh in? 

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