Blood Test For Herpes

I got tested (blood tests) for all the major STD's just for health verification. The herpes test came back positive, but I've never had an outbreak or any symptoms. So I am being re-tested and I'm very nervous. Is it possible for those test results to be wrong?

Almost all tests have a chance of false positive results... You're getting tested again, so if this test is positive then unfortunatly you have herpes. If it's negative you're probably safe. But... just because you've never had an outbreak, it doesn't mean you don't have the virus. Best wishes.

2006-10-28 11:28:01 by tim

getstdtested.com Herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the United States. Types 1 Herpes (Oral Herpes) is not an STD ...

both test are type specific.im a married male who had sex once outside 2 years ago.i still get slight burning and itching with no lesion down there almost everyday..all other std test are negative 3 x already im frustrated.my doctor dont want to order anymore blood test..herpes always gets into my mind

If you had herpes, your blood tests definitely would have come back positive. Not sure what else you could have, but atleast you can rule that one out.

2008-06-11 12:26:24 by nickjr109

Hi. I will appreciate any help.
I will get married soon with my girlfriend who is a Herpes suffer. I want to know if I already have the virus.
I have no symptoms and I would like to read any experience about the blood tests. If the test can be positive with no symptoms.
Anyone of you r herpes suffers with no symptoms but with a positive blood test in herpes or do I have to wait for the outbreak?
Thanks for ur answers.

The old blood test cannot distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2, and can give false positives in people who have had the chicken pox.

HOWEVER, there is a newer blood test offered by Focus Labs called HerpeSelect. You don't need an outbreak to test, and I think it'd be ideal for you, given your situation. It can differentiate beween HSV-1 and HSV-2 and is both highly sensitive and specific. The only drawback is that it costs about $200, often not covered by insurance and is hard to find. But talk to your doctor and your doctor sohuld be able to order the test for you.

BTW, a study put out be an Italian research group in 2003 (I think, but it may have been more recent) showed that in serodiscordant couples (one has it, the other doesn't), if the herpes-positive partner took cyclovir drugs and both ALWAYS used condoms during sex, the uninfected partner stayed uninfected at a rate of >90%.

Minus jargon: if you always use condoms and your partner takes her Valtrex, you likely won't be infected.

2006-11-24 12:31:59 by Armando L

I heard that it takes 3 months max for the antibodies to show up in the blood so i feel like it has to be really close to 100 percent but i'd like to know the percentage or an estimate

It should be a pretty accurate positive after 5-6 months of having sexual contact with some one that has herpes. Antibodies take about 3-6 months to build up enough to show positive in a blood test. I would think that after 6 months it would be 99.9 percent accurate.
If there was no break out at the time of the "possible incident" then your risk of getting herpes not likely but still slightly possible.

2009-06-01 15:14:44 by Rob

My husband of a few months tested positive in a blood test for herpes. He has never had any symtpms and it did happen to be simplex 2. I am wondering the chance of me catching this even if he does not have symptoms since we plan on having children? What does this mean if it comes back positive that you once were exposed to it but possiby not contagious?

First of all, let me express my sympathies to you and your husband. It can be difficult to deal with a herpes diagnosis - primarily because of the emotional vulnerability. Your husband probably feels ashamed, and diseased, and frightened. He'll need your suppport as he gets used to the idea that he has genital herpes.

Unfortunately, this is not like tuberculosis where you can show antibodies in your blood but not be contagious. If you have herpes, then you have herpes. Forever. The end. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

The bad news: You can have herpes (HSV1 or HSV2) for years without knowing it or showing any symptoms. Even when you aren't showing symptoms, it is possible to spread it. So if he has HSV2, he will always have it and, at times, be contagious.

The good news: He is only contagious when he is having an outbreak. Now, he will have outbreaks with symptoms that are so mild that he doens't know he's having an outbreak. So it will be impossible to tell when he is contagious and when he is not. But herpes is not like a game of tag - one touch and you have "it." Once you know the situation, it is relatively easy to dramatically reduce the chances that your partner will catch herpes.

Assuming he had HSV2 on his genitals, you'll want to never have sex when he knows he's having an outbreak. You may also want to use condoms at other times, to prevent him from tranmitting the virus to you when he's having an outbreak that is not accompanied by symptoms. And he may choose to begin taking an antiviral drug, which has shown to reduce the chances of transmission during these mysterious outbreaks-without-symptoms.

A study conducted on couples where one partner has herpes showed a transmission rate of less than 2% per year. This assumes that they did not have sex when the infected partner was having an outbreaks, and we don't know if they were using condoms. Still, its a reason to be optimistic. And transmission rates were even less when the infected partner was on anti-viral drugs.

I should point out that, with a blood test it is impossible to know WHERE he is infected with HSV2. It is possible, although not probable, that he actually had HSV2 on his mouth. In this case, you'll need to be careful that you don't catch it from him during oral sex.

For more information on herpes symptoms, testing and transmission, check out the web site of the American Social Health Association. They have up-to-date, reliable information on herpes, and also have a toll-free hotline (in the US) where you can speak to a real human being about your herpes diagnosis. I've put the link below.

Good luck. And feel free to email me with more questions. You can have a normal life. You can have herpes-free children. It will be okay.

2008-02-28 19:52:09 by Angela