HERPES

Positive for HSV2

Dear Dr. Rob:

I just was told I have herpes and I am not sure if I have had it awhile and never knew it or if I just got it. I have not had sex for years!!!! Many so I would have noticed something I would think. I do not have blisters just pain. My blood work is 6.9 index positive for HSV2 and 7.9 index for HSV1 plus my HSV 1 and 2 is .99 ratio. I read that the levels can be high when you first get it or have I had it and not known about it? I was first exposed to it if it is this guy first of January, but didn’t start feeling anything till maybe a month later. I just want to know if this jerk gave it to me or I had it. I found out he is a player so who knows!

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Dr. Rob’s Response:

Dear Poster Who Questions How She Got Herpes:

It takes between 1 and 3 months for IgG, which I presume is your index, to increase. These numbers, however, do not sound like the Herpes Select Test, but rather the older test which is indiscriminate between HSV1 and HSV2. I would suggest that you return to your doctor and have the more specific, Herpes Select Test done, so you can ascertain exactly what is going on. It is absolutely possible to have it a long time without an outbreak, and I can’t state with certainty whether you have been recently infected. It does take between 1 to 3 months for these tests to become positive.

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