Hey doctor I just got sum blood work done for type specific hsv2 via EIA .... can u pls tell me how accurate it is ? 

And will it tell me if it’s HSV2 ?   

The type specific IgG test is an antibody test - it looks for antibody that you would make in response to HSV 1 and/or HSV 2.  Antibody is not made immediately after one is infected - it can take up to 12 weeks to make antibody detectable by this test and if you take antiviral medicine it can impact the test, sometimes causing a false negative result.  The test, at 12 weeks, picks up 92% of HSV 2 infections and 70% of HSV 1 infections.  If you have some kind of sore, that should be swab tested.  Please let me know what other questions you might have.

Terri Warren
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Thank you and how long does it take for the results to come back ? And can you also tell me what is the chance of transmittion ? From female to male and using a condom ? 

Usually it takes anywhere from 3-7 days to come back.  Female to male transmission of HSV 2 with the male using a condom is about 2% per year, having sex about twice per week.

Terri
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One last question don’t know if this matters but if the male was to leave his boxers on and just stick his penis out from the boxers with a condom would that also reduce the risk ? 

There are no silly questions here!  We have no research about that question, but I would say that this would offer little help of reducing transmission but it certainly didn't hurt.

Terri
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