[Question #4025] False postive???

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83 months ago
I was told I had herpes 2. Ive been with my husband 17yrs and we have 2 kids together and Ive only had 2 partners in my life. Could my swab test be wrong?
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
83 months ago
So you were diagnosed via a swab test, was it taken from a lesion?  If yes, then it should be a reliable diagnosis. 
Had your husband had other partners before you were married?  Has he had an IgG type specific antibody test to determine if he is also infected with HSV 2?   If not, I think that would be appropriate in your situation. 
Was your contact with the other person condom protected or not?

Terri
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83 months ago
She scrapped the inside of my labia is all I know she did. She 1st said she didnt see any bumps but then said she did. He has not went to get checked and yes he did have other partners before me. My 1st experience was not with a condom and only slept with that person once when I was a teenager. Could a false postive be possible tho? Ive never had any symptoms in the past neither has he. I had chicken pox really bad as a child as well as meningitis. My husband had poison ivy show up the day after we had sex last could that be a possible explanation
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
83 months ago
I think the chances that a swab test is wrong is highly unlikely.
Poison ivy?  Where?

Terri
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83 months ago
He had it on stomach arm and penis. He also felt it on his eye lid
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83 months ago
I also have hpv that was diagnosed a few years ago dont know if that affects anything. 
I read that a lady had tested positive thru a swab test but she was actually negative for the virus. Just hopeful thinking right now. 
If a person has type 1 whats the likelyhood they will get type 2 from someone taking antivirals everyday? 
I also read that it is mostly spread easier from a man 2 a woman then a woman 2 a man is that correct?
What do u suggest I do to confirm my status? 
Im just in shock and have cried ever since the nurse called me 2 tell me.
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
83 months ago
The poison ivy on his penis could be confused with herpes - it would certainly beneficial to understanding you situation more clearly if he also had an antibody test.  The IgG test is the proper test.
False positives on the swab test are extremely - read extremely - uncommon.  The woman you describe could be someone who tested positive by swab but negative by antibody test - the antibody test misses many cases of herpes compared to a positive swab
Female to male transmission on antivirals is uncommon - perhaps 2% per year.
That is correct - transmission from male to female is easier than the other way around
I don't really see a need to confirm a positive swab test but if you wish to confirm, you could do the IgG test.
What took you in to the doctor in the first place?

Terri
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