Background: 

My monogamous partner (female) out of nowhere had an outbreak on her face that initially was thought to be a pimple and and some on the genitals. She has no history of this.

I (male) have lead a promiscuous past but largely have been highly safe  regarding condoms throughout my life and have never exhibited any symptoms. Within in a week's time it got worse and she went to urgent care on a Saturday to get looked at as she said it was painful even though she had an appointment scheduled with her Obgyn the following Monday.  She said they ran tests on her and I believe a swab as well (I'm not sure the specifics) and her Obgyn didn't look at her on Monday because she was on her period and wanted to see the test results. We are currently still awaiting the results.

I listened to the podcast with Terri Warren on your page which was highly informative and my question is as follows...

Question:

Given the variance of false negatives, how accurate is a positive result (or what's the chance a false positive occurs) for a swab test, viral culture and or PCR/Nucleic Acid Test?

A positive result of any swab test is highly reliable, particularly in light of symptoms being present.

Are you the giver of oral sex to her?  Have you ever in your life had a cold sore on your lip or in your nose?  HSV 1 is the cause of almost all cold sores and is now very common in new genital herpes infections.  Be SURE to have her ask the lab to type the virus, if positive.  That is a request that her urgent care provider can make, if it has not been made already  Very important, if positive.

Terri

I have no insurance and I'm considering going to my local doctor for blood work. Only $90 for both HSV1 & HSV2 test. It is my understanding that it's possible to order the Herpes Western Blot test?? If so, how does that work & how much with no insurance?

Thank you for the help.

I think it is fine to start with and IgG test from your local provider, but you could save money by ordering it yourself online.  You do not need a provider order for this in most states. 

Yes, the western blot can be ordered, for sure.  The cost, using me as the ordering provider, is $345, which includes the consult and the test itself.  You would also need to pay for shipping and a blood draw.  They usually come to around $100 together.   Let's see what the IgG shows before going that direction - you might not need to depending upon the index value that you obtain from the IgG test.

Terri

I'm toggling with this idea in my head and wondering what you think (of course it's obviously my decision).....

Hypothetically if my results ultimately lead me to following up with a 2nd test (the western blot test), I would then financially have put out for both tests.

Wouldn't it be better to just go ahead with the more comprehensive test and pay for one test rather than gambling and paying for both in the end?? Or you strongly urge the IgG first? I'm just trying to think efficiently & cost effectively here.

...and how would I go about getting the western blot from Los Angeles if it comes to that?

Many people do choose just to go with the best test, the blot.  I do NOT strongly urge doing the Igg first. 

I know of a few labs in the LA area where you can get your blood drawn if you do this through me.  If you do it through your own provider, they should be able to arrange the blood draw.

Doing the blot right off the bat works really well so you have no question about the results.

Terri