[Question #7577] HSV2 Concern
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55 months ago
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Hi doctors,
I had spoken with Dr. Hook not too long ago regarding HIV concern, followed up with HSV concerns. For context, I acquired GHSV1 in 2016 via oral intercourse, it was swabbed and typed. I had blood tests for both HSV1 and 2, both negative. Since then, I have only had unprotected sex with one individual, roughly 5 months post diagnosis (2017). I don’t know this individuals’ HSV status, though they said they were negative, but I have recently been concerned that it is possible I have HSV2, and am asymptomatic. I had one recurrence of HSV1 about a year after my diagnosis, and know it could not have been a new infection as I had protected intercourse over a month before it and it was similar to my primary OB. My question is: should I be tested for HSV2, or can I safely assume I do not have it?
Thanks very much for all of your help on here - I find a lot of peace when I read similar posts.
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55 months ago
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Hi! I noticed there was a response that mentioned there was some software issues yesterday, so wanted to follow up to make sure this went though. Thank you!
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
55 months ago
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Yes we did have some technical issues.
May I ask why you think you may have HSV 2?
Condoms reduce transmission from men to women by 96% so a condom protected intercourse is highly unlikely to give you HSV 2
Your HSV 1 antibody test may have been negative if it was done too soon after new infection OR it could have missed the infection - it misses 30% of HSV 1 infections compared to the western blot.
Terri
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55 months ago
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So I generally don’t have any reason to believe I have HSV2, other than that I had unprotected sex with one individual, less than 5 times roughly ~5 months after my GHSV1 diagnosis. I had what I believed was a recurrence of the GHSV1 about 11 months after this unprotected encounter, and have had zero issues since then (2018). The outbreak was very similar to the primary OB, if not less severe. This is pretty paranoid based, but I can’t shake the fact that maybe I acquired HSV2 and am asymptomatic. Testing without symptoms worries me for sure.
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
55 months ago
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Well, if you continue to worry about this, you could jump directly to the western blot antibody test, which is the gold standard for antibody testing and alleviates the risk of a false positive IgG, (which is actually a low risk, despite what you read, according to seven years of my clinic data). I'm not sure how else you are going to deal with this concern in another way. One recurrence of HSV 1 is normal, while no recurrences of HSV 2 since 2018 is NOT normal.
Terri
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55 months ago
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Thank you Terri. So what you’re saying is IF I were to have been infected with HSV2 in 2017, I would likely have recurrences by now? We don’t know for certain if this individual even has HSV2. If I had both GHSV1 and GHSV2, would I likely have a lot of outbreaks? I just am scared to get a test done and have it surprising say I am HSV2 positive - Dr. Hook had advised me against testing. I guess what I’m seeking is, is there a good chance I am not infected? For more context, I have had sex with less than 10 men, only 2 individuals were unprotected, and probably less than 10 times for each.
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
54 months ago
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Yes, typically, HSV 2 recurs 4-6 times per year, which hasn't been your experience. There is of course an excellent chance you are not infected with HSV 2. Especially true with your good use of condoms most of the time. I'm sure that Dr. Hook would approve of you getting a western blot to reassure yourself, he just likely advised you not to get an IgG test.
Terri
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