[Question #782] hsv2

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101 months ago
I recently had unprotected sex with a girl that I didnt know on a one night stand. before we had sex I asked her if she had any stds and she said no. She asked me the same and I have never had anything either.  a few days later I read up on stds and saw that you can have something without knowing it and this caused me some anxiety.  since I have never been tested before I went to the doc and had blood/urine tests done and everything came back negative.  The doc also said that a herpes blood test wouldnt exactly be accurate without symptoms so they couldnt test for it.  he examined me and said everything looked normal.  a month has passed since that night happened and I cant stop thinking about it.  I dont have any pain or anything but my focus is strictly on my groin area and every move and itch seems magnified so it makes it feel like I have symptoms that probably arent there. I also read that a tingling sensation or itch can precede a herpes outbreak.  I am just looking for some closure on this and would like to hear what I should do about this.  Is this all in my head or could I have herpes?  Could I potentially give an std to someone else if I dont use a condom?
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
101 months ago
I disagree with your doctor that the blood test wouldn't be accurate unless you had symptoms.  you can get an IgG antibody test for HSV 1 and 2 (HSV 1 is the cause of cold sores so if you've ever had one of those, then you have HSV 1 already).  It is best to wait a while after the contact for greatest accuracy and maybe that's what your doctor meant - that it was too soon for an accurate test, do you think so?  It is certainly possible that you symptoms are completely unrelated to herpes (likely, actually) but if you want the testing reassurance, this is the test that you should get, and it is best to wait 12 weeks after exposure to do it but it can be done sooner - less accurate though.  For example, if you test at 6 weeks post exposure, the results, if negative, will stay that way with a 70% chance.  You can order this test online without a physician order. 

If you do happen to have herpes, either from this encounter or a previous one, yes, you could transmit it if you don't use a condom

Terri
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