I need someone to clarify something for me. My current girlfriend believed she got genital herpes by her ex boyfriend so I convinced her to get checked and to get some blood-work done by a professional. She went to her university clinic to get the blood-work done and when the results came back they told her she was positive but by the symptoms she had meant that she was exposed to genital herpes but she was not a carrier... So that left me insecure of what was going on so I told her to go to her Gyn/OB and get her blood-work redone she just got her blood-work redone and we are waiting for results but during the consultation with her Gyn/OB he told her that because the blood-work came back positive doesn't mean she was a carrier that only means that she was exposed to genital herpes... What do they mean "not a carrier"? I thought with genital herpes either you have it or you don't... Please advise

welcome to the board

There's no such thing as just being exposed to herpes, you either have it or you don't.

I can best help if you can get her blood test results to post here - ie hsv 1 igg 5.5 and hsv2 igg 2.9 or whatever it is. then I can help you figure out if she needs additional confirmatory testing done or not.

have you been tested?

betsy

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Betsy so wonderful you answered me I have read so many of your posts and I am glad you take your time to help a lot of people in distress I cannot thank you enough for what you do, I am trying to be as informed as possible so I can make my girlfriend's life a little less stressful of what already is. I am trying to be supportive and at the same time trying to protect myself.. Thanks for the welcome

I was tested on January specifically for HSV 1 and 2. I was aware already that I have HSV1 aka Cold Sores so when the results came back I was negative for HSV2 and positive HSV1 I believe I had 0 antibodies for HSV2. I know that I am due to another test due to the fact that I have been having sexual relations with my girlfriend and the condom broke a couple of times which is not a good feeling but I hope the stats are on my side (4% a year).

My girlfriend is asymptomatic, she had some painful urination and similar symptoms as a really bad yeast infection which she believes that was her initial OB sometime in October but nothing noticeable like lesions or red spots. I initially believed she didn't have genital herpes because of her symptoms but her first blood-work says otherwise. She has no symptoms what so ever not OBs, no painful urination, no itching or tingling feelings that she has been aware of. I just got her on a suppressive therapy Acyclovir 400mg twice a day and I am aware that the stats for Acyclovir reduces viral shedding around 80% if taken properly. But due to her recent GYN/OB I got all confused about it and he wants to take her out of the suppressive therapy because he says she doesn't need it because she is not a carrier. This whole approach makes me uneasy because of all the information I have read including the Herpes Handbook and hundreds of pages none of them talk about been exposed/not a carrier situation and now you confirm it to me that there is not such a thing as exposed to genital herpes. Sorry if it sounds that I am venting I am just a little irritated that a Dr. will say something like that so lightly to my girlfriend toying with her emotions this genital herpes is so hard on her and I just want to make her feel that IT is not the end of the world just another thing in life we need to work around.

She should be getting her results anytime this week or the next I will post the results of her first and second blood-work test as well as mine. Although I am waiting a little more time to get my second test done because my last exposure incident with the condom was a couple of weeks ago and I want to wait 3 months to have an accurate reading on the antibodies.

Thanks again Betsy for your time and patience.

This board is here for venting


It is frustrating when you have to do all your own education because a provider isn't up to snuff on a topic I work at a major medical center and have still had to give the hairy eye brow to a few of my providers and co workers and educate them properly. it frustrates me and I really feel for posters who don't have the medical knowledge I do having to deal with this I almost had a stroke a few years ago at a conference where the speaker was giving a talk on std's and adolescents and had a good part of his herpes info wrong. When I took the time to go up to him afterwards to correct him and he said I had my info wrong...oh my! needless to say I presented him with some additional reading the next morning so that he could update his knowledge and hopefully change his talk and his teaching to his residents he trains . If I had had my lap top with me that trip, he would've gotten a small novel of info instead of what I could access on my cell phone....he he he

Once your gf gets her blood work back I can help with that part. as for yourself, honestly I wouldn't even bother testing yourself as long as you are in a relationship with this gal and you aren't having symptoms. Condoms will break. You will have sex and the next morning she'll realize she was having a recurrence. it happens. no need to get testing done more than once a year unless you have symptoms suggesting you contracted the virus. should the relationship end, repeat your igg blood test for hsv2 a few months after the last time you had sex. You've done your homework and you already know that in general the risk is low. her being on suppressive therapy will help put the odds even more in your favor as well as distrupt your sex life even less.

keep asking questions and vent as you need to

betsy

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