How accurate are the blood test to find if I have herpes?

by Christina's Play Place

How accurate are the blood test to find if I have herpes?

U dont have to wait for the outbreak. Alot of people who have HSV-2 are unaware that they have it until being tested.

With the blood test, they will test for both Herpes type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is very common and causes cold sores and type 2 is the one that i am assuming ur girlfriend has that cause gential sores. However alot of test the give, cannot distinguish between the two.

Some of the other symptoms of Herpes other that and outbreak of actual sore are:

Swollen lymph glands in the groin
Headaches
Muscle aches
Fever
Lower back pain

Get tested as soon as u can! Good luck!The old blood test cannot distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2, and can give false positives in people who have had the chicken pox.

HOWEVER, there is a newer blood test offered by Focus Labs called HerpeSelect. You don't need an outbreak to test, and I think it'd be ideal for you, given your situation. It can differentiate beween HSV-1 and HSV-2 and is both highly sensitive and specific. The only drawback is that it costs about $ 200, often not covered by insurance and is hard to find. But talk to your doctor and your doctor sohuld be able to order the test for you.

BTW, a study put out be an Italian research group in 2003 (I think, but it may have been more recent) showed that in serodiscordant couples (one has it, the other doesn't), if the herpes-positive partner took cyclovir drugs and both ALWAYS used condoms during sex, the uninfected partner stayed uninfected at a rate of >90%.

Minus jargon: if you always use condoms and your partner takes her Valtrex, you likely won't be infected.get the new test called herpies select. it is very accutate. in my opion ?

---

Orignal From: How accurate are the blood test to find if I have herpes?