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HSV-1 Positive. Mild genital symptoms. What now?
Back story first: A few weeks ago I noticed a painless red bump on the shaft of my penis. I got blood tested for herpes the next day. The both types on igm and igg came up negative. 2 weeks later I went and got tested again, after noticing what appeared to be irritated hair follicles a little lower on my shaft. But since I still had the other bump, I was worried. This time everything was negative again except that my igg read positive for HSV1.
The doctor said positive a igm usually means recent infections while a positive igg usually means older infections. He said I, like most Americans, probably contracted HSV1 when I was a kid. I explained to him that my symptoms were occurring on my genitals. He told me this is more rare, and that I probably won't have another outbreak and will experience minimal viral shedding since HSV1's home turf isn't normally the genitals. He seemed puzzled as to why my first tests came back all negative however. He also suggested that maybe my genital problems are unrelated to the HSV1 all together.
So my questions are: Could this be true that my symptoms are unrelated to HSV1? I mean, I heard the sores turn to blisters within the first couple days, but it's been weeks since I first noticed this. And could this be a false positive? Also, I have a girlfriend right now. If I do have genital HSV1, how much of a risk is sex? What if she performs oral sex on me? Do I need to disclose to my partners for the rest of my life?
Thanks in advance. This has really been a wake up call to how stressful these things can be, and how uneducated most people are on this subject.
The doctor said positive a igm usually means recent infections while a positive igg usually means older infections. He said I, like most Americans, probably contracted HSV1 when I was a kid. I explained to him that my symptoms were occurring on my genitals. He told me this is more rare, and that I probably won't have another outbreak and will experience minimal viral shedding since HSV1's home turf isn't normally the genitals. He seemed puzzled as to why my first tests came back all negative however. He also suggested that maybe my genital problems are unrelated to the HSV1 all together.
So my questions are: Could this be true that my symptoms are unrelated to HSV1? I mean, I heard the sores turn to blisters within the first couple days, but it's been weeks since I first noticed this. And could this be a false positive? Also, I have a girlfriend right now. If I do have genital HSV1, how much of a risk is sex? What if she performs oral sex on me? Do I need to disclose to my partners for the rest of my life?
Thanks in advance. This has really been a wake up call to how stressful these things can be, and how uneducated most people are on this subject.
I'm not sure, the doctor told me I was positive over the phone so I didn't see the results. I will call and see if he is still available. Does that make a difference?
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
