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Herpes Exposure, Subsequent Symptoms

From late July to Aug. 17 of this year I engaged in unprotected sex with a woman with herpes II antibodies. She reports to me that she has had no symptoms, and that her new ob/gyn had recommended the serology test as a matter of regular practice. She was visiting for a UTI. On Sep. 2, (2 weeks later) I got herpeselect igg tested, and received a negative result. I also tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea, both negative.

About a week ago, I began to notice discomfort around the tip of my penis, and over the course of a couple days this became red and swollen. This led to soreness when the head of my penis would touch something or be compressed by sitting. The entire head of my penis, as well as the area underneath the head where my foreskin would be (I'm circumcised) has a shiny and wrinkled appearance. There are bumps on the head of my penis, but they seem subcutaneous, evenly distributed, quite small, and there is no drainage or anything eve resembling a lesion, pimple, or fissure. I have pain after urination, but it almost seems like a muscular ache at the tip of my penis, and not quite a burn.

I went to see a PA at an urgent care facility on 9/10. She advised me that I likely had balanitis, and prescribed me clotrimazole and betamethasone cream, which seems to ease the pain, but has not changed the visual appearance. She said she would be "shocked" if it was herpes, and also that my igg test was probably quite reliable at 2 weeks, contrary to what I've read.

Prior to this, I had used bar soap on my penis at least a couple of times.

Questions:
1. Is an IGG test  at two weeks after last exposure useless, or just less reliable?
2. Do these symptoms seem akin to any atypical presentations of HSV II?
3. Can you comment on my odds of having HSV II at this point? I'm dealing with a lot of anxiety, and while I know that I can't know definitively for months, I'd like a realistic outlook to return to just to add some certainty to my life.
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207091 tn?1337709493
COMMUNITY LEADER
First, do you know the actual results of your partner's IgG test? If she had a positive test with no symptoms, it's quite possible she had a false positive.

Your symptoms don't sound like herpes at all. Are you having any symptoms with ejaculation or urination? I ask because pain at the tip of your penis is often associated with prostatitis.

1. Is an IGG test  at two weeks after last exposure useless, or just less reliable?

It's not useless. It is a good baseline. It means that if you test positive later, you'll know it's a new infection. At 2 weeks, though, it doesn't tell you much about this exposure.

2. Do these symptoms seem akin to any atypical presentations of HSV II?

There really aren't aytpical presentations of hsv2. I know a lot of people think that based on what they read on the internet, but that's not really true. There can be mild symptoms, but they are still blisters.

3. Can you comment on my odds of having HSV II at this point?

I can't. I'd love to know what your partner's actual test results are - this forum is full of people with false positive results. Did she get a number result, or was she just told she was positive? Do you still talk to her?

Even if she does have herpes, your chances are low. If you were in a long-term relationship, and all you did was avoid sex when she had an outbreak, you'd only have a 4-5% chance of getting it over the course of a year, assuming you had sex 2-3x a week.

You just started using the creams the doc gave you. Give it some time. If you don't see a marked improvement by now, follow up with your regular doctor. Also, stop using the soap, in case you're having an allergic reaction to it.
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No symptoms, two positive IgG tests, but that's all I know. Her doc told her it looked like she'd had it for a long time, so I'm gathering it was a strong positive. She'd gone in for a UTI.  She says that she contacted all but two people she's slept with, and that all went and got negative tests. Of the other two, one had never been with anyone else and the other was a sexual assault five years ago.

My only symptom with urination is that the skin under my urethral opening is red and irritated and sometimes hurts after I urinate. No problems with urination itself.
From late July to Aug 17, we slept together unprotected 5 times maximum, though I think it might be less. Those are dates, not individual sex acts.
Two positive tests? Why did she test twice? I have to wonder, especially with no symptoms, if there was a question about the accuracy of her test.

There is no test that determines the length of infection, other than by a few months, at best. (It can take up to 12 weeks to develop antibodies when you are newly infected, so if you test positive on an IgG test, you know it's been at least a few weeks.)

I say this only because I have to wonder if she's not infected, then you aren't, either. She isn't here asking me about her test results, but if she were, I'd be saying the same things to her. To you, I'd say that your symptoms sound more like prostatitis than herpes.

Your chances of getting herpes from anyone who has it who has no symptoms aren't high. I gave you the chances of transmission over the course of a year earlier, so for 5 encounters, it's much lower. The only sex acts that transmit hsv2 are unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse. If she has hsv2, it is almost always (like 99.99%) of the time genital, so you can assume hers is, too, if she has it. If someone has it orally, it almost never recurs and almost never sheds, and therefore, almost never transmits. That means that she didn't give it to you from oral sex.

Your symptoms warrant follow up with your doctor, and don't get stuck on herpes being the cause. You'll do yourself a disservice.

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