Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Index numbers for tests

I was seeing someone who had a what his dr believed was a fungal infection. We haven’t been together in over three months but are still friends and he told me that he was having those symptoms again . Since it’s been just about 3 mnths, I got retested. My negatives were always low like .13 .23 etc , this one was .56 for hsv1. Do I need to be concerned and retest at 16 weeks to make sure the index number isn’t rising? Or can I trust it’s negative and try to let it go.
1 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
207091 tn?1337709493
COMMUNITY LEADER
No, you can let it go.

It's still well below a positive at more than 3 months, which means it's conclusive, so you're fine. You can absolutely let it go. I don't know what's going on with your friend, but you don't have herpes. :)
Helpful - 0
5 Comments
Thank you! Do you know why the numbers change like that?
And also it was just about three months .
The blood tests are imprecise and look for proteins in the blood that have the same molecular weight of herpes antibodies. Sometimes, other proteins that have similar weights are picked up by the test, so the numbers will change a bit.

I've had hsv2 for many years. I could test today and get an 11.9. Tomorrow, I might get a 14.3. It doesn't mean that tomorrow, I have more antibodies, or that my herpes is more active or anything. It's just the way the test works.

If you tested one week and got a .23, and the next, you got a 1.01, that's a huge jump we'd look at, even though that's still not a positive.

It doesn't have to be exactly 3 months. You are still so clearly negative that you can expect it won't change.

I hope that helps.
Thank you for always helping me. Xo
You're welcome. :)
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
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.