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How to Talk to Your Doctor About Getting Tested for Herpes (HSV)
(11/16/2007) by Annette Owens
Many people are embarrassed to address sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with their health care provider. Over the years, I have received countless questions about this by e-mail, which is obviously less anxiety-provoking than having to face a physician or other type of health care practitioner directly. My answer is always the same: “You need to see your health care provider so that he or she can examine you and order the necessary tests to make a diagnosis.” In addition, I always remind the inquirer that health practitioners are trained to address STIs in a sensitive and confidential way. They will not blame you or be judgmental of how you may have gotten the infection, but it is their first and foremost responsibility to provide you with optimal health care in a respectful and efficient way. Besides wanting to treat your infection to help you become better, they also want to prevent any further spreading of the infection, so you are not only doing yourself a favor by making an appointment, but society in general.
All that being said, what are the things to address when you have or think you have a herpes infection? Your health practitioner should:
1) Describe the two types of viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2), the former being primarily related to mouth sores, while the latter is primarily related to genital herpes. However, cross infection is possible. For example, performing oral sex when you have a mouth sore caused by HSV-1 can give your partner genital herpes.
2) Go over symptoms of a herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection with you.
3) Explain asymptomatic shedding.
4) Provide you with up-to-date information on what diagnostic tools and treatment options are available.
5) Go over safer sex measures (that the use of condoms or dental dams can help prevent spreading of virus from active lesions that are covered).
In order to be well prepared for this discussion, I suggest doing a little bit of research ahead of time. A very informative website is http://www.herpesdiagnosis.com.
The many different tests for HSV currently available can be confusing. Laboratory samples of virus can be harvested directly from active sores from the skin. Blood tests that look for the presence of antibodies to the herpes virus can confirm a HSV infection whether an active sore is present or not. Some of the newest blood test can now distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2. These are called “type-specific” blood tests and you should ask your health provider about them. Type-specific tests are in particular helpful in these circumstances:
- When a person has had symptoms in the past (no current active lesions) but never had HSV confirmed.
- When your sexual partner has been diagnosed with HSV, and you don’t know whether you are at risk. If you have antibodies in your blood you already have been infected in the past.
- When a pregnant woman wants to know whether she is at risk for passing the virus to her newborn during vaginal delivery.
I want to end by saying that herpes infection is extremely common, yet many people do not know that they are infected. Having these newly improved diagnostic tools will likely improve awareness of HSV infections and eventually reduce the spreading of virus from individuals who are unaware of their infection.
Source: www.loveandhealth.info
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