Where To Go To Get Tested For Herpes

Is There A Cure For Herpes Simplex

There is no cure for herpes simplex. Once you have the virus, its a lifelong infection.

What is the outlook for people with herpes simplex?

For many people, the first herpes outbreak is the most severe. Many outbreaks are less frequent and milder after the first year of infection. Some people may have only one outbreak and never have another again.

Herpes infection doesnt usually pose a serious health risk. The risk of a health complication due to herpes is higher in infants and if you have HIV/AIDS, cancer or an organ transplant.

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How Urgent Is A Post

Start post-exposure treatment for genital herpes immediately after symptoms begin to appear. Antiviral medications can help reduce the severity and duration of symptoms while also reducing the risk of transmission to sexual partners.

Swab testing is most likely to detect HSV when completed with 72 hours of symptoms first appearing. Meaning, if you suspect you are experiencing symptoms, see a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.

Be sure to let your healthcare provider know that you may have had exposure to genital herpes.

While there is no specific deadline to get treated for genital herpes, upon being diagnosed, your doctor can prescribe antiviral medications that can help shorten the length and severity of the outbreak. â

Why You Should Go To A Sexual Health Clinic

You can see a GP, but they’ll probably refer you to a sexual health clinic if they think you might have genital herpes.

Sexual health clinics treat problems with the genitals and urine system.

Many sexual health clinics offer a walk-in service, where you do not need an appointment.

They’ll often get test results quicker than GP practices and you do not have to pay a prescription fee for treatment.

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Genital Herpes Treatment In Pregnancy

You may be offered antiviral treatment:

• to treat outbreaks in pregnancy
• from 36 weeks to reduce the chance of an outbreak during birth
• from diagnosis until the birth if you first get herpes after 28 weeks of pregnancy

Many women with genital herpes have a vaginal delivery. You may be offered a caesarean, depending on your circumstances.

Herpes Pcr Tests Very Accurate

A PCR test can be done on cells or fluid from an active sore and is more sensitive than typical lab culture tests. PCR finds the genetic material of the HSV virus and can tell the difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2. Although this test may be more expensive than lab cultures, it is definitely more accurate and less likely to result in a false negative or false positive. However, you still need to get tested while you are having an active outbreak, or else the HSV cells may no longer be present on the surface of your skin.

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How Can I Prevent Herpes Outbreaks

If you have lots of herpes outbreaks, your doctor may tell you to take medicine every day this is called suppressive therapy. It can help prevent future herpes outbreaks, and lower your chances of giving herpes to your partners.

Whether or not you take medicine to treat herpes, taking care of yourself by eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, and avoiding stress might help keep future outbreaks from popping up.

No one knows for sure what triggers genital herpes outbreaks. Other infections, surgery, sex, your period, skin irritations, and stress may cause outbreaks. Sunburns, injuries to your lips, or other infections can cause oral herpes flare-ups. Try to avoid getting sunburned if you have oral herpes.

Genital herpes outbreaks usually happen less often and become shorter and weaker after a few years whether or not you get treated.

How To Get Tested For Herpes

Since most people with genital herpes have few, infrequent or even NO noticeable symptoms most of the time, herpes diagnosis can be almost impossible to do without a herpes blood test or PCR test. However, many doctors are very out-of-date about herpes tests. On this page, well tell you exactly how to get tested for herpes, and which tests are most accurate or least accurate.

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What If I Test Positive For Herpes

Since the virus stays in the nerves surrounding the infected area permanently, there is no cure to eliminate the virus from the body. However, there are many treatments which are very effective at reducing both the severity and frequency of any outbreaks.

Creams and medications are available to manage the symptoms and keep outbreaks under control. If you test positive for Herpes, your Better2Know doctor will be able to prescribe the right treatment for you. You are most likely to pass the virus on when you have symptoms, so you should abstain or practice safe sex with a condom during this time.

There are also organisations who can support you such as The STI Project which provides an online forum for people to share their stories.

How To Test For Herpes

If you suspect you have herpes, the first thing you should do is contact your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can examine your blisters or sores to check for herpes. If you do have an HSV infection, your healthcare provider may recommend a treatment plan for you.

The Center for Disease Control recommends a genital herpes test if you have symptoms of herpes or a sexual partner who has genital herpes . Note that some people have asymptomatic herpes and donât show symptoms, but the CDC does not recommend asymptomatic screening for herpes .

If you would like an easy at-home option to test for 6 other common STIs, try the Everlywell home STD Test for women or the STD Test for men which checks for chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis C, HIV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Once your sample is received and analyzed at the lab, the test results are sent to you quickly and discreetly via our secure, online platform.

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What Are The Symptoms And Signs Of Herpes

Oral and genital Herpes infections often have no symptoms or mild symptoms that can either go unnoticed or be mistaken for other types of bacterial or fungal infections, in both men and women. Occasionally, the virus may be present with no visible signs and can still be passed on, by a process called ‘asymptomatic viral shedding’.

Did you know?

1 in 3 people with Herpes will have symptoms, whilst 2 in 3 will only have mild symptoms or none at all.

Type Of Tests Used To Diagnose Herpes

There are four main types of diagnostic tests that can be used to diagnose herpes. Your doctor will determine which type of test to use based on whether an outbreak is present or not.

If youre experiencing what you believe to be a herpes outbreak, your doctor can use a viral culture test or virus antigen detection test. If youre not experiencing symptoms, you can have an antibody test.

• Viral culture test.This test is used to determine if a sore contains the herpes virus. This test can sometimes produce a false-negative, meaning that it may not detect the virus even though its present.
• Virus antigen detection test. This test is used to determine if antigens to the herpes virus are present in a sore or lesion.
• Antibody test. If youre not experiencing an outbreak yet but still believe you may have been exposed, you can opt to have an antibody test performed. This test will only show a positive result if the antibodies to the virus have been developed. Therefore, this test isnt necessarily recommended for recent exposure.
• Polymerase chain reaction test. With this test, a healthcare provider can screen a sample of your blood or tissue from a sore. They can use this to determine if HSV is present and which type you have.

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Can Urgent Care Really Help Me With An Std Test

The short answer is, yes! Many people who are looking for routine or precautionary STD tests visit urgent care facilities instead of a private practice or their primary care physician. Urgent care facilities are a great option if you are concerned that you may have contracted an STD and need to see a physician.

If you are sexually active, it is best practice for you and your partner to receive regular STD tests, even if youre both taking precautionary steps to avoid receiving and transferring STDs. Many STDs spread through body fluids, such as blood, vaginal fluids, or semen. While condoms are 98% effective in preventing transferring STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea that are spread through body fluids, they do not protect against STDs that spread from skin-to-skin contact, like genital warts, herpes, and syphilis. Some STDs hide in plain sight and do not show symptoms, so you may not know you have one. The best thing for you and your partner to do is to get tested once every three to twelve months, depending on your level of sexual activity to ensure that you are STD free.

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Do I Need To Tell My Partner

In Canada, genital herpes is not a reportable sexually transmitted infection. While it is not legally required, we recommend that you inform any sexual partners youâve had 60 days before symptoms appeared or before the diagnosis date.

It is not mandatory to inform sexual partners you have been diagnosed with genital herpes in Canada.â

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Sydney Sweeney Chopped Her Hair Into A Lob And Said Goodbye To The Middle Part

All of this tells us that sure, there are some currently available blood tests for herpes that can tell you your status or give you some idea of it but theyre still far from perfect. And when were dealing with a illness thats highly and widely stigmatized the way herpes has become, most people are looking for airtight answers. This is precisely why so many doctors, as well as the CDC, do not recommend getting tested unless you have the common symptoms associated with herpes, such as itching, burning, or a blister.

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Herpes Blood Tests Very Accurate Can Be Done Even When Symptoms Are Not Present

Many out-of-date doctors will tell you that there are no reliable blood tests for herpes that can accurately distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2. These doctors *used to* be right. And some of the old, inaccurate blood tests are still out there. But medicine has made great strides, and since 1999, there are several NEW IgG blood tests now available that DO very accurately distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2 and are 97-100% ACCURATE, if taken no earlier than 12-16 weeks after your possible exposure to the virus. Please note that despite the relatively high accuracy of these blood tests, false positives and false negatives do occur. If you have conflicting results on 2 different herpes blood tests, you should probably order the Western Blot herpes blood test see below.

Since some doctors and clinics are still using the older, inaccurate blood tests. Always make sure to find out the name of the company and test that your doctor or lab is ordering for herpes blood tests, and make sure it is one of the tests on the good list and not one of the tests on the bad list.

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Best Subscription For Herpes Test: Letsgetchecked

The LetsGetChecked home kits can test for both HSV-1 and HSV-2. This test kit may be best for people who require regular testing as the companys subscription options can offer significant discounts.

A person receives a collection kit with all the tools they need to collect their samples at home. This includes needles, a prepaid envelope, alcohol swabs, and a tube. The tests come in discreet packaging so that other people will not know what the person has received.

The person also has access to an instruction video on the company website that explains how they should take their test. LetsGetChecked suggests that people take a blood sample before 9 a.m. and return it to the laboratory on the same day.

The company states that it issues the results within 25 days.

Individuals who receive a positive result can contact a nurse through the company, and they may suggest a treatment plan.

LetsGetChecked offers a one-time purchase for $119. Anyone who requires regular testing can purchase a LetsGetChecked subscription and get discounts on its tests. For instance, a 3-monthly subscription will give a person a 30% saving on the cost of the kits.

How Is Herpes Simplex Treated

Some people have few to no herpes outbreaks and choose not to have treatment. But many people prefer to use medications that shorten outbreaks and reduce symptoms.

During an outbreak, you may use an antiviral ointment or cream to help lessen your symptoms and help them go away faster, but it only works if you start it soon after you start an outbreak. Many people with HSV-2 take daily oral medications to keep outbreaks at bay.

Your provider may prescribe a topical medication or oral medication such as:

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Now Get Tested For Herpes Without The Wait

How Herpes IgM Testing Works

Getting tested for herpes can be stressful, but it doesnt have to be! There is no shame in getting tested. In fact, its a very positive step to take for both yourself and your partner.

For herpes IgM testing, CLIA-certified labs collect a non-invasive blood sample and search for the presence of HSV-1 or HSV-2 antibodies. This type of testing allows for accurate results as early as 10 days after exposure. Then, results are made available to you within 3-5 business days after collection, through our private online portal.

Why Order Herpes IgM Testing

If you suspect youve been exposed to herpes, its likely that you dont want to wait long to get answers or treatment. But, herpes testing normally requires a waiting period of at least 12 days after exposure.

An untreated herpes infection can lead to complications, so treatment should not be postponed. Not only can the virus cause uncomfortable sores but pregnant women can risk passing the virus during birth.2 Contracting herpes has also been connected to a higher risk of HIV.3

For this reason, early detection herpes testing is a great option for those looking to catch the virus sooner rather than later.

When to Get Tested

For herpes IgM testing, we recommend waiting 10 days before getting tested to ensure the most accurate results. If you are pregnant or start to experience common herpes symptoms such as cold sores, body aches or painful urination, you should get tested as soon as possible.

How Is It Passed On

Most HSV type 1 infections are acquired during childhood.

You cannot get genital herpes from sharing baths or towels, from swimming pools, toilet seats or from sharing cups, plates or cutlery.

The virus will not pass through a condom but as condoms do not cover all of the genital area it is possible to infect genital skin that is not covered by the condom.

If you already have one type of HSV it is still possible for you to get the other type .

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Never Just Assume That Your Doctor Already Tested You For Herpes

Most doctors NEVER test their patients for herpes, even when they are testing you for other STDs. Thats right. A herpes blood test is NOT INCLUDED in the Standard STD Panels. Most doctors will NOT test you for herpes UNLESS YOU ASK SPECIFICALLY FOR A HERPES BLOOD TEST. If you arent sure whether or not your doctor tested you for herpes last time, ASK them for a copy of all of your last STD test results. If you dont see a blood test result for both HSV-1 and HSV-2, then you were not tested. The majority of people have NEVER been tested for herpes and dont know they have it.

The best way to diagnose herpes when you are not having symptoms is to request a herpes blood test. Or if you are having an active outbreak then immediately go to the doctor to get a herpes lab culture AND a herpes blood test. You must SPECIFICALLY REQUEST that your doctor give you a herpes blood test and a herpes lab culture or else your doctor might just do a visual inspection and may easily misdiagnose herpes as something else such as jock itch, a yeast infection, or rough sex. When your symptoms go away usually within a few days to a few weeks, you may not even realize that you just experienced a herpes outbreak.

Can Herpes Simplex Virus Cause Serious Infections

Yes. The most serious, or life-threatening, HSV infections can occur in newborns who are infected during birth and in individuals with weakened immune systems , such as organ transplant recipients and people with HIV/AIDS. Neonatal herpes is a serious condition, but also very rare. While 25-30% of pregnant women have genital herpes, less than 0.1% of babies born in the U.S. each year get neonatal herpes. This means that most women with genital herpes give birth to healthy babies.

HSV lesions tend to be more extensive and persist longer in newborns and immunocompromised people than in individuals who have healthy immune systems.

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