Do I have Herpes?

If you or someone you care about is concerned that they may have herpes, then you know that it can be a very worrisome time with a long list of questions. What makes it even more difficult is that you might be hearing conflicting and confusing information.

Several types of Herpes

What makes it more confusing is that there are several Herpes Simples Viruses (HSV), including the type that causes Chickenpox and Shingles.

• Type 1 HSV – Usually found on the mouth or nose, may cause genital symptoms if there has been oral -genital contact. People who have Type 1 HSV on their genitals usually only have outbreaks every 5-10 years. People with Type 1 can have outbreaks on their mouth, nose or genitals, and less commonly on other parts of the body
• Type 2 HSV – Usually found on the genitals, this rarely occurs around the mouth or nose. People with HSV 2 may have genital outbreaks every 1-6 months. The average number of recurrences is 6 per year.

Testing for Herpes when symptoms are present

If there are visible or active symptoms, such as sores, small bumps, crusted over lesions or small tears in the skin, then a healthcare provider can do a swab of the area and send it out for a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction ) evaluation. This is the most accurate way to test because it looks for the viral DNA, which is present even after a few days of symptoms. We don’t use cultures any more because they are not as reliable.

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