I just read a really good article about the differences between type 1 and 2. I also wanted to ask, how do I find out which type I have? From what I've read it sounds like the swab test won't tell you- but do I need to wait a certain amount of time to produce antibodies before I can take a blood test that will tell me?

Thanks
red0916

[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 12-16-2002).]

It's me again. Now I'm just praying that I have type 1 genitally since I've read that type 1 down there tends to reoccur less!

red0916

[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 12-16-2002).]

Hi Red,

Re: herpes type testing... a swab test will show the type, but I'm not sure if the doctor has to request it at the time of testing. You could ask your doctor about your test results.

If you want to find out the type without doing the swab, get a blood test done. The Western Blot is considered the best of the blood tests and will detect the difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2 (which not all blood tests are capable of doing). If you are certain you have herpes and just want to know if it's type-2, you could try the POCkit test which gives almost immediate results and is apparently far less expensive.

Just remember that OB patterns for herpes vary greatly with each individual, even though certain tendencies often are there (e.g., HSV-1 tends to be less severe and less frequent when on the genitals). But you could still be different from the norm. However, it's always good to know which type so that you can make an realistic, informed decision with a partner about protection.

TheOneInFour

[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 12-16-2002).]