Diagnose Genital Herpes
To be positively sure that you have genital herpes, it is best to consult a health professional, such as family medicine doctors, nurse practitioners, internists, and gynecologists. You should immediately see them immediately when you discovered that you have painful blisters or sores in the genital or pelvic area, when you feel pain or a burning sensation when you urinate, and when you have abnormal vaginal or urethral discharge.
One of the things that your health professional would like to know is about your sexual habits, that is, if you maintain multiple sexual partners, which poses a great risk in acquiring genital herpes. And then, there will be several tests that could be done. Some of them are culture tests, antigen tests, antibodies tests, PCR test, blood tests, and pelvic examination.
A herpes viral culture test is done the health worker obtains a swab from a suspected herpes sore. If found negative (no HSV found), it may still mean that you have genital herpes.
A herpes virus antigen detection test is done when a fresh sore is scraped off (could be painful) and then smeared on a glass slide and examined under a microscope. The health professional will attempt to find an antigen on the surface of the cells of the sore sample. An antigen is a part of the virus that incites the body’s immune system to produce certain cells which main function is to destroy the foreign antigens.
A blood test may detect the presence of either the HSV-1 or HSV-2 but it cannot show if you are having an outbreak. But the results may be inconclusive. A blood test can also detect antibodies.
The result of an antibody test is called an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, but it cannot specifically identify the cause of a sore. Also, the body takes a long time in producing antibodies and so, a negative result may still mean a presence of HSV.
A PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test is artificially multiplying a certain DNA sample, such as blood or spinal fluid. It is conducted when the physician suspects that the herpes virus has infected the brain, a case that rarely occurs.
A pelvic examination is a complete physical examination of the female reproductive organ. It includes an external examination of the vulva, an internal examination using an instrument called speculum, a Pap test, and a swab for STDs. It is conducted to detect pre-cancer infections, reproductive system abnormalities, and sexually transmitted diseases such as genital herpes.
A combination of the above tests could help the doctor identify whether you have genital herpes or another kind of illness that produces the sores.