Question:
I went in last Monday because I had pain during sex. The doc said she'd put her reputation as a doctor on the diagnosis of herpes (i had what she saw as open/new leisons and some that were healing--in a small small area inside the lips of my vagina).

The blood test came back NEGATIVE. The nurse said it can take 3 months to show up (to see antibodies in the blood). Does that mean I was just infected? or---does she mean that it can take 3 months for the antibodies to show up after the initial outbreak? I feel like if I was infected, it was years ago, but wouldnt that show up in my blood.

Also, because my test was negative, what are they other options? I have been tested (all negative) for other STD/STIs....

I am so lost. Help!

Answer:
well hopefully you do not have herpes. it can take a minimum of 3 months for antibodies to show; for positive results. i would get bloodwork done again in 3-4 months just to be sure; and in the meantime, maybe take the prescribed vitamins just in case you are infected.

Answer:
my doc slapped on 3 pairs of gloves the first time i came in cause he was scared as hell that he would get it on his hands, the test said neg- he had no idea what to say.
the next test- same thing, the next test- same thing, finally a post test came back~ and told me i have cold sores. HUMMM to bad hes a gyno.
but yea- its possible to have a outbreak, and have a neg result. just continue to get tested in intervals, and when you feel like you might have a ob. eventually you will get the results you are looking for

Answer:
So, the antibodies that will show up in the test take 3 months to accumulate? so they start showing up after an outbreak? I thought they'd start showing up 3 months after I was exposed. SOOOOoo, does this mean I was most likely exposed very recently? It doesnt make much sense to me, because my bf and i have been monogomous for 8 months. I would assume it would have shown up faster...?

Also, when having an outbreak (i feel like I have a kindergartener's level of understanding) do new sores keep coming for a few days? even if i started suppressive thearapy, or do they show all in one swoop?

THANKS for the responses!

Answer:
antibodies start being made at the start of a outbreak, so it takes some time to have enough to be detectable. no it doesnt mean you were exposed recently, antibodies are made each time you have a outbreak, if you dont have any issues for years> you wont have any antibodies, so if you just happened to have a ob, it might look like a new infection. or it could be brand new~ really there isnt any way to tell.
your body and the virus are the only thing that determin what happens, if you are in pretty good shape, eat good are healthy, you could very well fight off the outbreaks for a long time before ever actually having one.

thats up to your body, and the virus again. it might come as one wave, it might come as 2 or 3 or 4 etc... everyone is different

Answer:
My bf just talked to his doc and the doc said that the antibodies start when I was exposed, not at the onset of an ob. SO, now I am confused again, and I dont know who to believe....grr. DO you have any suggestions to look at info on false negative blood tests or herpes-mimicking diseases....if we end up not having it?

Answer:
There are cases of people with herpes testing negative.

http://www.myracoon.net/pdfs/Time_to_Seroconversion.pdf
"Of 31 primary HSV-1 patients, 3 (10%) became positive by HSV-1 ELISA and then had at least one HerpeSelect-negative result. One subject became negative on day 22 and remained negative in tests of eight samples drawn between days 22 and 376. However, WB became positive on day 8 and remained positive throughout follow-up for this subject. Another subject became positive by HSV-1 ELISA at 17 days but was negative in testing of a single serum drawn on day 158. WB was
negative on days 17 and 158 for this subject. The third subject became positive on day 70 by HSV-1 ELISA and then was transiently negative in testing of one serum on day 372, before returning to positive on day 387. WB for this subject became positive on day 29 and remained positive.
Of 82 patients with genital HSV-2, two (2%) had negative test results following at least one positive HSV-2 result by HerpeSelect. One subject became positive on day 9, was negative on day 81, and was subsequently seropositive on days 91, 101, 168, 191, and 361. WB became positive for HSV-2 on day 91 for this patient and did not change thereafter. The second patient became positive on day 14 and then had an equivocal result on day 14 and a negative result on day 108. WB became positive for HSV-2 on day 14 and remained positive."

Answer:
...antibodies are made each time you have a outbreak, if you dont have any issues for years> you wont have any antibodies, so if you just happened to have a ob, it might look like a new infection. or it could be brand new... Antibodies are with you for life, they don't go away between outbreaks, even if you don't have a noticeable outbreak for 10 year. Half way down the page under Available Herpes Tests...If you have no symptoms of herpes...

Answer:
Detection of particular antibodies is a very common form of medical diagnostics, and applications such as serology depend on these methods.[35] If those antibodies are not present, either the person is not infected, or the infection occurred a very long time ago, and the B cells generating these specific antibodies have naturally decayed.

The human body makes millions of different types of B cells each day that circulate in the blood and lymph performing the role of immune surveillence. They do not produce antibodies until they become fully activated.***** Each B cell has a unique receptor protein (referred to as the B cell receptor (BCR)) on its surface that will bind to one particular antigen. The BCR is a membrane-bound immunoglobulin, and it is this molecule that allows the distinction of B cells from other types of lymphocyte, as well as being the main protein involved in B cell activation.

During an immune response, professional APCs endocytose (absorb) foreign material (typically bacteria or viruses), which undergoes processing, then travel from the site of infection to the lymph nodes. Once at the lymph nodes, the APC begins to present antigen peptides that are bound to Class II MHC, allowing CD4+ T cells that express specific TcR's against the peptide/MHC complex to activate.

When a Th cell encounters and recognises the antigen on an APC, the TcR-CD3 complex binds strongly to the peptide-MHC complex present on the surface of professional APC's. CD4, a co-receptor of the TCR complex, also binds to a different section of the MHC molecule. These interactions brings these proteins closer together, allowing the intracellular kinases present on the TcR, CD3 and CD4 proteins to activate each other via phosphorylation. With the assistance of another phosphatase present on the intracellular section of CD45 (common leukocyte antigen), these molecules activate the major biochemical pathways in the cytosol of the Th cell. These active pathways are known as Signal 1 of T cell activation, as it is the first and primary pro-activation signal in a Th cell. Upon subsequent encounters with a given antigen, memory T cells are re-activated using the same TCR pathways.

The binding of the antigen-MHC to the TCR complex and CD4 may also help the APC and the Th cell adhere during Th cell activation, but the protein LFA-1 on the T cell and ICAM on the APC are the primary molecules of adhesion in this cell interaction.

Having received the first TcR/CD3 signal, the naïve T cell must activate a second independent biochemical pathway, known as Signal 2. This verification step is a protective measure to ensure that a T cell is responding to a foreign antigen. If this second signal is not present during initial antigen exposure, the T cell presumes that it is auto-reactive. This results in the cell becoming anergic (anergy is generated from the unprotected biochemical changes of Signal 1). Anergic cells will not respond to any antigen in the future, even if both signals are present later on. These cells are generally believed to circulate throughout the body with no value until they apoptose at the end of their lifespan.**********

The second signal involves an interaction between CD28 on the CD4+ T cell and the proteins CD80 (B7.1) or CD86 (B7.2) on the professional APCs. Both CD80 and CD86 activate the CD28 receptor. These proteins are also known as co-stimulatory molecules.

Although the verification stage is necessary for the activation of naïve helper T cells, the importance of this stage is best demonstrated during the similar activation mechanism of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. As naïve CD8+ T cells have no true bias towards foreign sources, these T cells must rely on the activation of CD28 for confirmation that they recognise a foreign antigen (as CD80/CD86 is only expressed by active APC's). CD28 plays an important role in decreasing the risk of T cell auto-immunity against host antigens.

Once the naïve T cell has both pathways activated, the biochemical changes induced by Signal 1 are altered, allowing the cell to activate instead of anergise. The second signal is then obsolete; only the first signal is necessary for future activation. This is also true for memory T cells, which is one example of learned immunity. Faster responses occur upon reinfection because memory T cells have already undergone confirmation and can produce effector cells much sooner.***

Memory T cells are a subset of antigen-specific T cells that persist long-term after an infection has resolved.*** They quickly expand to large numbers of effector T cells upon re-exposure to their cognate antigen, thus providing the immune system with "memory" against past infections.

in conclustion, you do not have antibodies 24-7 for 10 years. antibodies, are made, during the outbreak when the virus has been activated> it activated the cells that hold the memory OF the antibody from previous outbreaks. so you dont have antibodies, you only have the memory of them, so when you do have a outbreak your body doesnt have to do all the work all over again each time. i posted this awhile ago, in simpler terms but was unable to find it.