Tested negative for herpes but have sores

Herpes Test: What You Should Know

Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted disease. It’s caused by two different viruses called herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2).

Table of Contents Show

Herpes Test: What You Should Know
Do I Need to Get Tested?
Viral Culture
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Test
Can you test positive for herpes if you don't have sores?
Are sores always present with herpes?

You get genital herpes by having sex -- vaginal, oral, or anal -- with someone who already has it.

Thinking you have genital herpes naturally can bring up strong emotions. Talk to your doctor about getting tested. It could help you to learn more about the disease and talk honestly with your sexual partner. You might want to join a support group, too.

Do I Need to Get Tested?

Many people with herpes don’t have any symptoms. If symptoms do show up, you might first feel tingling or burning near your genitals.

You might then get blisters around your genitals, anus, thighs, or buttocks. When the blisters break, they leave sores that can take a few weeks to heal. They usually won’t leave any scars.

To check for herpes, your doctor usually does a physical exam and then likely orders one of these tests:

Viral culture
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test
Blood test

If you get a “positive” result from the viral culture or PCR tests, it likely means you have herpes. .

A “negative” viral culture or PCR result could mean you don’t have genital herpes. But in some cases, a person could still have genital herpes and a negative result. That's likely due to other factors related to how much virus there is in the sores.

You don’t need to do anything to prepare for these tests. They don’t take long, but how soon you get your results depends on the type of test and the lab that does it.

Viral Culture

For this test, your doctor scrapes or swabs one of your sores to take a sample. A lab then checks the sample for the herpes virus. It can take up to 7 days to get your results.

This test is best used within 48 hours of when you first see symptoms. After that time, the level of herpes virus starts to drop. That means there’s a higher chance the test could say you don’t have herpes when you really do.

Continued

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Test

As with the viral culture, your doctor swabs or scrapes a sample from one of your sores. A lab gets the sample and looks for genes from the herpes virus. PCR test results usually come back to you within 24 hours.

You’re more likely to get this test if you have symptoms but it’s been longer than 48 hours since they showed up. In this case, you can rely on the results from this test more than the viral culture.

Blood Test

A small amount of blood is sent to a lab that then checks it for herpes “antibodies.” Those are something your body makes to fight the virus.

You might get a blood test if you think you have been exposed but you don’t have any symptoms.

Labs may use different types of blood tests. With some you can get results the same day, but others may take up to 3 weeks.

Next Steps

There’s no cure for genital herpes, but it can be treated.

If you do have it, your doctor can help you manage it. There are drugs that can shorten or prevent outbreaks, ease symptoms, and lower the chances your sex partners will get it.

Pagination

HSV, also known as the herpes simplex virus, is the series of viruses that cause oral and genital herpes. HSV-1 primarily causes oral herpes, while HSV-2 most often causes genital herpes. Both viruses can lead to an outbreak of sores called herpes lesions, as well as other symptoms.

If you’ve been exposed to the herpes virus, it can take anywhere from 2 to 12 days for symptoms to appear and for the virus to be detected on a test.

In this article, we’ll explore all you need to know about when to get tested for herpes, and how you can prevent the spread of herpes to your sexual partners.

Before your body can begin to fight an infection, it must produce proteins called antibodies. These proteins are designed to neutralize the incoming bacteria, virus, or foreign pathogen.

The time it takes for your body to produce antibodies after exposure to HSV is known as the incubation period. The incubation period for both oral and genital herpes is 2 to 12 days.

Early testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is important, but it’s just as important to not test too early. During the herpes incubation period, you may still test negative for the virus, as your body is building an immune response to the infection.

If your immune system has not yet produced the antibodies, they won’t show up on an antibody test. This can lead you to believe that you don’t have the virus, even though you do.

The incubation period for herpes is 2 to 12 days, which means that the best time to get tested for the herpes virus — if you haven’t had an initial outbreak — is after 12 days. If you’re worried that you’ve been exposed to herpes but have not yet been diagnosed, here are some steps you can take:

If you’re currently sexually active, stop all sexual activity until you can receive a formal diagnosis.
Reach out to your doctor and schedule an appointment for once the incubation period is up.
If you’re having an outbreak, you don’t have to wait to get tested. It’s possible to receive a diagnosis based on the lesions.

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 you’re experiencing what you believe to be a herpes outbreak, your doctor can use a viral culture test or virus antigen detection test. If you’re 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 it’s 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 you’re 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 isn’t necessarily recommended for recent exposure.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 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.

It generally takes anywhere from 4 to 7 days for herpes symptoms to appear. Both genital and oral herpes outbreaks have similar symptoms.

The primary symptom of a herpes outbreak is sores that resemble blisters, called herpes lesions, on the mouth or genitals.

In addition, people may also experience the following symptoms prior to the outbreak:

pain and redness, especially around the area the outbreak will occur
itching and tingling, primarily in the outbreak area
flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, or swollen lymph nodes

Most of the symptoms that occur before an outbreak indicate that the virus is replicating. Symptoms are usually the worst during the first herpes outbreak.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), subsequent herpes outbreaks are usually not as severe, and many people become familiar with the signs and symptoms of an approaching outbreak.

Some people with the herpes virus are asymptomatic, which means that they don’t experience any physical symptoms of the disease. This doesn’t mean that they can’t spread the disease, however.

Anyone who has the herpes virus, whether symptomatic or not, can spread the virus to others.

If you have the herpes virus and your body has produced antibodies, it can be detected on a blood test, even if you have no symptoms. The only time the virus might not be detected on a test (after you’ve contracted it) is if you’ve been tested too early.

Although herpes is a lifelong virus that can’t be cured, it goes through periods of dormancy between outbreaks. This means that while the virus is still present, it’s not actively replicating.

During this time, you may not experience any signs or symptoms of having the disease — even if you’ve had a previous outbreak before.

However, you can still spread the herpes virus to your sexual partners at any time, even if no sores are present. In addition, although rare, it’s possible to spread oral herpes to the genital region and vice versa.

For this reason, it’s extremely important to be mindful of the following preventive measures:

Tell your partners that you have genital or oral herpes. This allows them to make informed decisions about their own sexual health, and it’s the responsible thing to do.
If you’re experiencing the signs and symptoms of an upcoming outbreak, avoid all sexual contact. You’re most likely to spread the virus to others during an outbreak.
It’s possible to spread the herpes virus even without an outbreak. If you’re worried about spreading the disease to a partner, research shows that antivirals are effective at reducing this possibility.

Having oral or genital herpes doesn’t mean that you can no longer have sex. However, it’s your responsibility to prevent the spread of herpes to your sexual partner.

If you have herpes, you can still take care of your sexual health through open communication and safer sex.

If you’ve been exposed to the herpes virus, you should wait for the incubation period to pass before you get tested.

During this time period, it’s important to avoid sexual activity until you’ve received a formal diagnosis. There are multiple testing options, but your doctor will choose the best test for you based on whether you’re having an outbreak or not.

While there’s no treatment for the herpes virus, practicing open communication and safer sex with your partners is the best way to prevent the spread of herpes.

Can you test positive for herpes if you don't have sores?

If a patient has no blisters or sores, providers may use a blood test to see if they have herpes. These tests have limits. For example, if a person gets a blood test too soon after an infection, the result could be wrong. A wrong result is also possible when the person has a low risk of infection.

Are sores always present with herpes?

When you are first infected, you may not get sores. Many people with genital herpes don't know they have it because they have no symptoms. The first time you get sores or blisters (called a herpes 'episode') is usually the worst. You may feel generally unwell as if you are getting the flu, then small blisters appear.