Talk to your Doctor. It's Important That You Do.

What to expect at your first visit

You should make an appointment with your doctor if you have symptoms of genital herpes (see About Genital Herpes) or if you have had sexual contact with someone who has genital herpes.

When you see your doctor, you need to make the most of the time you have, so go prepared with information your doctor will want to know such as:

• The symptoms you have
• Where you have symptoms
• How long you’ve had symptoms
• Whether this is the first time you have had symptoms
• Your sexual activity and lifestyle habits
• The status of your overall health, including a history of medical conditions and treatments you’ve had in the past

During your first visit, you can expect that your doctor will want to examine you, particularly where you have symptoms. If your doctor suspects genital herpes, he or she will want you to be tested to confirm the diagnosis. This is usually done in one of two ways:

Viral culture :
A blister or sore in the affected area is swabbed and the swab sent to a laboratory to test for the presence of the herpes simplex virus (HSV). If you are a woman, your doctor may also swab the cervix since the virus is often found there in a primary infection.

If the viral culture is negative – and you continue to experience symptoms – you should be re-tested, as negative viral culture results are not always 100% accurate.^1,2

Type-specific serology:
A sample of blood is tested for the presence of antibodies against herpes simplex virus. There are several different kinds of blood tests for herpes, including Western blot and ELISA tests.^1,3 Access to testing varies across Canada.

Since it takes a few weeks or even months for the body to develop antibodies against the virus, a negative blood test may not always mean you are not infected. However, if a blood test is done a few months after you’ve had symptoms or possible exposure, type-specific serology is reliable.^1,3

There are many questions your doctor may ask at your first visit. Some of them are listed here to give you an idea of what you can expect. It helps to know what questions you may be asked so that you can go to your appointment prepared with the information your doctor may want to know.

References

1. Sacks SL. The Truth About Herpes, 4th ed. West Vancouver, BC: Gordon Soules Book Publishers Ltd.; 1997. 2. Ebel C, Wald A. Managing Herpes: How to Live and Love With a Chronic STD. Research Triangle Park, NC: American Social Health Association;2002. 3. Ashley RL. Sorting out the new HSV type specific antibody tests. Sex Trans Inf 2001;77(4):232-237.