Laboratory
Tests
Ask to be Tested?
Diagnosing genital herpes by physical examination alone is difficult for your healthcare provider. For this reason, laboratory tests can be useful for helping to diagnosis and will help you and your healthcare provider determine what actions need to be taken to manage your symptoms and help you prevent transmission to a sexual partner or unborn child.
Laboratory testing is required for an accurate diagnosis.
The following information will help you take an active role in your diagnosis and treatment. When visiting your healthcare provider it is important to disclose how long you have had the sore or lesion and if you have experienced symptoms previously.
- If you have genital lesions or sores at the time of your physical exam, a swab of the lesion may be taken and sent to the laboratory for viral culture.
- If your lesions are healing, your symptoms are unclear, or you are sexually active but do not have symptoms, a blood test may be performed to confirm infection.
Based on the sample taken, your healthcare provider may order a variety of tests to help make a diagnosis. It is important to make sure a type specific HSV test is requested. This information is important because the prognosis and other decisions for a HSV-1 differ from HSV-2.Some healthcare providers can test in their office with the HerpeSelect Express rapid HSV-2, this provides results in about 15 minutes from a finger stick. |
