There are three different types of tests for herpes in men that are generally administered by physicians, but the blood test is almost universally considered to be the most accurate. Not only do blood tests produce correct positive or negative diagnoses with 97% accuracy, but they offer the major advantage of being available even to those men who are not exhibiting herpes symptoms (i.e., not experiencing an outbreak) at the time of the test.
What Makes Blood Tests Better Than The Other Tests
The reason why blood tests are more accurate for diagnosing herpes in men is that, unlike viral culture swabs and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests (the other main forms of testing), the blood test does not involve taking tissue samples from sores. Therefore, instead of attempting to locate the actual virus, blood tests only look for the antibodies that confirm its presence. This fundamental difference in approaches is the biggest culprit in the unusually high number of false-negative diagnoses delivered by both viral culture swabs and PCR tests.
While locating antibodies against the herpes virus is a more accurate method of testing for herpes in men, it fails in one critical area where both PCR tests and viral culture swabs succeed - differentiating between HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections. Nonetheless, its dramatically higher accuracy in identifying infection makes this an acceptable trade-off for most patients since, if you're infected with herpes, the blood test will leave no doubt.
Taking A Blood Test - What To Expect
Once your body has recognized that it is infected with the herpes virus, it usually takes a couple of months for high levels of antibodies to develop in the bloodstream. For this reason, many doctors are hesitant to administer blood tests as their primary means of identifying cases of herpes in men, and the majority won't even consider it unless 12 weeks have passed since the patient believes he became infected. Therefore, expect to have a discussion with your physician which includes your insistence on taking a blood test.
The actual testing process for identifying herpes in men is simple enough, and much like what you'd experience when having blood drawn for any other reason. A blood sample will be taken with a needle, and will be sent to a lab for testing. The period required to get your results back can range anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. Once the results are in, you will typically sit down with your physician and discuss the findings.
What Makes Blood Tests Better Than The Other Tests
The reason why blood tests are more accurate for diagnosing herpes in men is that, unlike viral culture swabs and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests (the other main forms of testing), the blood test does not involve taking tissue samples from sores. Therefore, instead of attempting to locate the actual virus, blood tests only look for the antibodies that confirm its presence. This fundamental difference in approaches is the biggest culprit in the unusually high number of false-negative diagnoses delivered by both viral culture swabs and PCR tests.
While locating antibodies against the herpes virus is a more accurate method of testing for herpes in men, it fails in one critical area where both PCR tests and viral culture swabs succeed - differentiating between HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections. Nonetheless, its dramatically higher accuracy in identifying infection makes this an acceptable trade-off for most patients since, if you're infected with herpes, the blood test will leave no doubt.
Taking A Blood Test - What To Expect
Once your body has recognized that it is infected with the herpes virus, it usually takes a couple of months for high levels of antibodies to develop in the bloodstream. For this reason, many doctors are hesitant to administer blood tests as their primary means of identifying cases of herpes in men, and the majority won't even consider it unless 12 weeks have passed since the patient believes he became infected. Therefore, expect to have a discussion with your physician which includes your insistence on taking a blood test.
The actual testing process for identifying herpes in men is simple enough, and much like what you'd experience when having blood drawn for any other reason. A blood sample will be taken with a needle, and will be sent to a lab for testing. The period required to get your results back can range anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. Once the results are in, you will typically sit down with your physician and discuss the findings.
About the Author:
Learn more about Testing for Herpes. Stop by Devin Brindinshire's site where you can find out all about Genital Herpes Symptoms in Men and other herpes-related issues.
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