Can you be tested for herpes even if you've never had an outbreak?

Question

Or is there a possibility of a false negative?

My boyfriend has been exposed to it, but has never shown any symptoms. Is there any way to check if the virus is dormant in his system?

Answer 1

Excellent question!!!

Herpes can lay dormant for years...and that is why so many have it and don't realize it.  It can be passed on through asymptomatic shedding even when an outbreak is not present-meaning YES it can be passed when dormant.

You and your boyfriend should both be tested.  It is possible to get a false negative-but more likely from a visual rather than a blood test.  Approximately 80% of people that have herpes don't realize they have it.  I have known people that only knew they had herpes because of testing. Good luck to both of you...and I've listed the link of an excellent article below.

Answer 2

There is always a possiblity of a false negative, but the chance is low.

A blood test will tell you THAT you have herpes, but not where you have it.  So the results can be confusing.

Most adults (50% to 80%) have oral herpes, which is often, but not always, caused by HSV1.    HSV2 usually, but not always, infects the genitals.   So if you get a positive test for HSV2, most people assume you have genital herpes.    But you should know that you can get HSV1 on your genitals or HSV2 on your mouth.  

So if you BF tests positive for HSV1, what does that mean?   Does he have oral or genital herpes?  You don't know.

And yes, herpes can be passed when no symptoms are present.

I've put a link below to my fave herpes website.  It has some great information on herpes testing, and some good, reliable, easy-to-read info on herpes in general.

Good luck.

Answer 3

You could get a blood test to determine if you are positive for herpes even though you have never had an outbreak. The bad news is that the blood test can only tell what type(s) you have, not where you have it.