Can you get herpes test for free?
Genital herpes testing is free and you can get one at Brook services, GUM or sexual health clinics or at some GP surgeries. Find your nearest using our find a service tool. Cervical smear tests and routine blood tests will not detect herpes.
Is there a test to diagnose genital herpes?
Your doctor usually can diagnose genital herpes based on a physical exam and the results of certain laboratory tests: Viral culture. This test involves taking a tissue sample or scraping of the sores for examination in the laboratory. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
How can you test for herpes at-home?
An at-home test, on the other hand, can be done by yourself in private. You can order a herpes test kit online, which may include a swab test or finger prick blood test, and send the sample back in the mail. Most companies will send your results within 5 days.
How long does a herpes test take?
HSV DNA PCR tests and antibody blood tests may be reported in one day but can sometimes take longer. Cultures usually take longer and may be reported in two or more days.
Is genital herpes curable?
There is no cure for genital herpes. However, there are medicines that can prevent or shorten outbreaks. A daily anti-herpes medicine can make it less likely to pass the infection on to your sex partner(s).
Is HSV 1 an STD?
Although HSV-1 isn’t technically an STD, you can potentially catch the virus through sex. If you receive oral sex from a person with HSV-1, there’s a risk that the virus could make its way into your body through their saliva. When you acquire HSV-1 through oral sex, it leads to genital herpes rather than cold sores.
Is genital herpes serious?
Overview. Genital herpes is likely the most feared and least understood sexually transmitted infection (STI). There is no cure, so people infected with herpes have it forever. Though the virus is rarely life-threatening for most people with it, it’s extremely dangerous for pregnant women.