I Am A Female 71 Years Old. I Had Chicken

Posted on Thu, 5 Sep 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 5 Sep 2019 Answered on

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Question : I am a female 71 years old. I had chicken pox as a child even though I had the vaccine. I had one episode of shingles after my husband had it. We weren't intimate during that time and he was treated with an antibiotic(I believe). Its been years ago that we had shingles. A couple years ago my husband started having a sore on his penis after we were intimate. The PA at the doctors office said it was shingles. My husband had it a couple more times after that and both times were after we were intimate. Since that time we have avoided intimacy as I was afraid he would get the shingles again. Would a vaginal exam show if I am a carrier. I have had a hysterectomy years ago and haven't had a pap smear since that time. What would you recommend for my next step.

Answered by Dr. Mahesh Koregol (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Blood test

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I understand your concerns.

Shingles is also called herpes.

1) First a blood test will be required to assess if herpes infection is active. IgM for herpes needs to be done.

2) Local examination by your gynaecologist will reveal if it’s herpes. This can be spotted by seeing.

3) You can request for Pap smear during local examination.

Let me know if you need anymore help.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj