igm

Okay im a bit of a hypochondriac and Im also a Registered Nurse but I need someone who is an expert when it comes to the IGM herpes testing.  I have had 2 igg herpes test over the past 2 years both were negative for hsv 1 and 2.  After my negative test I have only been with one person and I really dont believe he had anything, although he had not been tested.  We were together for a year and broke up this past january.  I decided to get tested yet again last week because I am dating someone new, havent done anything yet just kissed and I kissed a few other guys in between him and the ex. but nothing else. My best friend also has hsv 1 and i drink after her all the time but never when she has a cold sore.  Ok so heres my question.  I got tested and the IGG came back negative for both HSV I and 2. but the IGM came back postive, and my doctor said that Ive been exposed within about 30 days but if i had gotten anything from my ex it would have shown up on the igg by now so im confused on where i could have been exposed beside hsv1..  so now im freaking out.  I know you have tons of post about how the IGM is not very accurate, but i guess i want to hear it in my situation.  I mean how likely is it to get hsv1 at age 24 I thought ppl usually get it when they are young, my gynecologist seems to think the igm result of 1.55 is a fluke and she doesnt even do the igm test because she said they dont tell her anything.  I got my test from my family doc by the way. but i wanted a 2nd opinion from my gyno. so my gyno is having me retest in 2 months with the igg and if its negative she said I can rule it out. so what are your thoughts? Ive never once had a cold sore or any symptoms genitally.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I'm totally in agreement with your OB.  After years of doing herpes care, I've seen SO MANY positive IgM tests that never confirm with IgG.  Obviously, we aren't doing them in our practice, but people report it so often.  I would completely believe your IgG test, not the IgM test.  No national organization recommends using IgM tests, and in fact, many specifically tell providers never to use them.  I'm disappointed that your family practice provider doesn't know this, but, there are many things to know about in family practice, and one can understand how hard it is to keep up on things, all the time.  I believe that you are just fine and can put this out of your mind completely.

Terri