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Exposed and Confused about Herpes Testing!! Please Help!!
Can anyone help me? I took a igm and a igg test which the igm came back positive and my doctor did not mentioned anything about the igg. Figuring out maybe the igg is negative. He told me I was recently was exposed to it with a mixture of HSV-1 and HSV-2. Does that mean the igm shows recent exposure and does the igg shows past exposure? I am so paranoid that I went to take the test again at another clinic for an igg which came back negative. The day after I took it the third time, I went to my primary doctor to take it again, but not yet able to get in contact with him. I know that the third test will probably show the same results. The doctor at the second clinic recommend me taking the test again in 3 months but she says that since the igm tested positive that the igg will eventually turn positive as well.
I decided to test myself because I had some type of rash near the groin, but it did not irritated, burn, or itch. My doctor told me it did not look herpes. Since I'm so paranoid at the moment I been filling tingling around the lip line, and hot and cold tingling around the genitial area. Can someone please tell me if this a sign that I am going to have an outbreak?
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Help! positive for igm negative for igg. the doctor told me that igg might show up positive later on in 3 months. Did anyone ever tested negative for igg then tested positive 3 months later, will the igm show negative the second time?
I decided to test myself because I had some type of rash near the groin, but it did not irritated, burn, or itch. My doctor told me it did not look herpes. Since I'm so paranoid at the moment I been filling tingling around the lip line, and hot and cold tingling around the genitial area. Can someone please tell me if this a sign that I am going to have an outbreak?
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Help! positive for igm negative for igg. the doctor told me that igg might show up positive later on in 3 months. Did anyone ever tested negative for igg then tested positive 3 months later, will the igm show negative the second time?
Start by posting in the herpes forum. And make sure to start a thread dedicated to only your question. Do not post on someelse question.
Thanks
Thanks
I was just told by my obgyn that I have acute Herpes. The lesion was positive. I do not understand my lab results. Can anyone interrupt? They are as follows:
HSV-2 IgG 0.37 EIA Units <0.90
EIA Value Explanation of Test Results
1.10 Positive
HSV - IgM Antibody Detected Reference Range: Not Detected
I am very upset and disturbed by this because I thought I was in a monogamous relationship with my husband.
HSV-2 IgG 0.37 EIA Units <0.90
EIA Value Explanation of Test Results
1.10 Positive
HSV - IgM Antibody Detected Reference Range: Not Detected
I am very upset and disturbed by this because I thought I was in a monogamous relationship with my husband.
I agree with Tommy420. There is no point in paying for a test
2 weeks after a specific exposure to see if you've contracted HSV. If negative you'd just have to re-test.
The only persons benefiting from this are the clinic and the lab because
of the profit motive.
Unfortunately, many people buy unto this and it's easy to spend
a thousand dollars on repeated testing, partly because of "early testing" and
IGM positive but IGG negative which generally always results in
a repeated test.
I really have to respond to this because I just lived through it. Back in March I had one-time unprotected sexual contact. I went for testing at 3 weeks. My herpes igG was negative, but my IGM was positive. My doctor simply told me he would expect that the IgG would be positive in 3 months and that I had probably been exposed 3 weeks earlier, which was the exact time of possible exposure. I was freaking out. I had no symptoms except some diffuse redness, probably from stress. I read a lot about the false positive frequency of IGM tests on this board and also that the likelihood of contracting herpes from a one time contact is extremely low. At 13 weeks I went for another IgG herpes test. I just got my results yesterday. I am negative at 13 weeks!!! The IGM was indeed a false positive. So, please understand that false positives on IGM tests are not just wishful thinking - they truly do occur.
Just wanted to correct one part of tommy's response - it doesn't take 3 months for the igg to show up - it shows up in about half of folks infected within 2 weeks - we recommend waiting until 3 months later because the vast majority of folks will be + by that point if they are infected so that you only have to test once hopefully and be done with it. I know it gets confusing with all the numbers we throw out around here sometimes!!
Here is one of HHH's past posts on it that I think explains it all well :
Forum-M.D.-HHH
09/20/2006
Help-Concerned You're right, this has all been addressed several times. However, it's in many places and might be hard to dig out. So I appreciate the opportunity to put it all in one place.
In theory, the body produces immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies first, to a variety of infections, and immunoglobuin G (IgG) antibodies later. Over time, IgM antibodies tend to stop being produced entirely. Therefore, a test for IgM antibody to any particular infection may be positive before a test that detects IgG antibody. And in a person infected a long time previously, IgM antibody is absent but IgG persists.
That's the theory. In general, it holds up pretty well in young children, but sometimes not so well in adults. In adults with new HSV infection, IgM antibody against the virus doesn't actually get produced all that much faster than IgG antibody. And many people with longstanding HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection continue to produce IgM, especially when they have a new symptomatic outbreak. Thus, for HSV, IgM doesn't necessarily mean a new infection; and absence of IgM doesn't necessarily mean a longstanding infection.
On top of that, there are 2 other main problems with IgM testing for HSV. First, false positive tests are common--that is, apparent IgM antibody that simply isn't present at all, despite what the test says. This is NOT generally due to cross reaction with related viruses, i.e. HSV-1, varicella (herpes) zoster, and the like. It has to do mostly with the physical chemistry of the test.
Second, there are no type-specific IgM tests on the market--nary a one. Any true-positive IgM test for HSV is detecting antibody to HSV-1, HSV-2, or both, and can never distinguish between them.
Why do labs continue to offer such a lousy test? Several reasons there too, some reasonable, some not. Some providers still request the test; they were taught the theory, they assume it applies accurate to HSV, and don't understand the limitations of the test. (The pediatricians generally are right; IgM testing for HSV in fact remains useful in diagnosing neonatal herpes in newborns. Their immature immune systems don't crank out IgG so rapidly.) Also, some labs just keep offering the test out of habit, in the belief the providers want the test; while at the same time, the docs just assume that if the lab does the test, it must be worthwhile. (That is, a communication issue.) Also, there is simple profit motive for labs: IgM testing is very cheap but gets good pay-off from insurance companies, so the profit margin is high.
Bottom lines: Sometimes a new HSV infection in an adult indeed will be positive by IgM before IgG. But this is pretty infrequent, and it outweighed by the downsides: high risk of false positive result; and even when truly positive, there is no distinction between HSV-1 and HSV-2, which is pretty important to most patients and providers.
In response to your question, I re-contacted the people I know at Quest Laboratories. As of last month, as a matter of policy, Quest no longer does IgM testing for HSV in adults unless the provider specifically requests it. (Some individual labs might not have gotten the word yet, so some IgM testing might be done for a while.) Quest will continue to to IgM testing routinely for HSV antibody requests in newborn.
And do the bottom line for your particular situation: Totally ignore your recent IgM result with an equivocal outcome. Almost certainly it is meaningless. If you remain concerned, have an IgG test (and only IgG) 3 months after your last possible exposure.
I hope this helps. I have a feeling I will be referring future questioners to this thread quite frequently.
HHH, MD
Here is one of HHH's past posts on it that I think explains it all well :
Forum-M.D.-HHH
09/20/2006
Help-Concerned You're right, this has all been addressed several times. However, it's in many places and might be hard to dig out. So I appreciate the opportunity to put it all in one place.
In theory, the body produces immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies first, to a variety of infections, and immunoglobuin G (IgG) antibodies later. Over time, IgM antibodies tend to stop being produced entirely. Therefore, a test for IgM antibody to any particular infection may be positive before a test that detects IgG antibody. And in a person infected a long time previously, IgM antibody is absent but IgG persists.
That's the theory. In general, it holds up pretty well in young children, but sometimes not so well in adults. In adults with new HSV infection, IgM antibody against the virus doesn't actually get produced all that much faster than IgG antibody. And many people with longstanding HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection continue to produce IgM, especially when they have a new symptomatic outbreak. Thus, for HSV, IgM doesn't necessarily mean a new infection; and absence of IgM doesn't necessarily mean a longstanding infection.
On top of that, there are 2 other main problems with IgM testing for HSV. First, false positive tests are common--that is, apparent IgM antibody that simply isn't present at all, despite what the test says. This is NOT generally due to cross reaction with related viruses, i.e. HSV-1, varicella (herpes) zoster, and the like. It has to do mostly with the physical chemistry of the test.
Second, there are no type-specific IgM tests on the market--nary a one. Any true-positive IgM test for HSV is detecting antibody to HSV-1, HSV-2, or both, and can never distinguish between them.
Why do labs continue to offer such a lousy test? Several reasons there too, some reasonable, some not. Some providers still request the test; they were taught the theory, they assume it applies accurate to HSV, and don't understand the limitations of the test. (The pediatricians generally are right; IgM testing for HSV in fact remains useful in diagnosing neonatal herpes in newborns. Their immature immune systems don't crank out IgG so rapidly.) Also, some labs just keep offering the test out of habit, in the belief the providers want the test; while at the same time, the docs just assume that if the lab does the test, it must be worthwhile. (That is, a communication issue.) Also, there is simple profit motive for labs: IgM testing is very cheap but gets good pay-off from insurance companies, so the profit margin is high.
Bottom lines: Sometimes a new HSV infection in an adult indeed will be positive by IgM before IgG. But this is pretty infrequent, and it outweighed by the downsides: high risk of false positive result; and even when truly positive, there is no distinction between HSV-1 and HSV-2, which is pretty important to most patients and providers.
In response to your question, I re-contacted the people I know at Quest Laboratories. As of last month, as a matter of policy, Quest no longer does IgM testing for HSV in adults unless the provider specifically requests it. (Some individual labs might not have gotten the word yet, so some IgM testing might be done for a while.) Quest will continue to to IgM testing routinely for HSV antibody requests in newborn.
And do the bottom line for your particular situation: Totally ignore your recent IgM result with an equivocal outcome. Almost certainly it is meaningless. If you remain concerned, have an IgG test (and only IgG) 3 months after your last possible exposure.
I hope this helps. I have a feeling I will be referring future questioners to this thread quite frequently.
HHH, MD
The IgM test does not distinguish between Herpes 1 and Herpes 2. It just tells you that you were recently exposed to HSV1 or HSV2. HOWEVER, the Doctor on these forums has always emphasized the fact that IgM tests are highly unreliable and can sometimes show false positive results.
The IgG test will show positive (if you were in fact expose to Herpes) after 3 months. You can take an IgG for HSV1 and another IgG for HSV2. I would wait 3 months and take the IgG and see if your results turn positive. In the meantime, as hard as it may be, try not to worry about this so much.
The IgG test will show positive (if you were in fact expose to Herpes) after 3 months. You can take an IgG for HSV1 and another IgG for HSV2. I would wait 3 months and take the IgG and see if your results turn positive. In the meantime, as hard as it may be, try not to worry about this so much.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
