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hsv igm eqiuvocal - retest 6 weeks later igg negative
Dr. Handsfield,
I'm aware that the IGM test results are pretty useless but I am looking for reassurance and need to know if I should continue testing..I've had 2 different partners in the last 3 months. One was HSV2 negative but HSV1 positive. The other HSV status unkown but was protected intercourse. 6 weeks ago I did a standard STD screening and the HSV IGM was equivocal .92 and the IGG type specific was negative. Now 6 weeks later I retested just the IGG for both HSV 1 / 2 and also did a BIORapid HSV2 test. Both are negative. I have not had any noticable symptoms. I have not had any sexual encounters in the last 6 weeks. Should I test again at 12 weeks or can I put this to rest?
Also can I add that I had the flu shot 2 weeks prior to the first test. Could this screw up the IGM test?
I'm aware that the IGM test results are pretty useless but I am looking for reassurance and need to know if I should continue testing..I've had 2 different partners in the last 3 months. One was HSV2 negative but HSV1 positive. The other HSV status unkown but was protected intercourse. 6 weeks ago I did a standard STD screening and the HSV IGM was equivocal .92 and the IGG type specific was negative. Now 6 weeks later I retested just the IGG for both HSV 1 / 2 and also did a BIORapid HSV2 test. Both are negative. I have not had any noticable symptoms. I have not had any sexual encounters in the last 6 weeks. Should I test again at 12 weeks or can I put this to rest?
Also can I add that I had the flu shot 2 weeks prior to the first test. Could this screw up the IGM test?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for the thanks. You're welcome.
Thankyou for your quick response. Your the BEST!!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the STD forum. You have correctly interpreted the information you have read here. (Dr. Hook and I haven't changed our minds!) But the question is useful, because it provides an opportunity to repeat some important messages for all persons concerned about risks of herpes and other STDs.
"I'm aware that the IGM test results are pretty useless." True. Yours even more so, with such a low-equivocal result. A flu shot should not influence the test result, but of course this has not been studied.
You describe a low risk situation with respect to sexual transmission of HSV. I would judge your chance of catching HSV (of either type) from the exposures you mention as 1 in 10,000, tops. (I base that estimate on the low likelihood the first partner has HSV-2 plus condom-protected sex with the other.) At 6 weeks, one or both your type-specific IgG tests would have been positive 80-90% of the time in people with newly acquired HSV. Thus, the odds you actually have a new HSV infection is in the range of 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000. To put that in context, if you live in the US, the chance you'll die of some accident within the next 12 months is 1 in 1,756 (according to the National Safety Council) -- i.e. at least 28 times higher than the odds you caught herpes.
So do you need to test again at 12 weeks? As far as I'm concerned, no. But then I wouldn't have recommended testing at all (nor would I have done it myself if I were in your situation back in my dating days). If you test again at 12 weeks, with negative results, it would reduce the likelihood you have HSV by half, i.e. to maybe as low as 1 in 200,000. If that number satisfies you more than the current odds, feel free.
A final semi-philosophical comment: As you go through a lifetime of sexual activity, presumably with several (many?) more sex partners, you should not expect to either know every partner's HSV status. Even for those who say they are uninfected, you won't be able to rely on it. Do you imagine you will have every partner tested or be tested for HSV yourself after every new sexual partnership? And what about other STDs, which in general are higher risk and more dangerous than herpes?
You are doing the right things for your sexual safety by a) selecting partners with care (I assume), b) asking them about current and past STD status, and c) using condoms for some (most?) partnerships. Also d) consider the HPV vaccine. Finally, e) get tested periodically for the most important and treatable STDs, i.e. HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis (and maybe HSV, but that's somewhat controversial.) Beyond these steps, there is little to be done, or little that should be done, to prevent STDs.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
"I'm aware that the IGM test results are pretty useless." True. Yours even more so, with such a low-equivocal result. A flu shot should not influence the test result, but of course this has not been studied.
You describe a low risk situation with respect to sexual transmission of HSV. I would judge your chance of catching HSV (of either type) from the exposures you mention as 1 in 10,000, tops. (I base that estimate on the low likelihood the first partner has HSV-2 plus condom-protected sex with the other.) At 6 weeks, one or both your type-specific IgG tests would have been positive 80-90% of the time in people with newly acquired HSV. Thus, the odds you actually have a new HSV infection is in the range of 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000. To put that in context, if you live in the US, the chance you'll die of some accident within the next 12 months is 1 in 1,756 (according to the National Safety Council) -- i.e. at least 28 times higher than the odds you caught herpes.
So do you need to test again at 12 weeks? As far as I'm concerned, no. But then I wouldn't have recommended testing at all (nor would I have done it myself if I were in your situation back in my dating days). If you test again at 12 weeks, with negative results, it would reduce the likelihood you have HSV by half, i.e. to maybe as low as 1 in 200,000. If that number satisfies you more than the current odds, feel free.
A final semi-philosophical comment: As you go through a lifetime of sexual activity, presumably with several (many?) more sex partners, you should not expect to either know every partner's HSV status. Even for those who say they are uninfected, you won't be able to rely on it. Do you imagine you will have every partner tested or be tested for HSV yourself after every new sexual partnership? And what about other STDs, which in general are higher risk and more dangerous than herpes?
You are doing the right things for your sexual safety by a) selecting partners with care (I assume), b) asking them about current and past STD status, and c) using condoms for some (most?) partnerships. Also d) consider the HPV vaccine. Finally, e) get tested periodically for the most important and treatable STDs, i.e. HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis (and maybe HSV, but that's somewhat controversial.) Beyond these steps, there is little to be done, or little that should be done, to prevent STDs.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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.
