A few years ago, I had what looked like a painful pimple on the left side of my perianal area. Had it examined by a doctor at my university clinic, she took a swab of it and then drained it. Said it could be either an ingrown hair or possible HSV1 from oral sex. At the time I had protected intercourse, but unprotected oral sex. She then drained it, and it was fine after that, just a little tingling. She ordered a test for e-coli on that legion, turned out positive for e-colli, but she never ordered a swab test for Herpes. I asked her about this, she said those tests weren't very accurate.
For months afterwards I got tested at a private lab - Herpesselect, IGG, each test showed negative for both type I and II of HSV. Final test was at 12 weeks, negative. I stopped there.
Ever since then I've been tested at least once after each of my relationships ended. Both IGG tests results were negative, i.e. <.90 or <.91 for both types.
My most recent test results came back today, negative. This test was a result of a scare I had four months ago of severe vaginal itching, mostly on my right side. The itching came back recently this week, the same area, so I tested yesterday, results for both types, negative <0.91.
In summary, I've spent hundreds of dollars on numerous Herpes tests, without ever having blisters or obvious symptoms, because of this initial doctor's misdiagnosis based on the IGM test and my own severe anxiety problems.
Thank you to the experts on this forum for educating me about Herpes and the unreliability of the IGM test, otherwise I would have been convinced for months that I had Herpes when I didn't.
I may never be able to resist the urge to keep getting tested and retested for STDs at every unexplained itching, I'm working on it though. I know it's psychological.