How Do The Doctors Test For Herpes

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You Got A Positive Herpes Test Now What

If you receive a positive herpes test, start by educating yourself about the herpes virus. There are many pervasive herpes myths that you shouldnt believe. The truth is that herpes is treatable and outbreaks can even be minimized or prevented with the right treatment measures.

Genital herpes and cold sores can both be addressed with a variety of household remedies, over-the-counter options, and prescription medications.

Acyclovir, for example, is an antiviral medication that treats infections caused by the herpes simplex virus, including genital herpes. Its best to start taking acyclovir as soon as you notice the first signs of an emerging outbreak. This medication stops the herpes virus from growing and spreading during an outbreak, although it cannot remove the virus from your body completely. Most people experience relief within just a few days of taking acyclovir.

If youre looking for a natural therapy to control herpes outbreaks, the Luminance RED is another option. The Luminance RED handheld devices shine red wavelengths of light over the skin of affected areas. The company has one device designed for oral herpes and one for genital herpes.

Medically-optimized red light is metabolized to accelerate the bodys healing process and strengthen its defenses against future attacks. Studies show that regular use of high-powered light treatment not only shortens the healing time of active outbreaks but can also prevent future outbreaks altogether.

I Tested Positive For Herpes What Should I Do Now

For most people, having herpes does not affect their health or quality of life. To prevent passing on cold sores and genital herpes to others, a person can:

avoid kissing others when the virus is active
use condoms when having sex
avoid skin-to-skin contact during an active outbreak
avoid sharing towels, toothbrushes, and lipstick when they have sores around the mouth
wash their hands well after touching a sore

Having multiple sexual partners can increase the risk of

transmitting STIs such as herpes. People can decrease this risk by openly discussing STI status and prevention with any partners and practicing safe sex.

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Condoms Wont Necessarily Protect You From Hsv

While condoms are extremely important and are the most effective form of STI prevention we have at this time, they wont always stop the spread of herpes. Even the best forms of protection are fallible, to some degree. Now, this doesnt mean its a free-for-all and we should stop using condoms. Dont get it twisted.

According to the CDC: Condoms can reduce your risk of getting genital herpes if used the right way every single time you have sex. But a condom protects only the area of the body that it covers. Areas the condom doesnt cover can become infected.

How Much Does The Test Cost

The cost of testing for genital and oral herpes depends on the type of test that is performed, where the test is conducted, and whether you have medical insurance. Testing is often covered by insurance when ordered by a doctor, although you may still be responsible for costs such as copays and deductibles. Through Testing.com, costs for at-home herpes tests start at $89. With lab testing, expect to pay $99.

Also Check: What Topical Cream Can I Use For Genital Herpes

Testing For Herpes On A Widespread Scale Probably Wouldnt Curb The Spread

Nearly every medical health expert I spoke to agreed that testing for herpes likely wouldnt do much to help curb the spread of the virus. Given the complex nature of the virus , I dont know if testing widely would curb the spread, says Loanzon.

The only accurate test for herpes is a culture of an active sore or ulcer. So, if you dont have active symptoms, you shouldnt get tested. Herpes is spread by skin-to-skin contact. Its highly contagious and simply not that big of a deal. Herpes-positive advocates like Loanzon are doing their best to help give people the information they need to protect themselves, but also to understand how common this virus really is. Practice safe sex, have frank disclosures with your partner before engaging in sexual activity, and see a health care provider for further questions or concerns. If you do receive a positive herpes diagnosis, please know that you are not alone and there are many people who are thriving, love and are loved, and living life with the virus successfully without missing anything in life, she says.

Lets end the stigma. Lets fight for comprehensive sex education for all and stop scaring people with pictures of herpes sores. Stigma is tiredinformation is wired.

How To Get Tested

Tests for genital and oral herpes are available at doctors offices, medical clinics, and community-based organizations that offer STD testing. Testing is often ordered by a doctor but may be available over the counter and at community-based organizations without a physicians orders.

You can order a herpes test from Testing.com with testing from a local lab. Or you can test for herpes as part of a complete STD panel.

Also Check: What Do You Do If You Have Herpes

When Should You Consider Getting Tested

Herpes is a sneaky, deceitful virus. It hides deep inside your nerve cells for unpredictable periods of time before triggering visible symptoms. In many cases, it infects the body and spreads to others without any obvious signs at all. As many as 90 percent of people infected with herpes are unaware they have the virus because theyve never experienced an outbreak.

People who dont have symptoms are more likely to transmit the herpes virus through a phenomenon known as asymptomatic shedding. This occurs when the virus sheds from the skin and spreads to others, even when no sores are present. Asymptomatic shedding is undetectable as there are no signs or symptoms, but it’s real.

According to research, at least 70% of infected people experience asymptomatic shedding of HSV-1 at least once a month. Many may even shed the herpes virus without symptoms more than six times per month.

Given that the herpes virus doesnt always trigger outbreaks and symptoms, testing is an important way to monitor your health. The CDC recommends testing if you are experiencing symptoms that could be related to herpes or if you recently had sex with a new partner who has genital herpes.

Remember, its possible that early herpes symptoms may not seem related to herpes. An initial herpes outbreak causes flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, fever and chills. These symptoms may be paired with pain, itching and redness around the affected area.

When Do You Need An Hsv Test

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The HSV tests are essential to find out the sores origin. Some other infections also cause cold sores around the mouth. However, it also helps to know about the infection in pregnant women rather than whether the newborn also gets the HSV infection.

CDC does not allow everyone to get the HSV tests. It is only for people with visible signs of HSV, like blisters and cold sores around the mouth and genital area. Moreover, if your partner has a herpes infection, you must get your HSV test. Check out for more information.

The HSV risk increases day by day in society due to certain factors. First, it is a sexually transmitted disease, and chances increases in peoples whose partner already have herpes positive diagnosis. Moreover, in some rare cases, HSV can also cause meningitis, a life-threatening infection of the spinal cord and brain. So if you have symptoms of a brain or spinal cord disorder like a stiff neck, severe headache, confusion, fever, and light sensitivity, you must get your herpes test immediately.

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Types Of Tests For Herpes

If you want to know for sure whether you are having a herpes outbreak, or you have no symptoms but you worry that you have been exposed to either oral or genital herpes, there are several testing options.

Herpes testing is not always included in routine STD screenings.

If you are concerned that you have herpes or that you may have had it in the past, ask your healthcare provider if testing is recommended for you.

Pcr Is The Most Useful Test

Laboratory testing may be useful in cases with less typical clinical presentations, such as in people with suppressed immune systems who may have disseminated herpes zoster . Polymerase chain reaction is the most useful test for confirming cases of suspected zoster sine herpete .

PCR can be used to detect VZV DNA rapidly and sensitively, and is now widely available. The ideal samples are swabs of unroofed vesicular lesions and scabs from crusted lesions you may also detect viral DNA in saliva during acute disease, but salvia samples are less reliable for herpes zoster than they are for varicella. Biopsy samples are also useful test samples in cases of disseminated disease. It is also possible to use PCR to distinguish between wild-type and vaccine strains of VZV.

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How Do The Tests Work

HSV tests detect IgG and immunoglobulin M antibodies. IgG antibodies are present soon after infection with HSV and remain in the blood for life. A test result showing IGg antibodies will tell a person that they have experienced an infection in the past and that they have antibodies against the virus.

IgM antibodies appear before IgG antibodies but may disappear when the infection is inactive. Testing for IgM antibodies is not a useful way to distinguish between primary and recurrent episodes of HSV infection. Therefore, doctors do not recommend IgM testing.

A positive herpes antibody test cannot tell people where they have HSV infection or when they contracted the infection. It cannot tell if a person was capable of passing on the infection at the time of the test, nor can it tell if specific symptoms are due to herpes.

Once a sample comes back from laboratory analysis, a person will receive one of the following results:

How Can Herpes Be Tested/checked

Better2Know has three ways of testing for the Herpes virus:

Blood Test if you have no symptoms
Urine Test if you currently have symptoms
Swab Test if you have a blister or other lesion for swabbing to see if it is caused by HSV.

At Better2Know, you can choose your test method: urine or a swab if you have symptoms, and blood if you do not. Results are available within 25 working days from us receiving your sample depending on which sample is taken. The test will tell you whether you have HSV-1, HSV-2, both types or neither.

At selected private sexual health clinics, Better2Know also provides instant Herpes testing. With this exclusive, popular Herpes testing option, you will receive your results from 10 minutes after sample collection.

You can also get a Home Sample Collection Kit by visiting our Home STI Tests page.

Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Herpes Inside Mouth

Also Check: How Long Can Herpes Outbreak Last

Testing With No Symptoms

Blood tests can be used when a person has no visible symptoms but has concerns about having herpes. Blood tests do not actually detect the virus instead, they look for antibodies in the blood.

IgM vs. IgG

When an individual contracts herpes, the immune system responds by developing antibodies to fight the virus: IgG and IgM. Blood tests can look for and detect these antibodiesnot the virus itself. IgG appears soon after infection and stays in the blood for life. IgM is actually the first antibody that appears after infection, but it may disappear thereafter.

IgM tests are not recommended because of three serious problems:

The accurate herpes blood tests detect IgG antibodies. Unlike IgM, IgG antibodies can be accurately broken down to either HSV-1 or HSV-2. The challenge here is that the time it takes for IgG antibodies to reach detectable levels can vary from person to person. For one person, it could take just a few weeks, while it could take a few months for another. So even with the accurate tests, a person could receive a false negative if the test is taken too soon after contracting the virus.

For the most accurate test result, it is recommended to wait 12 16 weeks from the last possible date of exposure before getting an accurate, type-specific blood test in order to allow enough time for antibodies to reach detectable levels.

What Is The Process Of Testing For Herpes

If you have a blister or sore, your local healthcare provider will test for herpes by taking a swab of fluid from the sore. Your doctor will send this sample to a laboratory for a viral culture to determine whether you have herpes. Its best to get the sore tested within 48 hours of its appearance.

If you dont have sores, your doctor can take a blood sample to test for herpes. This test looks for herpes simplex virus antibodies which let your healthcare provider know that you have had a past herpes infection.

Nurx offers prescription cold sore and genital herpes treatment for as little as $0 with insurance or $15 per month without insurance.

Another way to test for herpes is with a polymerase chain reaction test. This test uses PCR to make a copy of your DNA using blood, spinal tissue, a tissue sample from a suspected herpes sore. This test can then examine your DNA for the presence of HSV and identify which type of HSV is present.

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The Blood Tests Do Have A Lot Of Value But Here Are The Biggest Issues:

About 50% of the population has type 1 herpes. Type 1 can be genital or oral. If you have never had symptoms and obtain an IgG based type-specific blood test , and the test comes back positive for type 1, we have no way of knowing whether you are infected orally, genitally, or both. The only way we can know which location is infected is by symptoms.

About 30% of negative results for HSV 1 are false negatives. This means if you test negative, you might still have HSV 1.

If you are positive for type 2 and fall within a positive range of 1.1 3.5, theres a decent chance this is a false positive. About 50% of positives that fall in this range are in error, with the closer you get to 3.5 the more likely you are positive and the closer to 1.1 the less likely you are positive. There can be false positives above 3.5 as well but theyre less likely. If you do test positive within this low range, the CDC recommends confirmatory testing. The most accurate confirmatory blood test is the Western Blot. The Western Blot is more complicated to obtain and your insurance may not cover it. In addition, many doctors do not know about the high false positive rate within this range so they incorrectly diagnose their patients without getting confirmation. I have worked with a number of patients diagnosed within this range who I encouraged to follow up with the Western Blot and they discovered they were negative.

Blood tests given too early after possible exposure can be false negative.

What Happens During An Hsv Test

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HSV testing is usually done as a swab test, blood test, or lumbar puncture. The type of test you get will depend on your symptoms and health history.

For a swab test, a health care provider will use a swab to collect fluid and cells from a herpes sore.
For a blood test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.
A lumbar puncture, also called a spinal tap, is only done if your provider thinks you may have an infection of the brain or spinal cord. During a spinal tap:
You will lie on your side or sit on an exam table.
A health care provider will clean your back and inject an anesthetic into your skin, so you won’t feel pain during the procedure. Your provider may put a numbing cream on your back before this injection.
Once the area on your back is completely numb, your provider will insert a thin, hollow needle between two vertebrae in your lower spine. Vertebrae are the small backbones that make up your spine.
Your provider will withdraw a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid for testing. This will take about five minutes.
Your provider may ask you to lie on your back for an hour or two after the procedure. This may prevent you from getting a headache afterward.

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