Test To See If You Have Herpes

Blood Tests For Herpes

There are two sorts of blood tests for herpes

Sort Particular Herpes Blood Tests Sort particular herpes blood tests search for not just whether you have antibodies against a herpes infection, yet additionally for whether the antibodies are against HSV-1 or HSV-2. Sort particular testing wont reveal to you where your herpes contamination is situated in your body.

General Herpes Blood Tests General herpes blood tests search just for whether you have antibodies against herpes, and they dont indicate whether you have antibodies to HSV-1 or HSV-2.

There are a few distinct brands of blood tests that are utilized to identify viral proteins, and there are upsides and downsides of each. It is hard to know to what extent it takes for blood tests to wind up positive after contamination with HSV-1. The middle time from the beginning of side effects to a positive HSV-2 blood test is as per the following

• HerpeSelect ELISA: 3 to about a month
• Western Blotch: 3 to a half year
• Kalon ELISA: 120 days
• Center ELISA: 21 days

So, fortunately, the answer to the question can blood test detect herpes? Is yes. Visit your nearest doctor in case you have any sort of irritation related to your secret body parts now!! Get a blood test done and, and know your desired treatment.

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Is There Anything Else I Should Know

Herpes can make people more susceptible to HIV infection. The skin lesions give other sexually transmitted diseases , including HIV, openings for entering the body. Likewise, it can make HIV-infected individuals more infectious. Infection with HSV can also increase HIV viral load. HSV-2 infection is a significant opportunistic infection in HIV-infected individuals due to immune system deficiencies up to 90% of HIV-infected individuals are co-infected with HSV-2.

How To Test For Herpes: Diagnosis And Testing

Herpes simplex is a virus that may or may not be sexually transmitted.

There are 2 types which can cause painful blisters and ulcers.

Most often, HSV-1 causes oral herpes , and most often, HSV-2 causes genital lesions.

These can be interchangeable though, and sometimes genital lesions may be caused by HSV-1 or oral lesions can be caused by HSV-2.

Herpes simplex affects an estimated 3.7 billion people across the world, including nearly half of all adults under age 50 in the United States.

Understanding the signs and symptoms of herpes can help you get proper medical care and manage outbreaks.

This article covers the differences between HSV-1 and HSV-2, as well as testing, treatment, precautions, prevention, and how to know when you need to see a doctor.

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How Is Genital Herpes Spread

• Saliva from a partner with an oral herpes infection
• Genital fluids from a partner with a genital herpes infection
• Skin in the oral area of a partner with oral herpes or
• Skin in the genital area of a partner with genital herpes.

You also can get genital herpes from a sex partner who does not have a visible sore or is unaware of their infection. It is also possible to get genital herpes if you receive oral sex from a partner with oral herpes.

You will not get herpes from toilet seats, bedding, or swimming pools. You also will not get it from touching objects, such as silverware, soap, or towels.

If you have more questions about herpes, consider discussing your concerns with a healthcare provider.

Herpes Is Rarely Serious

Herpes is an extremely common and widely feared infection, but in most cases it’s not very serious. “Most genital herpes infections are asymptomatic and the fear of herpes is more psychological than it is physical,” H. Hunter Handsfield, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle and a nationally recognized STD expert, tells Health. “It’s basically just a skin disease.”

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Are Test Results Accurate

Tests that identify evidence of HSV infections are routine and commonly used medical tests. The ability of a test to accurately diagnose or rule out HSV infection depends on the test used for analysis and the stage of a patients infection.

The Tzanck smear and viral culture are less able to accurately identify patients who have an HSV infection than other tests. PCR testing and antibody testing are more sensitive, which means that they miss fewer cases of infection.

Blood tests that detect antibodies to HSV can distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2 but not the site of infection. This means that blood tests cannot tell whether a patient has a genital or oral herpes infection.

Although these tests are valuable for identifying HSV infection, no test is perfect. When learning of test results, patients should talk to their doctor about the type of test conducted, the reliability of test results, and if additional tests are necessary to confirm or rule out a diagnosis.

Why The Test Is Performed

The test is done to find out whether a person has ever been infected with oral or genital herpes. It looks for antibodies to herpes simplex virus 1 and herpes simplex virus 2 . An antibody is a substance made by the body’s immune system when it detects harmful substances such as the herpes virus. This test does not detect the virus itself.

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Doctors Don’t Advise Getting A Blood Test For Herpes Without Any Symptoms

Hilda Hutcherson, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, is one of those doctors. “I usually dont do tests for herpes someone has a lesion or a sore, something I can see, I will do a swab and take it to a culture or check the DNA on the materials I removed,” she says. “If theres nothing there and I do a blood test and the blood test comes back positive, lets say its positive for type 1, what does that really mean? Most people are positive for type 1.” She adds that someone could be HSV-1-positive and either have or not have genital herpes. The result “doesnt mean much, and it makes people go crazy.”

Hutcherson’s motto is pretty simple: Why stress yourself over something if you haven’t seen anything especially when it’s something as common as herpes? “Let’s say they have a blood test come in positive but theyve never had a lesion. Now what? You may never get a lesion,” she says. It’s for this reason that she recommends people do not get tested for herpes unless they have a visible lesion that can be cultured and sent to a lab. Let’s say you get tested anyway and it comes back positive, despite the fact that you have no symptoms. What do you do?

What Happens If I Dont Receive Treatment

Genital herpes can cause painful genital sores and can be severe in people with suppressed immune systems.

If you touch your sores or fluids from the sores, you may transfer herpes to another body part like your eyes. Do not touch the sores or fluids to avoid spreading herpes to another part of your body. If you do touch the sores or fluids, quickly wash your hands thoroughly to help avoid spreading the infection.

If you are pregnant, there can be problems for you and your unborn fetus, or newborn baby. See Im pregnant. How could genital herpes affect my baby? for information about this.

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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.

Best Affordable Herpes Test: Healthlabs

HealthLabs offers laboratory-based herpes tests. These may be the best option for people who do not have health insurance and those working with small budgets.

After placing an order, the person receives a laboratory requisition form, which they need to print out and present at a laboratory. The company claims it has 4,500 laboratory locations, and individuals should receive their test results within 23 business days.

HealthLabs has three herpes tests available for purchase:

• a test for HSV-1, which costs $45
• a test for HSV-2, which costs $45
• a test for HSV-1 and HSV-2, which costs $79

People may also order at-home tests for other STIs, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV.

To order either herpes test, a person must access the company website and enter their ZIP code to find their nearest testing center.

The company claims it has over 4,000 private test centers across the United States.

After ordering the herpes test, a person can walk into their local center to receive the testing. An appointment is not necessary.

The test procedure involves a simple blood test and urine sample, which typically takes a matter of minutes. A person can expect to receive their online test results within 13 days.

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When Is It Ordered

HSV PCR testing or herpes culture may be ordered when you have signs and symptoms of a herpes infection, such as a blister or blisters on or around your eye, mouth, genitals or rectum.

Herpes PCR testing may be ordered when you have signs and symptoms of encephalitis that a healthcare practitioner suspects may be caused by a virus. Examples of these signs and symptoms include:

Prenatal and newborn testing

• A pregnant woman who has been diagnosed with herpes may be monitored regularly prior to delivery to detect a reactivation of her infection.
• A baby born to a mother who has active lesions during delivery may be tested before symptoms appear to assess whether the baby was exposed to HSV during delivery.
• A mother and newborn may be tested for HSV soon after delivery when a baby shows signs of HSV infection, such as meningitis or skin lesions that could be caused by the herpes virus.

HSV antibody testing may be done when your healthcare practitioner wants to determine if you have been exposed to HSV in the past.

What Should I Do If My Test Results Are Positive

Many at-home services have independent physicians or nurses reach out to people with positive test results. Theyll discuss your results with you and suggest a plan of action, possibly including medication.

If your results are positive, its important to let any recent sexual partners know so they can also get tested.

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Can Herpes Simplex Virus Cause Serious Infections

Yes. The most serious, or life-threatening, HSV infections can occur in newborns who are infected during birth and in individuals with weakened immune systems , such as organ transplant recipients and people with HIV/AIDS. Neonatal herpes is a serious condition, but also very rare. While 25-30% of pregnant women have genital herpes, less than 0.1% of babies born in the U.S. each year get neonatal herpes. This means that most women with genital herpes give birth to healthy babies.

HSV lesions tend to be more extensive and persist longer in newborns and immunocompromised people than in individuals who have healthy immune systems.

Genital Herpes Is Common Shouldnt Cdc Recommend Testing For Everyone

CDC recommends herpes testing for people who have genital symptoms to confirm if they have it. Testing allows a healthcare provider to talk with patients about what to expect in the future. This includes talking about medications that help with symptoms. Providers can also tell patients how to lower the risk of transmitting herpes to sex partner.

CDC does not recommend herpes testing for people without symptoms in most situations. This is because of the limits of a herpes blood test and the possibility of a wrong test result. The chances of wrong test results are higher for people who are at low risk of infection.

Blood tests might be useful if:

• You have genital symptoms that could be related to herpes, or
• You have a sex partner with genital herpes, or
• Your provider found signs of herpes, but you still need a test to confirm it.

If you are sexually active, talk openly and honestly with your healthcare provider about what tests are right for you. These tips can help.

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Are There Any Risks To The Test

There is no known risk to having a swab test.

There is very little risk to having a blood test. You may have slight pain or bruising at the spot where the needle was put in, but most symptoms go away quickly.

If you had a lumbar puncture, you may have pain or tenderness in your back where the needle was inserted. You may also get a headache after the procedure.

When Should I Talk With A Doctor

If you have a primary care doctor who you regularly visit, you can share your results with them to provide better insight into your next steps.

If you dont have a primary care doctor, you can consult with a physician or nurse from the testing site about treatment options.

If youve been treating your symptoms with medication and are still in pain or discomfort, reach out to a healthcare professional.

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The Accuracy Of Various Herpes Tests

This table summarizes the overall accuracy of different herpes tests. Please especially pay attention to the most common test, the IgG testâand most importantly to its false positive and false negative rates.

The table has three columns:

• Test accuracy: how accurate is the test in detecting the herpes virus
• False positive: the test detects the presence of herpes, but the person doesnât actually have it
• False negative: the test doesnât detect the presence of herpes, but the person does have it

Please note: the numbers in the table are averages and may vary from case to case based on factors such as when the test is performed , the testing technique, and the herpes viral load.

* The Washington University test is considered the âgold standardâ blood test. The false-negative and false-positive rates for the commercially available IgG test are based on a comparison to the Western blot results of the Washington University test.

If You Get A Positive Result Don’t Panic It Really Doesn’t Mean Much

All of this is to say that unless you have symptoms consistent with the herpes virus, why put yourself through the emotional turmoil of getting a blood test that may or may not give you legit results? As Hutcherson notes, if you do get a blood test and it comes back positive but you’re asymptomatic, what does that mean for you if you have nothing to treat? For many, due to the high rate of stigma still surrounding herpes, it can mean feelings of self-contempt, humiliation, and distress, all of which could be avoided if you aren’t experiencing any symptoms.

To recap, while there are some tests for herpes that can prove correct, none are 100 percent perfect, and blood tests are particularly problematic since they can produce false positives and negatives. We also know that the majority of the population has some form of herpes, so IMO it’s a mystery as to why we’re still making a big deal out of it. No one likes blisters or sores, but neither does anyone love having acne, a widespread condition without the same level of attached shame.

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How Common Herpes Really Is

Enough people have herpes to make it a totally commonplace infection, even though we may not treat it as one.

Nearly 48 percent of people aged 14 to 49 in the United States were estimated to have HSV-1 between 2015 and 2016, according to the most recent data from the CDC. This high prevalence makes sense because many people actually get the virus from nonsexual contact as children, the CDC explains. This can happen when a parent greets a child with a kiss on the mouth or while a kid is playing with other little ones, since children arent exactly known for their respect of personal space. Remember: HSV-1 often presents as cold sores, but its possible that some people with HSV-1 actually have genital herpes.

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So, about genital herpes. You may have heard that one in six people has this infection. Thats a little bit of an outdated figure, Christine Johnston, M.D., an associate professor and herpes researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine, tells SELF. That number is related to national survey data released by the CDC in 2010 and based on the years 2005 through 2008. This nationally representative research, published in the CDCs 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey , tested peoples blood samples for antibodies of HSV-1 and HSV-2, estimating that 16.2 percent of Americans aged 14 to 49 had HSV-2 between the years 2005 and 2008. Thats around one in six.