Polymerase Chain Reaction Test
As with the viral culture, your doctor swabs or scrapes a sample from one of your sores. A lab gets the sample and looks for genes from the herpes virus. PCR test results usually come back to you within 24 hours.
Youre more likely to get this test if you have symptoms but its been longer than 48 hours since they showed up. In this case, you can rely on the results from this test more than the viral culture.
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When To Get Tested For Stds / Stis
In general, everyone under 25 should be tested annually. And everyone over the age of 25 who is at increased risk should also be tested annually.
For individual STIs, there are guidelines for testing each one based on the time of its incubation period. That means it takes a certain amount of time for each infection to show up on a test. You can see a list as follows.
There are also general recommendations for STD testing for those that are sexually active regardless of exposure risk. These come from sources like the CDC, which provides screening recommendations for healthcare providers.
When Is The Test For Hiv False
Likelihood of false-negative results is high if you took the test during the window period. To avoid false-negative results, you should repeat the test after the window period. If the initial testing was during the first 12 weeks after possible exposure, the test should be repeated after an extra 12 weeks for more reliable results.6
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Now Get Tested For Herpes Without The Wait
How Herpes IgM Testing Works
Getting tested for herpes can be stressful, but it doesnt have to be! There is no shame in getting tested. In fact, its a very positive step to take for both yourself and your partner.
For herpes IgM testing, CLIA-certified labs collect a non-invasive blood sample and search for the presence of HSV-1 or HSV-2 antibodies. This type of testing allows for accurate results as early as 10 days after exposure. Then, results are made available to you within 3-5 business days after collection, through our private online portal.
Why Order Herpes IgM Testing
If you suspect youve been exposed to herpes, its likely that you dont want to wait long to get answers or treatment. But, herpes testing normally requires a waiting period of at least 12 days after exposure.
An untreated herpes infection can lead to complications, so treatment should not be postponed. Not only can the virus cause uncomfortable sores but pregnant women can risk passing the virus during birth.2 Contracting herpes has also been connected to a higher risk of HIV.3
For this reason, early detection herpes testing is a great option for those looking to catch the virus sooner rather than later.
When to Get Tested
For herpes IgM testing, we recommend waiting 10 days before getting tested to ensure the most accurate results. If you are pregnant or start to experience common herpes symptoms such as cold sores, body aches or painful urination, you should get tested as soon as possible.
What Is An Incubation Period
The incubation period is the number of days between when youre infected with something and when you might see symptoms. Health care professionals and government officials use this number to decide how long people need to stay away from others during an outbreak. Its different for every condition.
If youve been around someone who has the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, youre at risk, too. That means you need to stay home until you know youre in the clear. Health professionals call this self-quarantine. But when will you know whether you have the disease? The answer depends on the incubation period.
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When Should You Get Tested
The best time to get tested for herpes varies, depending on what’s happening.
If you’re exhibiting symptoms of an initial outbreak which include pain, itching and redness of the affected location fatigue, fever and chills and, ultimately, painful sores or ulcers it’s best to see a healthcare professional about getting tested.
However, if you think you’ve been exposed to the virus and aren’t yet exhibiting symptoms, HSV may take some time before being able to show results on a test. While the exact time frame is unknown and varies from person to person, two weeks is usually enough time to yield accurate test results.
Most people become concerned about being infected with the herpes virus after contact with a potentially infected person. Often, simple things like kissing someone with a visible cold sore or facial acne around the lips can cause concern about HSV-1.
For genital herpes, most people become concerned about potentially being infected after sexual contact with a person that shows symptoms of herpes. This can include oral sex with someone that has cold sores, which can potentially spread to the genitals.
Since herpes is asymptomatic in many people, you could be infected with the virus even if you dont have any symptoms.
What Does Herpes Look Like
Symptomatic herpes can cause skin sores or lesions. These can range from very small bumps or pimples to blisters that leak fluid. Someone with herpes may have just one of these bumps or blisters, or they may have clusters of them.
Crusty or irritated skin, with or without blisters or bumps, is also a symptom of herpes. The initial outbreak is usually the worst .
Areas affected by herpes include :
- On the buttocks
- Around the mouth or lips
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What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor
You may want to ask your healthcare provider:
- What is the best treatment for me?
- What happens if I dont treat a cold sore?
- What are the side effects of antiviral medications?
- How can I reduce the risk of future outbreaks?
- Whats the best way to prevent getting another STI?
- How can I protect my partner from getting genital herpes?
- Should I lookout for signs of complications?
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What Are The Symptoms Of Herpes Ii
Typically, the first signs of herpes II is a cluster of blister-like lesions in the genital area which spread and merge, break and crust over within four to 15 days. The fluid from these itching, painful sores is highly infectious. Other frequent symptoms are painful urination, urethral or vaginal discharge and swollen lymph nodes. The first exposure or primary episode consists of headache, fever, chills and muscular weakness. Recurrent episodes are less severe and are limited to the affected area.
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What Are The Complications Of Genital Herpes
Genital herpes may cause painful genital ulcers that can be severe and persistent in persons with suppressed immune systems, such as HIV-infected persons. 5 Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can also cause rare but serious complications such as aseptic meningitis . 5 Development of extragenital lesions may occur during the course of infection. 5
There are also potential complications for a pregnant woman and her newborn child. See How does herpes infection affect a pregnant woman and her baby? below for information about this.
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.
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Get Tested For Genital Herpes
Testing for genital herpes is easily done by a healthcare provider through swabs, blood testing, and/or visual diagnosis. â
Healthcare providers may even be able to visually diagnose the lesions as herpes, using lab tests to confirm the diagnosis.
The most common testing method in Canada is swabbing the surface of the lesion and sending it to a lab for testing. These swab tests can determine whether HSV-1 or HSV-2 caused the genital herpes infection. This kind of testing is usually not repeated once positive.
Blood tests can also determine if someone has an HSV infection and which type of the virus. However, blood testing is limited because it does not reveal if an infection is active, the infection location on the body, or how and when it was contracted.
Getting regular STI tests is an essential way to prevent infection or reinfection of sexual partners.â
How Common Is Genital Herpes
Genital herpes infection is common in the United States. CDC estimated that there were 572,000 new genital herpes infections in the United States in a single year.1 Nationwide, 11.9 % of persons aged 14 to 49 years have HSV-2 infection .2 However, the prevalence of genital herpes infection is higher than that because an increasing number of genital herpes infections are caused by HSV-1. 3 Oral HSV-1 infection is typically acquired in childhood because the prevalence of oral HSV-1 infection has declined in recent decades, people may have become more susceptible to contracting a genital herpes infection from HSV-1. 4
HSV-2 infection is more common among women than among men the percentages of those infected during 2015-2016 were 15.9% versus 8.2% respectively, among 14 to 49 year olds. 2 This is possibly because genital infection is more easily transmitted from men to women than from women to men during penile-vaginal sex. 5 HSV-2 infection is more common among non-Hispanic blacks than among non-Hispanic whites . 2 A previous analysis found that these disparities, exist even among persons with similar numbers of lifetime sexual partners. Most infected persons may be unaware of their infection in the United States, an estimated 87.4% of 14 to 49 year olds infected with HSV-2 have never received a clinical diagnosis. 6
The age-adjusted percentage of persons in the United States infected with HSV-2 decreased from 18.0% in 19992000 to 12.1% in 2015-2016. 2
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Symptoms Of Genital Herpes
Most people with herpes type 2 do not have symptoms and have no idea they are infected. However, it is still possible to pass genital herpes onto another person even when there are no visible signs of infection.
When symptoms are present, they may include:
- Blisters and sores on the genital, buttock, thigh, or rectal areas
- Flu-like symptoms
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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When To See A Doctor
If you develop sores around your mouth or genitals and you have never had a known herpes simplex outbreak before, see your healthcare provider.
They can perform a physical examination and run other necessary tests to determine the cause.
Some other types of sexually transmitted infections may also cause sores, as well as other types of viruses, and your doctor will want to ensure that you get the right treatment.
In most cases, herpes simplex does not require medical treatment.
Most outbreaks clear on their own in 1-2 weeks.
Prescription or over-the-counter medication may be able to shorten the duration of an outbreak or alleviate pain associated with sores.
When Are Herpes Tests Accurate
In the table below, we summarize information about the timing of herpes testing.
One of the most important factors in any infectious disease testing is doing it at the right time. This means two things in the case of herpes:
- For the blood test to be accurate, the right amount of time needs to have passed
- The swab test should be done while symptoms are âfreshâ
For each available herpes test, we will mention:
- The earliest testing time
- The ideal testing time
| Test type | Ideal time |
|---|---|
| Swab | The swab test may be performed as soon as the first blisters appear .Technique: A doctor scrapes the fresh lesion, collecting skin and fluid. To get accurate test results, this should be done within 48 hours of the appearance of the lesion .Note that technique and timing are important. This test is not commonly done for that reason, |
| Blood test for IgG |
Earliest time |
|
12 weeks after the initial exposure, over 92% of infected people are positive |
Get treated and/or tested for herpes
Same day treatment and testing
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Quick Answers For Clinicians
Virologic and serologic testing methods are available to confirm herpes simplex virus infection. Direct detection of the virus by polymerase chain reaction or viral culture is recommended for neonates and patients who have an active infection with lesions, to test for disseminated bloodborne infection in immunocompromised patients, and for cerebrospinal fluid testing. Serologic testing for immunoglobulin G can be used to determine if a person has ever been exposed to HSV but cannot determine exactly when the exposure occurred or the site of infection. Type-specific serologic testing for HSV-1- and HSV-2-specific glycoproteins can determine the subtype of the virus, which provides useful information about prognosis and informs treatment and counseling.
Genital herpes is most often caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 , but HSV-1-associated cases are increasing. Recurrence and subclinical viral shedding occur more frequently in cases caused by HSV-2 than in cases caused by HSV-1, which may impact treatment and counseling decisions. Therefore, subtyping HSV using polymerase chain reaction or serology testing can guide treatment decisions and patient counseling. Subtyping may also provide epidemiologic information about transmission of the virus.
Type Of Tests Used To Diagnose Herpes
There are four main types of diagnostic tests that can be used to diagnose herpes. Your doctor will determine which type of test to use based on whether an outbreak is present or not.
If youre experiencing what you believe to be a herpes outbreak, your doctor can use a viral culture test or virus antigen detection test. If youre not experiencing symptoms, you can have an antibody test.
- Viral culture test.This test is used to determine if a sore contains the herpes virus. This test can sometimes produce a false-negative, meaning that it may not detect the virus even though its present.
- Virus antigen detection test. This test is used to determine if antigens to the herpes virus are present in a sore or lesion.
- Antibody test. If youre not experiencing an outbreak yet but still believe you may have been exposed, you can opt to have an antibody test performed. This test will only show a positive result if the antibodies to the virus have been developed. Therefore, this test isnt necessarily recommended for recent exposure.
- Polymerase chain reaction test. With this test, a healthcare provider can screen a sample of your blood or tissue from a sore. They can use this to determine if HSV is present and which type you have.
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Herpes Average Incubation Period
Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 cause painful sores and blisters that present in five stages:
- Stage 1:About 1-2 days before the cold sore or blister appears, tingling, itching, burning, or numbing sensation starts where the outbreak will occur.
- Stage 2:One or more painful sores appear, typically around the mouth or the genitals.
- Stage 3:Several days later, the sores burst, which allows the fluid inside to escape. This fluid can easily transmit the virus to othersthis is a highly contagious time.
- Stage 4: A crust forms, covering the sores as they dry out.
- Stage 5:A scab forms over the crust, and eventually flakes off once the sore is fully healed.
From start to finish, a herpes simplex sore outbreak typically lasts 1-2 weeks.