Canada
A 25-year-old female asked:
Is a hsv igm & igg blood test helpful after g herpes exposure 6+months ago? no genital outbreak, other symptoms, but have had mouth cold sores before.
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

Dr. Hunter Handsfieldanswered
Infectious Disease 55 years experience
Probably yes: The HSV IgG tests are excellent, and a negative result for HSV2 6+ months after exposure shows you were not infected. The HSV1 result should have been positive if your diagnosis of past cold sores is correct, but once in a while the test misses HSV1 (but rarely HSV2). The IgM result doesn't help one way or the other -- it's inherently unreliable anyway, never done by herpes or STD experts.
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1.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Jan 8, 2019
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