Why disregard IGM???? Dr says different!
Posted , 2 users are following.
Ok so I was positive for IGM only when I got tested at one month point of having unprotected sex and three months point. Negative IGG, still no symptoms nor any outbreaks. I know everyone says if only IGM positive to ignore it but I went to a new OBGYN because I'm at 5 month point and going to get retested incase it's changed. My question is if it comes back only IGM positive what do you do? Will it eventually form into IGG because my dr said it may not but I still have to tell future partners I'm IGM positive but haven't had outbreaks before. She said it's the responsible thing to do and that I still have it in me. So why is everyone saying to disregard IGM results for?
0 likes, 17 replies
FelizCastus jeskica166
Posted
It's unreliable and inaccurate, not type-specific, does not necessarily indicate a new herpes infection, and even the CDC says not to use it for herpes, so you might want to point that out to your doctors...
FelizCastus jeskica166
Posted
One test you would not feel confident about, however, is an IgM test. This test looks for IgM antibody, the first antibody that appears after infection. While used to test for other viral infections, IgM testing for herpes has very limited utility. The rate of high positive IgM tests has been a concern. Lacking a good way to definitely identify an uninfected person, it is hard to determine the exact accuracy of these tests. As Dr. Morrow states, “I don’t recommend that people use them. They just aren’t accurate enough. There are a lot of reasons why…Nobody has really been able to make an excellent type-specific IgM test.”
So why are they ordered? Dr. Morrow explains: “Most often, physicians are used to ordering an IgM and an IgG together when diagnosing other infections. We know that IgM comes up early followed by IgG, and then in most viral infections, IgM wanes. So if a person is positive for IgM it means that they recently acquired that infection. But with herpes, IgM keeps re-appearing. About a third of people with recurrent HSV-2 outbreaks have IgG and also IgM.” The presence of IgM is not a good marker of recent infection in HSV infections.
jeskica166 FelizCastus
Posted
Ok so if it never disappears does that mean I have it? Also if I'm IGM positive Only still after five months and this being the fourth test done am I supposed to tell people I have herpes? She said I can still have a outbreak with IGM.... will it turn eventually into IGG?
FelizCastus jeskica166
Posted
Just ignore everything to do with IgM, even if your misguided doctor still insists on it despite the recommendations of the CDC, and even if it's still positive. Only care about your IgG results, which are reliable after 3+ months from exposure. IgM has many false positives and tells you nothing. I can't make it any clearer than that. Your doctor is talking nonsense and should read up on herpes testing.
jeskica166 FelizCastus
Posted
Ok I was still only
Positive for that at three months now at 5 and retested today because I'm nervous. What are the chances of it turning to IGG eventually?
jeskica166 FelizCastus
Posted
And if it can't indicate if it's new or not wouldn't that mean I have it still and they just don't know how long I've had it for?
jeskica166 FelizCastus
Posted
FelizCastus jeskica166
Posted
At this point, zero. You don't have it. Your IgG was already negative at 3 months, and it will be negative again at 5 months, I'm sure, unless you were infected in the interim. Incidentally, IgM does not "turn into" IgG. Your body just makes different antibody types at different stages of infection. IgG typically forms later (by 3 months for herpes in most people) and remains present for life.
FelizCastus
Posted
I think you are still thinking and worrying about the IgM. Please stop, for your own good. Based on what you've said, there is no reason to think you have herpes or for anything to be recurring...
jeskica166 FelizCastus
Posted
FelizCastus jeskica166
Posted
No problem. Herpes testing is confusing, I agree, but it's made much easier if you remember IgG, not IgM!
jeskica166 FelizCastus
Posted
Well even more confusing when licensed professionals are saying that IGM will eventually turn into IGG and some cases break out on just IGM 😩
FelizCastus jeskica166
Posted
Many doctors are not up to speed about herpes, unfortunately. That is evidenced by how many still order IgM and other sub-par tests, or who don't test at all (just a visual diagnosis!). Some of the advice doctors have given to others on here about transmission et al. is also outdated and since proven false. Rather alarming, imo! For reliable advice, check out the websites of reputable medical bodies like the CDC and ASHA, etc.
jeskica166 FelizCastus
Posted
Ok I will. Thank you. What state and or country are you in? It's ok if you don't want to say Jw where you may have learned all this
FelizCastus jeskica166
Posted
Haha, I prefer not to say. Suffice it to say, I learnt everything online, but only from reputable sources, research studies and HSV expert (not GP) Q&A forums, etc. I read *a lot* when first diagnosed, multiple fact sheets and articles, Googled like crazy, and compared notes across sources, the works. Guess I'm a bit of a science geek, too, so a lot of it was easy to understand and absorb, and you quickly learn which sources are dodgy and unreliable.
jeskica166 FelizCastus
Posted
lol don't they say not to believe everything we read online haha 😂 Ugh #life
FelizCastus jeskica166
Posted
Ah, it all depends on what you read online.