Herpes blood test is used to look for the body’s reaction to a herpes infection rather than searching directly for the virus that causes the disease.
Herpes infection can take up to four months to become positive after the time of infection. What our body normally does when we get infected is that, our body’s immune system tries to fight off the infection.
There are various types of antibodies, but the two types that herpes blood tests look for are the IgG and IgM antibodies. Herpes IgM antibodies usually are detectable by herpes blood tests within 7-10 days after initial infection and the levels would peek for approximately two weeks, then eventually declines.
Blood tests take 3-6 months to turn positive after exposure because it takes 3-6 months for your body to normally make IgG antibodies in response to an infection.
But here’s a thought!
If you test positive for herpes IgG but negative on herpes IgM, then your herpes infection is probably not recent, the infection could have been from the past 2 months. Hence, individuals with recent infections are more likely to test positive for both herpes IgG and IgM or herpes IgM alone.
However, if your herpes blood test results do not agree with your known risk factors and sexual history, talk to your doctor about possible issues with testing. Herpes can be transmitted even when their partners have no symptoms yet and are clueless that they are already infected with the disease.
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