Register to join our community
|
|
Question:
Hello there! My question is this, for example I had an unprotected sex with a girl on August 2001, and i would like to find out if I am infected with HIV. For how long from the last time i had sex that HIV virus will come out after I had an HIV test? 3 to 6 months? Please reply as soon as possible. Thank You.
|
Answer:
by Georgan Gregg: ()
HIV testing for greatest accuracy should be done 3 to 6 months from the time you are concerned. If the only concern you have is August 2001 then being tested in March of 2002 should be accurate. However, if there are more recent times you have potentially been infected, the March test won’t be accurate.
That is because there is a difference between the time of HIV infection & accurate test results, often called the “window period.” The blood test for HIV is not looking for the virus itself, it is looking for your body’s response to HIV which are specific antibodies against this specific virus. Our immune system amazingly can produce specialized cells that seek out each foreign invader & destroy them. The human body varies in how long it takes to produce antibodies to HIV, but studies clearly show that some people develop them within 2 weeks of HIV infection while others can take as long as 6 months. This is why truly accurate results are achieved only if one is tested 6 months after the last possibility of HIV infection.
For instance, if someone tests negative for HIV antibodies we know that they were not infected 6 months ago. However, during those 6 months the person could have become infected with HIV but her/his body simply hasn’t made antibodies yet, therefore the test would still show negative. Please use safe(r) sex to protect yourself & others from all sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
Good luck & let us know if we can be of further help.
Reviewed by: Patricia Fawver Ph.D. in Sexology
|
This question appears in the following topics:
|
|
|
|
