Would I be wrong in concluding I'm HIV negative? They say 95% of people seroconvert after 3 months, according to statistics on the net. However, according to some HIV+ people I have spoken too in chatrooms at http://www.13km.com, it's pretty common for people to test negative after 3 months and suddenly turn positive 3 months later. There was no shortage of vouches that it happened to them.





Apparently, what determines how quickly or slowly you seroconvert (turn hiv negative to hiv positive, for those that don't know) is your immune system. If you have a strong immune system, you're body would produce the anti bodies to fight HIV sooner. So ofcourse, if you have a weak one, it would take longer, you wouldn't test positve until after 3 months. or if it's really weak even later than six months. There's cases of it take longer than a year.



Based on me having a strong immune system ( I know this because I'm rarely sick and the doctor's told my mother when I was born that I would have a strong immune system, partly because she breast fed me for a very long time) I'm concluding that if the antibodies didnt show up after 4 months, it's IMPOSSIBLE that I have hiv.


Do you agree with my reasoning? Am I wrong? any opinions would be appreciated.


Thanks a lot



A

95% of people WILL test + by three months. The CDCs recomended window period is 3 months, for the general population. 6 months for people who were exposed during a needlestick injury, or people with and exposure from a KNOW HIV+ individual. It is not fairly common, but it can happen, but 3 months is conclusive unless you have an extremly weak immune system, had an exposure from someone KNOWN to have HIV, or a needlestick injury in the case if healthworkers. There are only a FEW documented cases of it taking longer than a year, and those were questionable as to their EXACT date of exposure.

Also, keep in mind tests MUST be performed after the LAST possible exposure for it to count. Some people can not pinpoint there EXACT date of possible exposure, and there for test multiple times, and one time it may be negative, if it is still in the window period from their LAST exposure.

Everyone seroconverets diffrently/ But the ONLY people who take 6 months or longer to truly seroconvert are people with SEVERLY depressed immune systems, due to other immune deficincy illnesses, chemotherapy, Hep C and such. 6 months is recommended for needlestick injuries, because co-infection with Hep C can occur, and make it take longer, as the body attacks Hep C first, and because health workers are usually put on to a drug regimen to help fight off the virus before they are infected, making it possibly take longer to show up.

Your immune system may be strong, but your test doenst differ from anyone elses based on that, because it is only a SEVERLY weak system, that will affect the test.

Based on CDC information, guidlines, and Dr. recomendations, a test at 4 months is considered conclusive. Wether or not you choose to believe that, or need another test to give you reassurance, is up to you. Peace of mind is important, but your test is considered conclusive.

Thanks a lot for the info. do you have a CDC source link for this part though?:

"Everyone seroconverets diffrently/ But the ONLY people who take 6 months or longer to truly seroconvert are people with SEVERLY depressed immune systems, due to other immune deficincy illnesses, chemotherapy, Hep C and such. 6 months is recommended for needlestick injuries, because co-infection with Hep C can occur, and make it take longer, as the body attacks Hep C first, and because health workers are usually put on to a drug regimen to help fight off the virus before they are infected, making it possibly take longer to show up".