I met a girl and got into uprotected sex. She is now my good friend. We have stopped getting into sex for time being.

We went for test immed after unprotected sex , as we did not trust each other. We went for rapid test (20 mins using drop of blood) and our results were -ve. Is this rapid test after 6 week ok?. Is our -ve state after 6 weeks conclusive, or we have to go for further testing?.



Kindly advice.

The rapid test, while quick and easy, has been proven to give false negative resutls. The CDC and most everyone here recommend testing 13 weeks after the last unprotected sex using an ELISA (blood test) which, if it is positive, will be followed (by protocol) of the Western blot.

I agree that CDC recommends 13 weeks time frame, but i read on some other sites that test after 6 weeks is more than 98% accourate. It also says that majority of people develope antibodies by 6 weeks. I know for 100% confirmation 13 weeks is good, but to settle our anxiety (me and my friend), we want to go for early checkup as soon as possible. I heard that HIV Duo can detect 99% by 4 weeks, is it true?. Kindly guide us. currently, we are not looking for 100% guaranted, we just need to settle down our stress and even if it is 98 to 99 % by 6-8 weeks we are happy. We can go for further test at 13th week to confirm 100% sure, but doing test early can give sort of assurance to both of us.

Thanks.

I think the test you are refering to is PCR which detects the virus in about 6 weeks. earlier than antibody test with ELISA. but PCR is more expensive to do. with ELISA test it is still 3 months period. so check with your doctor to find out what test you did.

is HIV Duo 99% perfect after 6 weeks?.
I caN ASK DOC after a week as he is out of town. I just called him up. Can u please guuide us, which test is very close to confirmaTIVE IN 4-6 WEEKS? i can go for that again. we dont want to wait further. We will go for test after 13 weeks after 13 week for confirmation.


Thanks,

dp

PCR detects virus in in 4-6 weeks or later after exposure but it is very sensitive so there could be false-positive readings and this will cause undue anxiety and stress which is why doctor recommend to take this test along with ELISA and western blot for confirmation in 3 months time.

Just wait the full 3 months, after this the tests will be conclusive and definitive.

i understand how hard it is to wait the 3 months, i'm in a similar situation. I got tested at the 4 week mark, the test included the anitbody and p24 antigen test, which is the same as the duo (in my case it was negative). The opinion of people in the medical profession is widely different. Some say that any hiv test is 80% accurate at the 4-6 week mark, and 90% accurate at 8 weeks, and 99.8% at 13 weeks.

The duo test works by searching for the P24 antigen, which is a protein that is present in the blood when hiv virus is in seroconversion. Once seroconversion has taken place, the p24 antigen is no longer detectable, but from that point forward the HIV antibody is present (and detectable). The average time for seroconversion is 25/26 days. So a test at 4 weeks is pretty encouraging, my advice is get tested, put your mind at ease, then to make sure your 99.8% certain, get tested at 3 months, (and thats only for piece of mind in my opinion).

Hope this info help,

Good luck

P.