Test? - HIV Prevention Message Board

help6363 · 07-24-2003, 12:25 PM

Recently I became involved in a r/ship and we both tested NEGATIVE to HIV. My concern is that I have not had sex for 4 years but I slept with a lot of people unprotected. Could my test result be wrong?

maybe helpful · 07-24-2003, 01:03 PM

No. If you have had no sexual partners in the last four years, and the one guy you are with now has also tested negative, and he is AT LEAST 3-6 months from his last sexual encounter then your in the clear. There are only two reasons HIV tests show negative when in fact a person is positive. If it is within the three month window period from there last encounter, or they are in LATE LATE stages of AIDS.

------------------
Good Luck and Be Safe

help6363 · 07-24-2003, 01:09 PM

Thank you so much for your reply and for not calling me dumb/ stupid (I know I am!) Have a great day and thank you for the response - you are GREAT!

help6363 · 07-24-2003, 01:23 PM

Sorry... just another question - people have been telling me that false negatives occur a lot - is this true?

maybe helpful · 07-24-2003, 01:46 PM

Only for the reasons I mentioned. If someone is tested before the 3-6 month window perios is over, they could really be positive, but the test would show negative. There has to be enough time to pass so that a persons immune system responds to the HIV by producing antibodies to it. The HIV tests look for the antibodies. It can take up the 3 months for a person to produce enough antibodies to show up. MOST people produce enough by 6 weeks after exposure. So, if someone tests to soon, and gets a negative result, and then test later, and there practices havent changeed between the two test, they may think the first was a false result.

There CAN be false positives, but they have multiple test that can be done after a positive to get a better reading. I have yet to hear of a REAL false negative result.

Oh, and it WASNT a dumb question!! Good Luck!