Hi, I recently had a very low risk exposure. I received oral sex from an escort as well as mutual masturbation and frottage. I didn't feel the need to test. Yet I still was worried I might have had some penetration (i think it was my mind playing tricks on me because this idea came to my head as time went on). I decided to get tested at 7 weeks. Would a negative UniGold Recombigen be conclusive at 7 weeks considering it was so low risk? My fear is that it was a false negative. (Maybe it was too soon or the lab guy messed up). Help me please :(
Hi there,
Thank you for using AIDS Vancouver Helpline Online. It's good to hear you went and got tested because it's the only way to know your status. Receiving oral sex is actually a negligible risk which means that there is a potential for HIV transmission because they do involve the exchange of body fluids however, there has never been a confirmed report of transmission this way. The main reason for this is that saliva is not a bodily fluid that can pass HIV from person to person and so if you came into contact with your partner's saliva only, then there would essentially be no risk to you.
As far as testing goes, testing negative at 7 weeks is a good indication of your status but for it to definite and conclusive you will need to re-test at 3 months. However, it is unlikely that your status should change as long as there aren't any new/more recent exposures.
False negatives are very rare, in fact is more common to receive a false positive result. I wouldn't worry because you have been tested and it's unlikely that there was a lab mix-up but just get re-tested at 3 months to confirm the results.
If you have any more questions feel free to email or comment on this post.
Have a good day,
Kamani
AIDS Vancouver Helpline Volunteer
e: helpline@aidsvancouver.org
p: (Mon-Fri 9-4pm): (604) 696-4666
w: www.aidsvancouver.org/helpline
Comments
I read online that 6-8 weeks
I read online that 6-8 weeks is a almost certain (97%). Dr. Hook and Dr. HHH on Medhelp state that these results don't change because its a myth for serocoversion at 7 weeks. They say 7-8 weeks give you a solid indication. Would you agree?
I still have headaches and nausea so I'm still scared.
Hi there,
Hi there,
Yes, I would agree, test results at 7-8 weeks do give you a solid indication of your status.
That said, here is the follow up information to your question:
While many places will tell you different things, and I am sure it all seems confusing, here are some facts (that are supported by the World Health Organization, US Center for Disease Control, British Association for Sexual Health and HIV and Canadian Public Health Authority guidelines):
In your situation, partner with a health care provider and share with them about the headaches and nausea. It could be something other than HIV.
Hopefully this answers your questions
cheers
Jaz
Volunteer Helpline AIDS Vancouver
604 696 4666 Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm
Thanks for the reply. I also
Thanks for the reply. I also read that its rare to get a false negative especially with rapid tests that draw blood because they look for antibodies. Would you agree?
Hi again,
False negative results are extremely rare regardless of the testing method due to the nature of viral infections and the body’s immune response them, and also how the tests themselves are designed. Once antibodies have been produced by the body, they will not just disappear, and are a highly specific and sensitive indicator of infection. While I cannot comment on the relative incidence of false positives between different testing modalities, false positives are extremely rare. If you have tested at/after the window period for HIV (12 weeks), you can trust your results. There will be no need to re-test in regards to an experience/exposure that happened more than 12 weeks ago.
I hope this helped to answer your question and please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any further questions.
Cheers,
Jonathan
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