POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: dg36 on January 22, 2013, 07:41:26 am
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Hi,
I'll try not to babble very much. I'm a gay man and have been in a steady relationship with another man for 3 months.
About a month and a half in the relationship we started having unprotected sex (i know, stupid, i realize it now). I have always been the insertive part (don't know if that matters)
this past week we decided to get tested for HIV together as we realized our behavour was stupid. Mine came back negative. His came back inconclusive. I am freaking out.
The clinic ordered a WB for him and it'll be ready in 3 weeks time. The doctor and I asked at different times my partner what kind of riksy sexual behaviour he had and he performed unprotected orl sex to an HIV+ person (he didn't know at the time obviously) at around mid october and unprotected sex with a guy in August (this guy seemed to have his HIV papers in order and showed them to him).
I'm freaking out at this is the first guy i ever slept with, i had so much trouble coming out of the closet (i'm 28).
I guess what i'm trying is to ask is do i have to worry, do i have to retest every month, etc. I know about the window period and i'm guessing if he contracted it from that fellatio guy or before that it should be positive by now? it's been 3+ months after he's had contact with anyone but me.
Thank you.
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dg,
The insertive partner is always at a lower risk - but that doesn't mean unprotected insertive anal intercourse is risk-free. It isn't.
You need to take a deep breath and slow down. An inconclusive test result is not a positive test result. It could be a lab or kit error. You're just going to have to sit tight and wait for the results of his further testing.
If he does turn out to be truly positive (and if he does, it's a new infection that happened sometime in the past four weeks or so), you will need to test out to three months past your last incident of unprotected intercourse with him.
The earliest you should test again (should he prove to be confirmed poz) is at six weeks. The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive (not inconclusive, positive) by six weeks, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days. A six week negative is highly unlikely to change, but must be confirmed at the three month point.
YOU will only need further testing at this time if he is proven to be hiv positive.
it's been 3+ months after he's had contact with anyone but me.
It really does sound like his "inconclusive" result will turn out to be a negative. Only time will tell, and you're just going to have to wait. There are no short cuts to hiv testing.
Ann
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Thank you Ann
The doctor was very specific to say this was an inconclusive test and not a positive one. the test reads "serology in study", i'm guessing that's because they didn't have results and they're waiting for the WB (because i'm guessing if it would be positive it would have read POSITIVE).
So we'll just have to wait i guess. obviously i'm having a hard time but most of the day i'm able to control my anxiety haha
Thank you very much and I'll try to update this when i get the results back.