Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 19, 2024, 12:25:53 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772783
  • Total Topics: 66296
  • Online Today: 244
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 0
Guests: 213
Total: 213

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Welcome to Do I Have HIV?

Welcome to the "Do I Have HIV?" POZ forum.

This special section of the POZ forum is for individuals who have concerns about whether or not they are HIV positive. Individuals are permitted to post up to three questions or responses in this forum.

Ongoing participation in the "Do I Have HIV?" forum (posting more than three questions or responses) requires a paid subscription, with secure payments made via PayPal.

A seven-day subscription is $9.99, a 30-day subscription is $14.99 and a 90-day subscription is $24.99.

Anyone who needs to post more than three messages in the "Do I Have HIV?" forum -- including past, present and future POZ Forums members -- will need to subscribe, with secure payments made via PayPal.

There is no charge to read threads in the "Do I Have HIV?" forum, nor will there be a charge for participating in any of the other POZ forums. In addition, the POZ Basics "HIV Transmission and Risks" and "HIV Testing" basics, will remain accessible to all.

NOTE: HIV testing questions will still need to be posted in the "Do I Have HIV?" forum; attempts to post HIV symptoms or testing questions in any other forums will be considered violations of our rules of membership and subject to time-outs and permanent bans.

To learn how to upgrade your Forums account to participate beyond three posts in the "Do I Have HIV?" Forum, please click here.

Thank you for your understanding and future support of the best online support service for people living with, affected by and at risk for HIV.

Author Topic: tested with antibody and rna  (Read 3183 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline jd213

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 3
tested with antibody and rna
« on: April 22, 2013, 09:23:38 am »
hello,
had an exposure unprotect. tested at 13 days post exposure with an RNA PCR =negative.
then tested with an antibody test finger prick  at 37 days= negative.

are my tests reliable? the clinic stated the rna pcr has a window period of 2 weeks and is reliable.

I need a second opinion please

Offline Jeff G

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 17,064
  • How am I doing Beren ?
Re: tested with antibody and rna
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2013, 09:40:18 am »
Hi JD . What was your exposure ? . The appropriate time to test after an exposure is 6 weeks and again at 3 months to confirm your results . 
HIV 101 - Basics
HIV 101
You can read more about Transmission and Risks here:
HIV Transmission and Risks
You can read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
You can read more about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read more about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
You can read more about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

Offline jd213

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 3
Re: tested with antibody and rna
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2013, 10:21:33 am »
less than a min of unprotected sex with a small cut near my rectum.

will a 6 week negative test be likely to change at 3 months? I know I was short by 5 days.

so whats the purpose of the rna.....they took two tubes and got back to me in a week.

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: tested with antibody and rna
« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2013, 10:31:11 am »
jd,

RNA testing is really only useful when a person has been infected and has a high viral load. It cannot rule hiv infection out.

There are no shortcuts to hiv testing.

A six week negative is highly unlikely to change, but must be confirmed at the three month point. I wouldn't expect your five-week-plus result to change either, but the only way to know for sure is to confirm at three months.

You need to learn from this and stop having unprotected intercourse.

Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.

To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.

Anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.

If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.

Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv. Some of the other STIs can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to test.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline jd213

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 3
Re: tested with antibody and rna
« Reply #4 on: April 22, 2013, 10:41:01 am »
very dumb mistake, especially after I realized I had a small cut.

would you suggest to go back and test right at 6 weeks, or rely on my 5 weeks and 2 day test and retest at 3 month?


so the RNA PCR test looks for viral load? the lady told me that it would look for actual pieces of the virus that would replicate.....and that they do sampling testing?


Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: tested with antibody and rna
« Reply #5 on: April 22, 2013, 11:00:55 am »

so the RNA PCR test looks for viral load? the lady told me that it would look for actual pieces of the virus that would replicate.....and that they do sampling testing?


That's what viral load testing is - RNA PCR tests.

They can't rule hiv out because not everyone will have a detectable viral load.

And sometimes they give false positive results (typically low numbers). They're not good diagnostic tests and that's not how they're meant to be used.

There are no short cuts to hiv testing.

There's no point in testing again in a few days - wait for the appropriate time instead of wasting time, resources and money.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.