Negative HIV results after 6 weeks

[AEIOUY]

Doc,

I am a 20 year old white male college student. It has now been about ten weeks since I had a little too much to drink one night and had unprotected sex with a 19 year old white girl that I didn't know. She was a year younger than I am and I'm not sure of her past history as far as sex goes. I am pretty sure that she is not a drug user however. At six weeks after possible exposure I tested negative for HIV at our university health clinic. I got in contact with a doctor in the men's clinic there and he said that he believes that I should be confident that I am in fact HIV negative. Should I take this negative result as a fact that I am HIV negative? Is it necessary to get tested further? I would really like this all to be over because it has been ruined my life for the past 10 weeks.

Thanks

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Almost nobody ever catches HIV heterosexually in the circumstances you describe.  The chance your partner had HIV is near zero.  In newly infected persons, modern HIV tests almost always are positive within 6 weeks.  Therefore, I agree with your student health clinic doctor.

Sounds like you need to get a perspective on the real risks of HIV.  There is nothing in this that should have "ruined my life for the past 10 weeks" and  you really didn't need testing at all after such an event.  (Do you think every person with a new sex partner should run out and have an HIV test?  Ridiculous.  The health care system couldn't handle the load.)  Like many young persons today, you probably got a misunderstanding due to inappropriately fear-based health and sexuality education in many high schools in the US.  In other words, your anxieties probably are the result of inappropriate influences of religion and politics in relation to sex.  You're not alone.  But learn the true facts and mellow out.

Best wishes--  HHH, MD

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Did you think I would have changed my mind??

It's 100%--or as they say in the sports field, 110%.  Move on.  I won't have any further comments.

[AEIOUY]

Doc,

So can I be 100% confident, if I had to, in telling somebody that I don't have HIV? I'm sorry to sound repetative and wound up but I am just looking for some closure here. It would be really helpful if I could be certain that I don't have HIV. If you had to say percentage wise, how confident I can be that I don't have HIV? If it's not 100% what can I do to get myself to 100% certainty.

Thanks