1) you mentioned that ARS (if ARS of course) are showing within 5 days of first symptoms ... In my case I tested today at symptoms +3 days. Is my today's testing nevertheless relevant to you ?
No, what I said is that an antibody test would be positive within 5 days of the beginning of symptoms. Since you tested with a 4th generation test however, you can be confident of your test results despite the fact that it has been only 3 days since your symptoms began. 4th generation, "combo" tests turn positive sooner than 3rd generation, antibody only tests.
2) Assuming 4th gen/combo test was used today for my testing, how relevant is such a test at "exposure" + 3 weeks ?
The studies found 4th generation tests to be completely reliable at 4 weeks after exposure. At three weeks most but not all tests would be positive (sorry, no specific result). EWH
Hello Doctor,
Went for testing this morning.
I received the test results later this afternoon and they are (luckily) negative.
I don't know which testing method the lab is using but I would guess 4th gen (well known lab in the heart of Europe, Brussels - Belgium) ?
My closing questions are straight-forward:
1) you mentioned that ARS (if ARS of course) are showing within 5 days of first symptoms ... In my case I tested today at symptoms +3 days. Is my today's testing nevertheless relevant to you ?
2) Assuming 4th gen/combo test was used today for my testing, how relevant is such a test at "exposure" + 3 weeks ?
Very kind regards and thanks again !
Welcome back to the forum. This was a very and perhaps no risk exposure. There has never been a cases of HIV proven to have been acquired through receipt of oral sex and there are just a few (less than 5) which may have been acquired by giving oral sex to an infected male partner. Thus while your symptom may reassemble the non-specific finding which are sometimes described as the ARS, your risk of infection, even if your partner did happen to have HIV is incredibly low. If you want to prove to yourself that your symptoms were not ARS you can test noe since blood tests become positive within 5 days of the beginning of ARS symptoms. Personally I would not worry.
He this helps EWH