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YOUR INPUT PLEASE
First of all congratulations for all the advises to troubled people around the world! To my question: I recently met a girl (we are both from a western EU country just for info) over the internet (no drugs - seems fairly serious). Now its a standard policy from my side, whenever I start a new sexual relationship always to ask my partner in advance for an HIV test. In this way I think i do the best to keep myself and others safe. Anyway, she happily accepted this and she performed an HIV ab/ag (duo) test, which came out NEGATIVE (of course i saw the results from the lab). This happened end of November. I also asked her when she had last time sex and she insisted it was last June. This means well before 4-5 months prior to the negative HIV duo test. Based on her stance so far I have no reason to doubt her but you never know...
After this we had 2-3 times unprotected vaginal and oral sex. I know, that at least I checked on her status, and the risk is minimal. However I have had second thoughts, mainly because of the way i met her (internet), maybe there is the slightest chance she lied to me, she had sex on a later date and she is still at her "window period". I discussed this with her and she said to relax and that if I wanted she could repeat the test again...Am I exaggerating? Based on your valuable experience if you were in my shoes and based on what you know would you worry? Would you continue unprotected sex in my case? Do I need to have an HIV test? Note: I had HIV negative test 2 years ago and since then I had a monogamous relationship with a confirmed HIV negative girl. Thanks so much in advance!
After this we had 2-3 times unprotected vaginal and oral sex. I know, that at least I checked on her status, and the risk is minimal. However I have had second thoughts, mainly because of the way i met her (internet), maybe there is the slightest chance she lied to me, she had sex on a later date and she is still at her "window period". I discussed this with her and she said to relax and that if I wanted she could repeat the test again...Am I exaggerating? Based on your valuable experience if you were in my shoes and based on what you know would you worry? Would you continue unprotected sex in my case? Do I need to have an HIV test? Note: I had HIV negative test 2 years ago and since then I had a monogamous relationship with a confirmed HIV negative girl. Thanks so much in advance!
Thank you very much doctor, really appreciated. I do agree for all these to wind up (not telling the truth + having my partner having sex with HIV pos + aquiring HIV + the ab/ag test not showing anything + me aquiring HIV) would be more chances of me getting hit by a bolt of lighting.
Thanks again. I just needed the re-assurance from an expert like yourself. This is my last comment for this thread.
Thanks again. I just needed the re-assurance from an expert like yourself. This is my last comment for this thread.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You are correct. If I were in your shoes I would not test further.
You are correct that here is a theoretical possiblity that your current partner did not tell you the truth and that she had sex with someone with a month or testing, that that person had HIV (unlikely) and that she acquired it (there is only a 1 in 1000 chance of gettng HIV from a single unprotected exposure to an infected partner) but don't you agree, the odds are very much against this. I would not worry. EWH
You are correct that here is a theoretical possiblity that your current partner did not tell you the truth and that she had sex with someone with a month or testing, that that person had HIV (unlikely) and that she acquired it (there is only a 1 in 1000 chance of gettng HIV from a single unprotected exposure to an infected partner) but don't you agree, the odds are very much against this. I would not worry. EWH
Dear Sir, thanks for the feedback.
I understand what you are saying about me not testing, however I proposed this to my partner and she accepted the previous HIV negative test 2 years ago plus the fact that I was in a monogamous relationship with a confirmed HIV negative partner all this time. But, true, the fair would be to also test.
In any case just to notice that I have NO symptoms whatsoever + I fully believe the HIV DUO test. My only concern was the possibility in those 4 weeks that it takes for the DUO test to be 100% accurate for my partner to have aquired HIV... Based on what you have said I understand that HIV test is not medically warranted in my case for this specific "incident". Is this correcty understood?
If you were in my shoes from a medical and HIV possibilities standpoint would you continue unprotected sex having in mind the negative HIV duo test and the rare possibility of the "window period"? Thanks a lot.
I understand what you are saying about me not testing, however I proposed this to my partner and she accepted the previous HIV negative test 2 years ago plus the fact that I was in a monogamous relationship with a confirmed HIV negative partner all this time. But, true, the fair would be to also test.
In any case just to notice that I have NO symptoms whatsoever + I fully believe the HIV DUO test. My only concern was the possibility in those 4 weeks that it takes for the DUO test to be 100% accurate for my partner to have aquired HIV... Based on what you have said I understand that HIV test is not medically warranted in my case for this specific "incident". Is this correcty understood?
If you were in my shoes from a medical and HIV possibilities standpoint would you continue unprotected sex having in mind the negative HIV duo test and the rare possibility of the "window period"? Thanks a lot.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the Forum and thanks for your complement. I am surprised you did not test for HIV when your partner did- that would seem to have been fair and appropriate. Nonetheless, despite the way you met your new partner, the chance that she had HIV acquired before you met is very, very low. The DUO tests are highly accurate and reliable and should be believed and there is little chance that she was in the window period at the time she was tested. The window period is a rare event. .
In general we have found again and again that when histories or symptoms and tests differ, the tests are typically correct. I anticipate this will be your experience as well and would urge you not to worry. EWH
In general we have found again and again that when histories or symptoms and tests differ, the tests are typically correct. I anticipate this will be your experience as well and would urge you not to worry. EWH
Further to the above just to add that this girl is 25 years old and she has had 4 other guys in total in her sex life (based on what we discussed together). One of them was a 7 years relationship. She also had an HIV negative test 1 to 1.5 years ago due to a broken condom incident.
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