HIV questions

Hello, I am a 23 year old female and have had 3 sex partners in the past 2 months. The first is an ex-boyfriend that we had unprotected sex. The last time we had sex was 4/17/2010. I stopped with him because he was seeing multiple people and I'm not sure of who he had sex with.

The next was another ex-boyfriend in the beginning of May and that was protected.

The last partner was a guy I met on Friday night. We had sex. It was unprotected for about 5-10 seconds and he insisted on using a condom. I gave him oral sex later that night and he ejaculated into my mouth. Since we both want to continue having sex we both went and took a rapid HIV test. We both came back negative. He has tested 3 times in the past 7 months and all have come back negative. I tested and came back negative 2 months after my last unprotected sexual encounter.

If I take another test again at 3 months should I expect the results to change? Or is 2 months a pretty good indication that I am negative. Thanks for your help! :-)

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Condom protected sex is safe sex, thus your exposures of concern are really only the exposure to the partner with whom you had sex with on 4/17.  In general HIV is uncommon among heterosexual men (if they are not IV drug users, less than 1 in a thousand have HIV and that is probably far too conservative an estimate with the true number being closer to 1 in 10,000).  Your most recent partner's negative test is also a strong indicator that he does not have HIV.  As for your 8 week test result, this is strong evidence that you did not get HIV form this encounter either.  Using currently available tests virtually all tests are going to be positive have become positive by 8 weeks.

Given the situations you describe, I would accept the results you have and see no reason for further testing related to the partners you mention.  Hope this comment is helpful to you.  EWH

[cori23]

Thank you Dr. Hook.

Why is it that some doctors would still only accept a conclusive result at 3 months and some only accept at 6 months? Since I am new to all of this I would like to get a better understanding.

A negative result at 2 months really wouldn't change if I tested at 3 months. Correct?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

The recommendations for testing at 3 and even 6 months are the result of two factors- data from older tests no longer used (you really do not need to worry about which generation of tests you were tested with, at this time virtually all tests are far more sensitive that they were even 2-3 years ago when the 3 month recommendation was made) and secondly, the fact that some, mostly governmental agencies which have to provide recommendations for virtually everyone without the sort of interactions such as those you get with your doctor or on personalized sites such as this one, feel the cannot "afford" to be wrong and therefore make recommendations and guidelines which leave most people unnecessarily nervous for 4-6 weeks longer than the 6-8 weeks it takes virtually everyone to develop HIV antibodies.   EWH

[cori23]

Thank you Doctor. I just had one more question.

If we went to a rapid test site should I be confident that they used an FDA approved test. The test that was used I believe was Accu-Chek. have you ever heard of this test?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Yes, the tests used at Rapid Test sites are FDA approved.  Now it is time for you to move forward and stop worrying .. EWH

[cori23]

Thank you very much Doctor. You have helped me so much. Thank you again!

[cori23]

Since I do have a regular sex partner. Do you see any reason why I shouldn't go back to having unprotected sex with him?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I presume thi is the person whom you mentioned as having just had a negative rapid HIV test.  If so, I see no reason for concern about unproptected sex (from and HIV perspective - preganancy and otherSTDs are sepearte issues).  EWH

[cori23]

Yes this would be with the person that I tested with this past Saturday.

[cori23]

How high of a risk is unprotected oral sex? I'm sorry for so many questions. I did have unprotected oral sex with the last partner I was with.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Virtually no risk of HIV associated with oral sex.  Further, since you know he has a negative HIV test, there is no reason to worry.  EWH

[cori23]

Ok so since I tested negative at basically 9 weeks or 2 months I should have no other worries about transmission and I can be assured that I was not infected. Correct?

[cori23]

Or infect my new partner if we engage in unprotected sex.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I'm sorry, we must list the number of replies that we can provide. this will be your last answer.

I have previously answered both of these questions.  You do not have HIV from the exposures and situations you describe. You and your current partner, who was just tested and found to be negtive with a rapid test, as you did, is neither going to infect you at this time nor you him.  

The thread is now over.  EWH

[cori23]

Thank you very much for your answers and time.