Home Access Antibody tests

I took a home health access test 61/2 weeks after my last encounter with a person I had been seeing off and on for a year.  It was a heterosexual encounter and admittedly low risk.  My question is are home health access tests the same as all other tests given today.  Can I have confidence in a 6 1/2 week test?  On the email they send you they say that it can take up to six months for antibodies to develop.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the HIV forum.

The Home Access company uses a standard HIV antibody test in common use throughout all industrialized countries.  The advice about 6 months is overly conservative.  On very rare occasions, it can take 3 months, but probably never longer than that; and almost 100% of newly infected people have positive results by 6 weeks.  Given the low risk nature of your exposure, you can consider the result 100% reliable.

Regards--  HHH, MD