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Window Period, for Worried Wells
Just want to summarize the window period stuff, which is of the most concern of the worried wells. There are different versions beginning from the most conservative (and probably outdated) 6-month thing, to the most aggressive 6 week (e.g. MA). (Confusing!) The window periods are different for various reasons, one being that the testing methods used by different clinics are different. For this post, I am discussing up-to-date 3rd or 4th generation enzyme-link method tests that use your blood drawn from vein (I believe ELISA should be one). Quick test methods that can show results in 20 minutes are excluded.
Here is the schedule:
22.6% - 1week
53.775% - 2week
84.1% - 3week
98.4% - 4week
99.45% - 5week
99.994% - 6 week
99.99986% - 7week
99.99999*% - 8week
[TO BE CONTINUED]
Here is the schedule:
22.6% - 1week
53.775% - 2week
84.1% - 3week
98.4% - 4week
99.45% - 5week
99.994% - 6 week
99.99986% - 7week
99.99999*% - 8week
[TO BE CONTINUED]
thank you for such an insightful post. I am sure that will help many worried wells out knowing this information.
Sorry, I said there is no official endorsement. HOHO. It is from an interview of a scientist formerly working with ADARC. But it still has some weight since there is actual examples of authority that uses it (MA), and many doctors unofficially expressed their endorsement (I dont think anybody will speak up in front of CDC's official window period).
IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH SOURSES.
Well, if there is official endorsement, CDC would have already changed the window period to 6 weeks. LOL.
IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH SOURSES.
Well, if there is official endorsement, CDC would have already changed the window period to 6 weeks. LOL.
HOHO. Never mind. You can go with 13 weeks. Worried wells may go with 13 weeks. All depending on whether they believe it or not. (For those who wants to end the worry earlier, fly to MA and get tested at 6 week, period.)
Mass does not say 6 weeks conclusive unless the possible exposure was three months or more before testing. They to use the OraQuick Advanced HIV 1/2 test.
[Continued.]
There is no official endorsement of this schedule but it is believed to be true in people that can WALK into the test site that do not have PEP or other immune system medication (I believe people who read this post can use the above schedule). If you are hacking the computer system in an ultra-clean medical room with pipes on your body so as to read this post, you should test after 6 months (joke).
You should calculate the period from the time of exposure to the time your blood is drawn (not to the date result is issued).
So for worried wells, a 4 week result (keep in mind the METHOD) is reassuring. A 6 week result can give more comfort. Two neg results after 6 weeks should be conclusive for you, unless your doctor specifically told you otherwise.
Note that CDC uses 3 month mark, which you should comply with for medical purposes. If you want your lawyer to issue a legal opinion saying you are negative, he will surely require a 3 month test (probably 93 days test twice). (PS: CDC expects aliens to come to them for HIV test, and lawyers are ****).
Comments are welcomed.
There is no official endorsement of this schedule but it is believed to be true in people that can WALK into the test site that do not have PEP or other immune system medication (I believe people who read this post can use the above schedule). If you are hacking the computer system in an ultra-clean medical room with pipes on your body so as to read this post, you should test after 6 months (joke).
You should calculate the period from the time of exposure to the time your blood is drawn (not to the date result is issued).
So for worried wells, a 4 week result (keep in mind the METHOD) is reassuring. A 6 week result can give more comfort. Two neg results after 6 weeks should be conclusive for you, unless your doctor specifically told you otherwise.
Note that CDC uses 3 month mark, which you should comply with for medical purposes. If you want your lawyer to issue a legal opinion saying you are negative, he will surely require a 3 month test (probably 93 days test twice). (PS: CDC expects aliens to come to them for HIV test, and lawyers are ****).
Comments are welcomed.
>(Teak)Mass does not say 6 weeks conclusive unless the possible exposure was three months or more before testing.
(Xhost)What, exaclty, does this mean? It seem contradictory.
(xworriedx)Exactly.
(Xhost)What, exaclty, does this mean? It seem contradictory.
(xworriedx)Exactly.
No it's not contradictory at all. It just says if you test earlier than three months from your possible exposure then a negative test you receive may not be a true negative.
Here on medhelp, we often suggest that certain members can rely on a 6-week result, especially if the exposure was low risk.
However, you post very particular figures for the window period:
22.6% - 1week
53.775% - 2week
84.1% - 3week
98.4% - 4week
99.45% - 5week
99.994% - 6 week
99.99986% - 7week
99.99999*% - 8week
The specificity of these figures makes me think that they MUST be coming from some study or medical source.
Thank you for the links. If you could provide a specific URL, however, it would be very helpful for me.
However, you post very particular figures for the window period:
22.6% - 1week
53.775% - 2week
84.1% - 3week
98.4% - 4week
99.45% - 5week
99.994% - 6 week
99.99986% - 7week
99.99999*% - 8week
The specificity of these figures makes me think that they MUST be coming from some study or medical source.
Thank you for the links. If you could provide a specific URL, however, it would be very helpful for me.
>Mass does not say 6 weeks conclusive unless the possible exposure was three months or more before testing.
What, exaclty, does this mean? It seem contradictory.
As I said, there is confusion surrounding window period. For no exact data have ever been collected and examined. But suppose, that in one state, 1 out of 100,000 will turn positive after 3 month period (99,999 will be tested positive within this period), I think 3 month is OK as conclusive mark. (Say, somewhere it is 12 weeks, somewhere it is 13 weeks, which means there is no difference between them). So there is no clear cut as to the time. But for worried wells, we are not concerned with medical/statistical/scientific accuracy - telling one "you are 99.999996% negative" is ****. I think if you tell somebody, in 98 case out of 100, testing at 4 weeks is good, and you tested negative, and you can relax a bit, will really give him/her some confort. Then adding that "you should go to test again at 6 weeks mark, which result will be extremely unlikely to change" is good enough for the WW. That said, if you truly cannot let it go, test at 3 month.
In Chinese forums, we use: "Two weeks weather forecast, 4 weeks your body recovers, 6 weeks HIV-, 8 weeks no fear anymore, 12 weeks medically/scientifically conclusive, 6 months cover story around the world, and 1 year? Are you coming from the moon?"
In Chinese forums, we use: "Two weeks weather forecast, 4 weeks your body recovers, 6 weeks HIV-, 8 weeks no fear anymore, 12 weeks medically/scientifically conclusive, 6 months cover story around the world, and 1 year? Are you coming from the moon?"
Oh. Forgot to add, since so many worried wells in the forum were not really at risk, you are more unlikely to be the 2 case out of 100 (i.e. you should relax more :).
For those who have some actual risk - condom failure, or uncertain of condom failure, or unprotected, one test at 6 week mark should be encouraged.
If you are sure that you are protected throughout the encounter, as people here would say, no test needed.
For those not engaged in any vaginal/anal sex and complaining about oral or some other theoretical contact, the very reason you are here is that you are too worried. Then get tested once at six week mark (I know without neg result you will be panicing forever.) Depending on how many digits you have on your account, and how much blood you can produce in your vein, you can test test test until you are sick of the negative result.
LOL. Have safe sex in the future. HOHO
For those who have some actual risk - condom failure, or uncertain of condom failure, or unprotected, one test at 6 week mark should be encouraged.
If you are sure that you are protected throughout the encounter, as people here would say, no test needed.
For those not engaged in any vaginal/anal sex and complaining about oral or some other theoretical contact, the very reason you are here is that you are too worried. Then get tested once at six week mark (I know without neg result you will be panicing forever.) Depending on how many digits you have on your account, and how much blood you can produce in your vein, you can test test test until you are sick of the negative result.
LOL. Have safe sex in the future. HOHO
Please post the URL from sohu.com or elsewhere where you have found the testing/window stats you have been posting, even if it is in Chinese.
My understanding of Mandarin is probably too poor to understand medical literature, but there might be some other bilinguals on this forum who would benefit.
If these stats have come from a non-medical source OR are from a non-published discussion with a medical professional, then they should be considered as UNOFFICIAL. Only recommendations from official governing bodies (e.g., the CDC) or peer-reviewed sources should be given any weight.
My understanding of Mandarin is probably too poor to understand medical literature, but there might be some other bilinguals on this forum who would benefit.
If these stats have come from a non-medical source OR are from a non-published discussion with a medical professional, then they should be considered as UNOFFICIAL. Only recommendations from official governing bodies (e.g., the CDC) or peer-reviewed sources should be given any weight.
OK. If anyone is interested in Chinese source, please go to hiv-vct.com or hiv-aids.cn to chat with Chinese Worried Wells. There you will find everyone giving advice believing in 6 week window period for enzyme-link method. OK? IT IS UNOFFICIAL and you CAN DISREGARD IT. OK?
And forgot one thing, if you would like official source, then you should use 3 months. It is 3 months in US, and it is 3 months in China. That is it. HOHO.
Re schedule: you can search using 99.99986 53.775 etc. HOHO. Seems google returns two bbs result.
Yes, Ms. Cao said that seroconversion may start as early as 6 hrs after exposure (also that is unconfirmed, and scared me a lot).
Yes, Ms. Cao said that seroconversion may start as early as 6 hrs after exposure (also that is unconfirmed, and scared me a lot).
i already posted all the mandarin stuff in my another forum but too bad nobody wanna go read. i'm malaysian but i'm chinese, i posted both china and malaysia's websites on window period and i had translated it..to let all my frens here know wat other part of the world think about HIV window period...
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/348916
(when i posted, nobody even bother to reply...but now here u are asking for it...ironic isnt it?)
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/348916
(when i posted, nobody even bother to reply...but now here u are asking for it...ironic isnt it?)
The malaysian websites perfectly states 2 weeks to 6 months to produce antibodies.....what does that tell you? 6 months is the window period?
The chinese website source for conclusive result at 8 weeks is unofficial, not sure where they derive the info.
Of course 3 months is for other parts of the world, except U.S. which CDC still states (even though very rarely) up to 6 months.
I believe the malaysian website quotes from the U.S. CDC, since I doubt they have such an authority figure like the U.S CDC.
Teak, in all your findings so far, have actually seen anybody who test -ve at 3 months went on to test +ve later (without reexposure)?
The chinese website source for conclusive result at 8 weeks is unofficial, not sure where they derive the info.
Of course 3 months is for other parts of the world, except U.S. which CDC still states (even though very rarely) up to 6 months.
I believe the malaysian website quotes from the U.S. CDC, since I doubt they have such an authority figure like the U.S CDC.
Teak, in all your findings so far, have actually seen anybody who test -ve at 3 months went on to test +ve later (without reexposure)?
I know where your source from, I have read it weeks ago and posted here already, Ms. Cao's 2 week window period and 6 week conclusive right? China usually said 45 days conclusive. Why is it different with the state and many other countries? it's all because of Ms. Cao.
My English is not good, lantongblack should understand me
My English is not good, lantongblack should understand me
Who is this Ms Cao?
When she says 6 or 8 weeks conclusive, are they referring to the 4th gen test with P24 antigen test?
When she says 6 or 8 weeks conclusive, are they referring to the 4th gen test with P24 antigen test?
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