A service provided by the BC Centre for Disease Control
In the years since SmartSexResource launched, we have developed a library of questions asked by you, and answered by our expert sexual health nurses.
Our answered questions library cover a broad range of sexual health topics and common questions we hear at our clinics.
Hi,
The HIV antibody test, and HIV Antigen/Antibody test, are both conclusive after 12 weeks (3months). If you’ve had a negative result from an AG/AB test at 14 weeks, we would say that is a conclusive result and there is no need to re-test.
Hope this helps,
Please feel free to submit another question as needed.
Health Nurse
Hi,
The activities you describe would not put you at risk for HIV. HIV is passed when blood and/or body fluids enter into your body through a vein or orifice. Since you describe no oral or penetrative sex, there is no risk for HIV.
Other STIs, such syphilis, herpes, and the human papilloma virus are easily passed through skin-to-skin contact.
It’s difficult to say what’s causing your symptoms, however it is unlikely to be an STI from the massage parlor encounter you describe (as rashes at 2-3 weeks are not consistent with syphilis, herpes, or HPV). Some things to think about: the rashes may be an allergic reaction to oils or products used at the massage parlor, or to perfumes worn by the masseuse. I would recommend going to see a family doctor or walk-in clinic regarding the rashes, especially if they are persisting.
The HIV PCR test is 90% accurate at 12 days, so you can feel pretty sure already that it’s not HIV.
Hope this helps.
Please feel free to submit another question as needed.
Health Nurse
Hi
It sounds like you are really worried that HIV has passed to you. With what you have written it sounds like you used a condom when you had vaginal sex, which would provide great protection against HIV.
The symptoms you have described are symptoms that can be caused by other medical conditions other than HIV. This means it’s not accurate to use symptoms as a way to see if HIV has passed to you. The only way to find out if HIV has been passed to you is by doing a HIV test. We find that 3rd (antibody) and 4th gen (Antigen/Antibody) HIV tests would give you a final result after 3 months. I see that you’re last testing was back in 2014. I am wondering if you have considered going for another HIV test.
I know it can be difficult going for a HIV test when you fear the worst. It is also made so much worse if you’re in a country that has a high degree of stigma and danger when someone has HIV.
This must be a hard decision for you to make, but going for a test will not change the fact if HIV is there or not, it will just let you know your status. If it’s a bit of information that you really want to know it may be possible to get an anonymous test somewhere or possible get a home based kit so that you keep that information private. If you’re unsure if it’s the correct time to test it may be helpful to find a person you trust and ask them if you could talk to them about the advantages/disadvantages of going for a test.
It’s common for us to see people at our clinic who are worried that their current health concerns have been caused by HIV and they fear going to their doctor for a test. We offer them a way to do an anonymous test so if they are HIV negative they can then go to their family doctor knowing that it is not HIV causing their health concerns.
Let us know if it would be easier for you to chat with a nurse on our chat line about this.
Health Nurse
Hi
It’s not possible for someone to say that someone has HIV because of a low percentage of lymphocytes and the symptoms you described, as this can be caused by other medical conditions and is not specific to just HIV. But I could see why someone would be concerned especially after a sexual risk that could have passed HIV.
A HIV test is really specific for HIV and since you did the test at 3 months it would be very accurate. Given this I would say that it is not HIV that is causing this problem for you and a HIV PCR test would not be helpful.
I would talk with the health professional who ordered the test for you. It would be good for you to have a conversation with them about your blood test results and the symptoms you are having. Hopefully they would be able to give you some idea of what could be causing the problem or do further investigations to see what could be going on.
Health Nurse
Hi,
This website is based in Canada, and we cannot comment on the tests you had done in Uganda. I don’t know if they are the same tests we use in Canada, or if the tests are different.
In Canada, the 4th generation HIV test (AG/AB) is not a rapid test, but a blood tube we send to the lab. This test is 75% accurate at 3 weeks, and 100% after 3 months.
We also have the rapid test (called an Insiti test) which is a 3rd generation HVI test (AB only). This test is 90% after 4 weeks, and 100% after 3 months.
If you used our test, we would say that you don’t have HIV given a negative test from Oct 27th, which is more than 3 months past the date of potential exposure.
I would just ask the people who did your testing for the window period of the test they used. I would be surprised if it is very different than the 4th generation test we use.
Lastly, regarding your flu-like symptoms, those symptoms can be caused by mange things, including stress, seasonal cold/flu, etc. We would not suspect HIV just based on your symptoms.
Hope this helps!
Please feel free to submit another question if needed
Health Nurse
Hi
It really depends on what is the easiest for you and what clinic you want to go to. In BC Canada most clinics would be able to offer HIV/STI testing for example family doctor’s, walk in clinics, youth clinics etc.
Some clinics require you to book an appointment before going, walk in only or a combination of appointment and walk in. I would call the clinic you are planning to visit to see what type of system they have.
Let us know if you need any assistance with finding a clinic in your area. You can also have a look at our clinic finder for a list of some clinics in your area.
Health Nurse
Hi
We don’t see HIV passing with the type of sex you have described; condoms provide great protection against HIV.
The symptoms you have listed are common symptoms that can be caused by many different conditions and are not specific to having HIV. It’s great that you went for a HIV test as that is the only way to find out if HIV was passed.
A negative HIV combo test (antigen/antibody) at 39 days is really good as that is 95% accurate at that time period. I would recommend a final test at 3 months to make sure for peace of mind, but given a negative test at 39 days and using a condom for vaginal sex I would not expect any surprises. There is no need to do a viral load test.
It’s common that people can develop symptoms with anxiety/stress. It’s also possible for stress to also lower the immune system and to make it easier to get other medical conditions that can cause various symptoms. If concerned about your current symptoms it may be worth visiting a clinic to discuss these symptoms or to get a general check-up.
Also have a look at our worry page it has some helpful hints on how to reduce worry/stress.
Let us know if this does not answer your question or if you have any further questions or concerns.
Health Nurse
Hi
We find most people will have their HIV test completed by 1 week. Sometimes it can take a bit longer if the person lives in a rural area and the specimen needs to travel to the place of testing.
Let us know if this does not answer your question or if you have any more questions or concerns.
Health Nurse
Hi,
Thanks for your question.
The time it takes between contact with an STI, and when you can get an accurate test is different for each infection. We call this the STI’s “window period”. Some STIs can show-up within a week, and others can take a few months.
Generally for testing we recommend waiting until 3-4 weeks after sex. If you want to re-test after 3 months, that would give you your final results. If you have any symptoms arise, we would recommend going in to a healthcare professional sooner.
For more information check out our Types of STIs chart. The chart gives the window period for each STI. If you’re concerned about a specific STI you can see when would be most accurate to test.
Hope this helps. Please feel free to comment below or submit another question as needed.
Health Nurse
Hi,
Thanks for writing.
You are correct that receiving oral sex (without or without protection) is not a risk factor for HIV. If the protected oral sex was your only risk for HIV we would not recommend testing based on that risk.
HIV is passed when blood and/or sexual fluids enter into a person’s body (ie. inside the vagina, anus, or penis). For HIV to be passed to someone while receiving oral sex, there would have to be significant blood in their partner’s saliva. Small amounts of blood will be diluted by the saliva in the mouth, and there is not enough virus to actually pass HIV. We do not see HIV being passed through receiving oral sex.
Regarding your HIV testing: The 4th generation HVI test is considered to be 95% accurate at 6 weeks, and 99%+ accurate after 12 weeks. There is no difference in accuracy if someone tests at 12 weeks (84 days), 90 days or 3 months. The reason some places say 90 days or 3 months is for convenience, people may remember this easier that 84 days or even 12 weeks. Your test at 67 days would be considered very accurate, and your test at 88 days will be conclusive.
Hope this helps. Please feel free to post a comment below or submit another question.
Health Nurse