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Is HIV Test Done 5 Months Post Exposure Conclusive?

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Posted on Tue, 16 Feb 2016
Question: every where said that hiv test resluts are 99% conclusive? what does that !% remaining means?
since I took a test several times, an the last one was 5 months and a week after possible exposure and all was negative
can I say I am definitely hiv negative?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (34 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
would have a definitive answer by 5 months

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

If the last test was 5 months after exposure and it was negative then you are definitely negative.

There are different HIV tests and the window period can vary from one test to the next.
The window period of a test is the time from possible exposure to when a test can definitively conclusively determine if the infection is present.
The longest window period is 3 months, the newer tests have much shorter window periods of 2 to 4 weeks.

This means that by 3 months, all of the currently used HIV tests would be able to determine if HIV is present.

If by 5 months the test is negative, then you are not HIV positive, this is the definite result.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Michelle Gibson James (5 minutes later)
the last test I took was fourth generation test, which was negative
so is 99% accuracy after several tests means definitely negative?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
definitely negative

Detailed Answer:
HI

Yes, the 99% accuracy means definitely negative

The window period for the fourth generation tests is very short, only a few weeks. This means that it can pick up HIV after only a few weeks and definitely by 5 months

Please feel free to ask anything else
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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Is HIV Test Done 5 Months Post Exposure Conclusive?

Brief Answer: would have a definitive answer by 5 months Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic If the last test was 5 months after exposure and it was negative then you are definitely negative. There are different HIV tests and the window period can vary from one test to the next. The window period of a test is the time from possible exposure to when a test can definitively conclusively determine if the infection is present. The longest window period is 3 months, the newer tests have much shorter window periods of 2 to 4 weeks. This means that by 3 months, all of the currently used HIV tests would be able to determine if HIV is present. If by 5 months the test is negative, then you are not HIV positive, this is the definite result. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions