Today my boyfriend and father of my child went for pre-HIV test counseling. He was told that he results turned out to be positive and negative. He has an HIV blood clot and he has to be tested in 2-3 months again to see if it has gone away. If not then he is HIV positive. Of course I wansn't in the doctors office with him and his relationship with this doctor is not good so we can't call and ask questions. We are VERY confused as I have never heard of anything like this before. Is this something that is common? Can someone please shed light so we don't have to sit in a panic for the next three months. Thanks!!

There is no such thing as a positive and negative result. There are three possible results you can have from an HIV antibody screening: negative, positive or indeterminate. This is how you should interpret them:

1) Negative: no antibodies detected. If tested three or more months after last exposure, then no HIV is present. If tested within three months of exposure, it is possible that one could be infected with HIV since detectable levels of antibody may not be present.

2) Positive: antibodies detected, infected with HIV.

3) Indeterminate: the test results could not be interpreted as positive or negative. Follow-up testing should be conducted at least one month following initial testing. If results are positive or negative, that's your answer. If not, other testing methods should be pursued. If an indeterminate result coincides with an exposure of significant risk, your options should be evaluated with your medical provider immediately.

RMK