Dear Dr. Bob: Many thanks for your great service to humanity: you undoubtedly have the best site related to HIV/AIDS pandemic. My story is brief: I had an unprotected sex with a woman who told me that she had recently undergone HIV test that came back negative. However, she has recently admitted that she was HIV+ and she lied about her status not to loose me. I had 3 times unprotected sex with her and after 4 months after my last exposure I took an HIV antibody test came back negative (is that strange?). Should I worry and repeat the HIV test after the 6-month mark? If not why did not I get the virus if she was poz? Very strange. I kindly appreciate your answer. The donation is under way.

Bill

Hello Bill,

No, not strange at all. Lucky yes, but certainly not strange or even unanticipated based on estimated statistical risks. The important thing to realize is that not all HIV exposures lead to HIV transmission. Thankfully!!! In fact, the vast majority of exposures do not result in HIV transmission. For instance, in your case, the estimated per-act risk for acquiring HIV from unprotected insertive penile-vaginal sex with an HIV-positive partner is 5 per 10,000 exposures. Therefore, your negative test at four months is not at all strange.

Should you get a six-month confirmatory test? Yes, the CDC guidelines would recommend this because you had a documented significant exposure. However, with your negative four-month test, I can tell you the odds are all in your favor that despite your partner's lies, you dodged the HIV bullet.

Browse through the archives of this forum and you'll find many similar testimonials.

Thanks for your donation (www.concertedeffort.org). In return, I'll send my best good-luck karma that your definitive six-month test remains negative.

Good luck.

Dr. Bob