I know that 3 months is when most show positive and 6 months is conclusive, but when I told my doctor of my big screw up of having anal sex (receptive and unprotected) for the first time, he suggested that I go ahead and be tested. I went ahead and took the test at exactly 4 weeks after the possible exposure. I plan to retest at 6 months, but can I take any comfort at all in being negative after 4 weeks or was the test a waste of money.

Thank you

On average, people will develop enough antibodies to be detected by standard HIV-antibody tests in about 27 days. So taking some comfort in your negative result would be fine. I think your plan of getting tested again at six months is wise (see Approximate timeline for testing...).

Do you have free testing available in your area? You may want to call your local Department of Health or the CDC AIDS Hotline at 1.800.232.4636 for information. No need to pay for the antibody test if you can get it for free.

Getting tested is important, but it's as important to closely look at what happened. It was your first time having unprotected anal sex. What was different this time? What were the circumstances surrounding the incident? How can you plan ahead to decrease the chances that this will happen again?

You are not alone. Everybody screws up in one way or another. How you choose to deal with the situation will make a difference.

RMK