Is negative HIV test after 4 months conclusive?

With antibody-only tests (3rd generation) only 0.3\% of tests (3 tests in every 1000) will be a false negative after 3 months. With 4th generation tests this is even lower. In practice, a negative result after six weeks means you do not have HIV. You do not need to test again unless you have new risks in the future.

How accurate is HIV test after 4 months?

If you know exactly when you may have come into contact with the virus, take a test 3 months after that date. Tests 3 months after exposure should be 99\% accurate. If you are having symptoms of HIV, see your doctor right away. Your doctor may want to use a test that can look for the virus directly in your body.

Can it take longer than 6 months to test positive for HIV?

Window Period After exposure and infection with HIV, most people will develop detectable antibodies to the virus within 3 months. However, it can take as long as 6 months for this process (called seroconversion) to occur in a small percentage of people. It is very rare for this process to take longer than six months.

Why is it that I have most HIV symptoms but have tested negative?

As the body is beginning to make antibodies to HIV, a person may test “indeterminate” (that is, not clearly positive but not clearly negative, either) on an HIV test. HIV Seroconversion may be associated with flu-like symptoms, though many people have no symptoms at all.

How accurate is the fourth generation (fourth generation) HIV test?

Fourth-generation laboratory tests are extremely accurate. The key measures of accuracy are sensitivity (the percentage of results that are correctly positive when HIV is actually present) and specificity (the percentage of results that are correctly negative when HIV is not present).

Does a negative HIV test result mean I don’t have HIV?

A negative result doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have HIV. This is due to the window period. If you test again after the window period, have no possible HIV exposure during the window period, and the result comes back negative, you do not have HIV.

How accurate are at-home HIV tests?

HIV tests are between 99\% and 100\% reliable. Newer, so-called combination or fourth generation tests and other lab-based tests are close to 100\% accurate. Rapid or at-home tests are right around 99\% of the time if you’ve been infected for a while. But if you were recently exposed, they may not be as trustworthy. What Is a Window Period?

How soon after an exposure to HIV can I get tested?

To learn more about the window period and when a person should get retested, see CDC’s How soon after an exposure to HIV can an HIV test if I am infected?. If you get an HIV test within 3 months after a potential HIV exposure and the result is negative, get tested again in 3 more months to be sure.