Expert: Terry B - 7/21/2008

Question
dear dr terry:
thank you 4 ur time,and im begging you to answer as soon as possible,4 months ago i had dry sex (no penetration and no ejaculation but maybe preejaculatory fluid was present i am not sure) with my boyfriend i was wearing underwear but he wasnt,i am now very worried that i might have hiv,i dont know his status,so finally i had a test done 2day(4 months after possible exposure)and it was negative...my questions are:
1:is there any possible way that i could've contracted hiv from the described act?
2:will a test be accurate 4 months after possible exposure?
thank you and please help me put my mind at ease as im starting to panic and lose all control..thank u

Answer
Dear Dana:

Peace.  First, I need clarify that I hold a Master of Public Health degree and am not a physician.  Second, some of these questions are best asked of the person who provided you your HIV test results.

1) It is possible but highly improbable that you could contract HIV from what you describe; HIV is present in fluids, and if you were not in contact with his semen or blood in this case, I don't see where you would be at risk, but, as you said, "I'm not sure" - so;

2) Assuming the test was done correctly, a negative result after four months is highly reliable.

In conclusion - I recommend you talk with the counselor or doctor who provided your testing to learn more and reassure yourself; I also recommend you visit www.avert.org to learn more about HIV transmission, and/or www.thebody.com for broader information about sexual risk.   Given that HIV testing is pretty standardized worldwide, I would assume that your test results - four months seems plenty of time - are accurate and you are not infected with HIV.

Best to you and yours,

Terry