Please Note: Due to volume considerations, not all questions can be answered. Questions most likely to be answered will be those of general interest to a broad group of visitors to this forum. Questions pertaining to a specific case; requests for diagnosis, medical advice, or second opinion; or requests for opinions about untested alternative therapies will generally not be answered.
The participation of Dr. Ewald Horwath in this Forum is made possible by Boehringer Ingelheim.
Ask the Experts about Mental Health and HIV
My HIV partner....
Aug 17, 2008
So I am negative and he is positive. I just had a few questions, we we're having sex and the condom broke, but just as he put it in, so he never ejaculated i'm obviously gonna go get tested, how long should i wait to get tested to make sure the results will come back accurate? and also how does HIV become aids? and how long can a healthy HIV male live? i was reading its around 25 to 30 years after becoming positive is that true?
Response from Dr. Horwath
If you have the HIV antibody test 12 weeks or more after an exposure, then the result should be > 99% accurate. In this case, you're risk is lower because he did not ejaculate. In any case, if you use condoms during sex, you are well protected. You should continue to protect yourself with condoms as you have been doing.
In someone who is not in treatment, it takes an average of 10 years after the initial infection to develop symptoms. The diagnosis of AIDS requires an opportunistic infection or one of the other conditions included in the CDC case definition for AIDS or an HIV positive antibody test and CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts of less than 200 cells/uL or a CD4+ percentage of less than 14.
A healthy person with HIV can live for many years. There is no accurate way to predict because there are so many variables. But many people with HIV have lived >25 years. Since 1995, when HAART was introduced, the survival with HIV infection improved dramatically.
Please remember that this forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not engaged through this
forum in rendering legal or medical advice or professional services. Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible
for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither The Body nor any sponsor is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.
Questions and messages posted to this forum are not statements of advice, opinion, or information of The Body, Body Health Resources Corporation or any sponsor of this
forum. While neither The Body nor Body Health Resources Corporation regularly reviews posted content, we reserve the right to delete, move, or
edit postings if we deem it appropriate under the circumstances. Visitors submitting questions remain solely responsible for the content of their
messages.
Information provided by experts is general only and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease, or relied upon as
legal or other professional advice. This information is not a substitute for professional advice or care. If you have or suspect you may have a
health or legal problem, you should consult your own health care provider or your attorney.