Module 8: Preparation for Test Results
Completion requirements
Module 8: Preparation for Test Results
Module 8: Preparation for Test Results , Screen 6 of 10
The Window Period
Ingrid: Let’s use this diagram. Sometimes it helps me understand something better if I see it. When was the last time you got someone else’s blood, cum, precum, or vaginal secretions into your body?
Laurie: Uh, we’re talking precum. So last night.
Ingrid: OK. Let’s fill this out. Today is March 4, so that would be March 3.
Ingrid: So if by any chance you got HIV last night, then the earliest you’d test positive would be in two weeks—March 17—but it could take as long as three months—June 3—or even six months—September 3. To be absolutely sure about last night, you’d need to retest around September 3.
The period of time between when someone gets HIV and when the antibodies show up on the test is called the window period. It’s called that because that is the period when the window is open for antibodies to develop and accumulate enough to be detected by the test.
The Window Period
Ingrid: Let’s use this diagram. Sometimes it helps me understand something better if I see it. When was the last time you got someone else’s blood, cum, precum, or vaginal secretions into your body?Laurie: Uh, we’re talking precum. So last night.
Ingrid: OK. Let’s fill this out. Today is March 4, so that would be March 3.
Ingrid: So if by any chance you got HIV last night, then the earliest you’d test positive would be in two weeks—March 17—but it could take as long as three months—June 3—or even six months—September 3. To be absolutely sure about last night, you’d need to retest around September 3.
The period of time between when someone gets HIV and when the antibodies show up on the test is called the window period. It’s called that because that is the period when the window is open for antibodies to develop and accumulate enough to be detected by the test.