Can Testing for HIV/STDs be delayed if you have protected sex during the “window period?”?
Okay, I think I know what you’re asking! First HIV test should be 3 months after initial suspected exposure. To be positive you should be tested again 3 months after first test = six months after first suspected exposure. If you have used condoms then you should be protected from HIV, so the usual rules apply to you. The HIV test is a specific blood test for which your signature is required. Herpes may or may not show symptoms long before any blood work is done, and it’s not usually done unless symptoms appear or it is specifically requested. Some infections will have obvious symptoms within days or weeks. Only HIV has that 3 month waiting period for accurate testing, but (just to complicate things a bit more) now there is also a 10 day test available.
