Q and A

Question

Is there a test I can do to show when I was infected with HIV?

Is there any test for determining when I became HIV positive? My numbers are constantly changing, sometimes they are good, sometimes they aren’t. My viral load remains quite low and without a test I would have not known of my status. I am not yet on meds.

Answer

Thank you for your question.

It is good to hear that your viral load results are low despite you not having started treatment yet. If you are based in the UK and think you were infected recently there is a test (called either STARHS or RITA) that can indicate whether your infection was within the previous six months. For more information please follow this link to a similar question.

Other than this you can sometimes estimate depending on your history of risk and your current CD4 count and how quickly it changes over time. This will always be a guess though and there is no test that can predict date of infection accurately.

It is very common for test results to fluctuate especially CD4 counts and viral loads. This is nothing to worry about. For more information please read this similar question.