4800 West Green Brook Drive â¢ Brown Deer, WI 53223 â¢ 414.371.3000 â¢ manager@browndeerwi.org â¢ Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am â 4:30pm Contact Us
In general, antibody tests that use blood can detect HIV slightly sooner after infection than tests done with oral fluid. It can take 3 to 12 weeks (21-84 days) for an HIV-positive personâs body to make enough antibodies for an antibody test to detect HIV infection. This is called the window period.
Most people develop detectable HIV antibodies within three months of infection, the average being 20 days. In rare cases, it can take 6-12 months. For this reason, the CDC recommends testing six months after the last possible exposure, i.e, unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex, or sharing needles.