Hello.  I am 55 had a brief relationship 20 years ago and am concerned about the possibility of HIV.  I am unaware of the woman's status, as I have not seen her since then.I have had numerous 4th generation tests and RNA tests in the past four years.  Is it possible that I have had HIV since that encounter and it not show up in tests?  I have had gastrointestinal issues and E.D. issues over the past few years, but stress may have contributed.  I have noticed that my penis has receded in the past four years, to the point that i must pull it out to urinate, but I am heavier than at times in the past, now at 210 pounds.  I have a 10 year old son who has a couple of blonde patches in his brown hair, and I was concerned that it might be HIV trigged vitiligo.  Could he have gotten HIV at birth?  He is on the small side, but seems quite healthy.  All of my tests have come back negative, except Herpes 3.  A couple of years ago it began to show low positive, less than 5, but the confirmation test shows negative.  I do not have any symptoms of Herpes 2.  My concern is that my immune system has been strong enough to hold these things off and somehow has made the HIV tests give false negatives.

Welcome to our forum. Thank you for your questions and for your confidence in our service. I’ll be glad to comment. From what you say, you cannot have HIV. You’ve been tested multiple times and currently available tests are very, very sensitive and would not miss established HIV infection repeatedly. In addition, for a practical perspective, if you had had acquired HIV about 20 years ago and remained untreated all this time you would be quite ill by now. ---

Thank you for your direct answer and reassurance.