In current culture, it’s often prudent to be tested for various sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or diseases (STDs). One of the most important tests is for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). However, there are critical facts you should know which your health care provider may not inform you of.

An HIV test can be done as part of battery of other STI/STD testing, or it can be done more or less alone. Unfortunately if the test is part of a broader screening, health care workers will rely on your answers to questions when deciding whether or not to order an HIV test as part of a larger group of tests.

This can be one of the first problems. Unfortunately your answers may not be as complete and accurate as you would like. You obviously don’t know what you don’t know, and in the realm of sexually transmitted infections and diseases, that means that you are unlikely to know 100% of the variables introduced by other partners.

Another potential problem is that doctors generalize, and that can be bad news for you. They also may not care about your health as much as you do. Both issues were encountered by a friend of mine who recently got a series of tests for STIs. Based on her geographic location, the doctor did not automatically test for HIV. The reason was that “It’s not too common around here.” When it comes to HIV, generalizations can kill you.

One of the most worrisome facts that are neglected is this: Though your doctor may not tell you, it can take up to six months for a person to test positive after being infected with HIV. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), at three months after infection, there is still a 3% chance that a person has not developed detectable antibodies to the virus. This is a problem, because most HIV tests are the variety which test for antibodies. If the test is performed prior to six months after potential exposure, it may incorrectly indicate that a person is HIV free.

An alternative test is the RNA test. It can detect the HIV virus directly. The time between HIV infection and RNA detection is 9-11 days. But these tests are more costly and used less often than antibody tests.

Though a 3% chance of an inaccurate test may seem small, ask yourself this: Would you get on a plane if the pilot told you there is a 3% chance it will crash? Probably not.

Only you can decide what level of risk you are comfortable with. However, in the arena of HIV, you are potentially impacting another person’s life as well, and zero tolerance would be a more responsible choice.