Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. Hello,
I'm hoping that someone can give me some insight on my situation.
I had a HIV test done a year ago which was neg. I am now 9 weeks
pregnant and as part of my prenatal visit I had another test
done. The results were Elisa reactive but Western Blot negative. They
took another sample from me and told me that I would have to wait
over a week.
I have been in a relationship for the past 7 years on and off. He has had a test done 2 years ago which was negative also. Unsure if he has been with other people or not I would consider his satus unknown at this time. He will be taking another one due to this situation in a couple of days.
I'm confused on what this result means. I have read that false positives on the Elisa can sometimes occur during pregnancy in women who have already been pregnant prior to the current pregnancy(I have a son already). Any insight on this will be helpful.
Lisa Capaldini, M.D.
Internal Medicine
Yes, the most likely explanation for your lab result is what's called a FALSE positive-this occurs when the ELISA test APPEARS to detect antibodies to HIV but there are actually no HIV antibodies present. This FALSE "recognition" is most common in situations where the immune system is unusually active, or "up-regulated", and pregnancy is one of those situations. The good news amidst all this confusing stuff is that a follow-up Western blot test can usually sort out a false from a true HIV antibody test.
And that sounds like what your clinicians are doing for you. Waiting out the repeat tests is stressful, but usually generates reassuring, good news in the long run.
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