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Testing

What Is An HIV Test?

An HIV test looks for signs of HIV in your body. When you get tested for HIV, you will usually give a sample of blood, but there are other kinds of HIV tests that use urine or a swab of fluids from your mouth instead. Some tests take a few days for results, but rapid HIV tests can give results in about 20 minutes.

Where Can I Get an HIV Test?

Many places offer HIV tests. Here are some great ways to find an HIV testing location near you:

• Use the HIV Prevention and Services Locator on the right side of your screen. Just enter your ZIP code and you'll get a map that shows you nearby testing locations.
• Visit HIVtest.org. Enter your ZIP code and you'll get a list of HIV testing sites, including those that offer free HIV tests.
• Call 1-800 CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636).
• Text your ZIP code to KNOWIT (566948) and you'll receive a message in reply that lists the nearest testing locations.
• Contact your state or local health department.

You can also ask your healthcare provider for an HIV test. Many medical clinics, substance abuse programs, community health centers, and hospitals offer them too.

How Does An HIV Test Work?

Most HIV tests look for antibodies to the virus, not HIV itself. Antibodies to HIV appear in your blood, urine, and oral fluid as your immune system begins trying to fight the virus. Your body makes different antibodies to fight different threats—so the test looks specifically for HIV antibodies to see if you are infected with HIV.

Should I Be Tested?

HIV is spread through risky behaviors. If you answer "Yes" to any of the following questions, you should get an HIV test:

• Have you injected drugs or steroids or shared equipment (such as needles, syringes, works) with others?
• Have you had unprotected anal, oral, or vaginal sex with a partner whose HIV status is unknown?
• Have you exchanged sex for drugs or money?
• Have you been diagnosed with, or treated for, hepatitis, tuberculosis (TB), or a sexually transmitted infection (STI)?
• Have you had unprotected sex with someone who could answer "Yes" to any of the above questions?
• Are you pregnant or planning to become pregnant?
• Have you been sexually assaulted?

If you continue to engage in high-risk behaviors, the CDC recommends that you get an HIV test at least once a year, and possibly more often. Talk with your healthcare provider about a testing schedule that is right for you.

Why Should I Be Tested?

Getting tested can give you some important information and can help keep you—and others—safe. For example:

• Knowing your own HIV status can give you peace of mind—and testing is the only way you can know for sure.
• When you and your partner know each other's HIV status, you can make informed decisions about your sexual behaviors and how to stay safe.
• If you are pregnant, or planning to get pregnant, knowing your status can help protect your baby from being infected.
• If you find out you are HIV-positive, you can get into early treatment. This increases your chances of staying healthy.
• If you know you are HIV-positive, you can also take steps to protect your sex or drug-using partners from becoming infected.

When Should I Be Tested?

On average, you may need to wait 1-3 months from the time of possible exposure to get an accurate test result. That's because, if you are infected, it can take your body a while to start making HIV antibodies. This time between when you are exposed to HIV and the time you could test positive for HIV antibodies is called the window period.

If you took an HIV test within the first 3 months after possible exposure, you should consider getting another test 3 months later to confirm your results.

For more information, see CDC's HIV Testing Basics for Consumers.

How Accurate Are My HIV Test Results And What Do They Mean?

HIV tests are over 99% accurate if you take one 3 months after a possible exposure. (Before then, the tests may not pick up the presence of HIV antibodies.)

What Does A "Negative" Result Mean?
If your test comes back negative, it means the test didn't find any evidence of HIV antibodies in your body. But a negative result only means that the test couldn't find HIV. Depending on when you were exposed, it is still possible that you might have HIV. If you are tested earlier than 3 months after exposure, the test may miss any HIV in your body fluids. That's why most healthcare providers encourage you to have a follow-up test 3 months later.

If you engage in risky behaviors between the time you take the test and get your results, or between your first test and a follow-up test, your test result may not be accurate. The test only tells you what your HIV status is when you took it—so if you were exposed to HIV after you took the test, the results may not show your current HIV status.

To get an accurate result, while you are waiting to take your test, or get your results:

• Don't inject drugs—or always use clean equipment and don't share needles or works
• Don't have sex—or always use protection (condom or dental dam) if you do

What Does a "Positive" Result Mean?
If your test comes back positive, it means that it found evidence of HIV antibodies in your blood. If you have a positive HIV test, the testing center will give you another test to make sure the first test result was correct.

Reputable testing centers always do these "confirmatory" tests, because there is a very small chance that the first test was wrong. If the second test has the same outcome, you will be diagnosed as being "HIV-positive."

What Do I Do If I Am Diagnosed As Being HIV-Positive?

If you are diagnosed with HIV, you should do the following things—even if you don't feel sick:

• Find a healthcare provider who has experience treating HIV. The testing center can usually recommend someone.
• Get screened for other STIs and for TB. If you have HIV, these infections can cause serious health problems.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Smoking, drinking too much, or taking illegal drugs can weaken your immune system and allow HIV to increase in your body.
• Practice safer sex. Condoms are very effective in preventing HIV transmission when used correctly and consistently.
• Tell your partner or partners about your HIV status before you have any type of sexual contact with them (anal, oral, or vaginal) and don't share needles or syringes with anyone.

See AIDS.gov's Diagnosed with HIV and Staying Healthy with HIV sections for more information and resources.

If I Test Positive For HIV, Does That Mean I Have AIDS?

No. Being diagnosed with HIV does NOT mean you have AIDS. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of HIV disease. You get AIDS only after HIV has severely damaged your immune system. This is why it is so important to get treatment as soon as you test positive for HIV—early treatment can keep HIV under control and prevent it from developing into AIDS. For more information, see CDC's Basic Information about HIV and AIDS.

Will Other People Know My HIV Test Results & Status?

Your test results are protected by state and Federal privacy laws.

Whether anyone can know about your test results or your HIV status depends on what kind of test you take. There are two types of HIV tests—confidential tests and anonymous tests.

Most HIV tests are confidential tests. If you take a confidential HIV test, your name and other identifying information will be attached to your test results. The results will go in your medical record and may be shared with your healthcare providers and your insurance company. Otherwise, no one else has access to your HIV test results unless you tell them.

Some places still offer anonymous HIV tests. If you take an anonymous HIV test, nothing connects your test results to you. When you take the test, you will get a special number or code that allows you to get your results.

If you test positive for HIV, the testing site will report the results to your state health department and the CDC. All personally identifying information will be stripped out. Public health officials do not share this information with anyone else, including insurance companies.

Many states have moved away from anonymous tests because confidential tests help public health officials do a better job of keeping track of how many people have HIV and which areas of the country have the highest rates of HIV. This allows them to get resources to the areas that need them most.

For more information, see CDC's Questions about Privacy, Insurance, and Cost.

Should I Share My HIV Status with Others?

Partners
If you test positive for HIV, your sex or drug-using partners may also be infected. It's important that they know they have been exposed so that they can be tested too.

You can tell them yourself—but if you're nervous about doing that, you can ask your doctor or the local health department to tell them for you. Health departments do not reveal your name to your partners. They will only tell your partners that they have been exposed to HIV and should get tested.

Most states have laws that require you to tell your sexual partners if you are HIV-positive before you have sex (anal, oral, or vaginal). You can be charged with a crime in many places if you don't tell—even if your partner doesn't become infected.

Family/Friends
In most cases, your family and friends will not know your test results or HIV status unless you tell them yourself.

If you are under 18, there may be exceptions to this. All 50 states and the District of Columbia will allow you to get tested and treated for sexually transmitted infections (STI)—but some states allow your healthcare provider to tell your parent(s) if they think doing so is in your best interest. For more information, see the Guttmacher Institute's State Policies in Brief: Minors' Access to STI Services .

Employers
In most cases, your employer will not know your HIV status unless you tell. But your employer does have a right to ask if you have any health conditions that would affect your ability to do your job or pose a serious risk to others. (An example might be a healthcare professional, like a surgeon, who does procedures where there is a risk of blood or other body fluids being exchanged.)

If you have health insurance through your employer, the insurance company cannot legally tell your employer that you have HIV. But it is possible that your employer could find out if the insurance company provides detailed information to your employer about the benefits it pays or the costs of insurance.

All people with HIV are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This means that your employer cannot discriminate against you because of your HIV status as long as you can do your job. For more information, see AIDS.gov's Civil Rights.