It is now possible in many countries to test yourself for HIV, for example at home. Some people prefer the privacy and ease of this rather than going to a healthcare provider.
You’ll receive instructions on how to take a tiny drop of blood or saliva (spit) and test this sample. Depending on the type of self-test, you’ll either get the result in 20 minutes or a few days later.
It’s a kit that you can use to test yourself for HIV at home or elsewhere. There are two kinds:
You take a sample (of blood or saliva) and post it to a laboratory. You will get your result by text (SMS) message or telephone call from a healthcare worker.
You take a sample and don’t send it to a laboratory: instead, you read the result yourself from the testing kit.
If they are available in your country, you can order them online or ask your healthcare provider for one. Self-testing hasn’t been approved everywhere, so check online to see if it is available where you are.
If you have HIV, it will show up on an HIV self-testing kit if it has been at least three months since you were exposed. This three-month period where HIV may be present but not detected is also called a window period. Because the length of the window period is three months for HIV self-testing kits, you must wait this long to get an accurate result.
The testing kits are designed to be easy to use and always come with instructions. Some kits need a blood sample and others need a saliva sample.
You put the lancet on the tip of your finger and press firmly so that it pricks the skin. It’s not as painful as it sounds – just like a dull pin prick. You then massage the side of the finger to form a drop of blood and either test it or send it to a laboratory.
You rub the swab over your upper gums once and then your lower gums once to collect a fluid sample. You then put the swab in the test tube and either test it or send it to a laboratory.
If you use a self-testing kit, you will usually get a result within 20 minutes.
If you use a postal test, you will receive your result within a few days.
If the result is negative, you do not have HIV.
If the result is positive, it must be checked again. Contact your local healthcare provider and tell them the result of your HIV self-test. They will test you for HIV again to confirm the result.
If you are positive, your healthcare provider will be able to start you on antiretroviral treatment straight away. This will keep the virus under control and help you stay healthy.
Licensed HIV tests that have been approved by national authorities are very reliable. On rare occasions they will produce a positive result which is then found to be negative. This is called a false positive test result. This is why all positive results must be checked again.
If your result is positive, you will be put in touch with a local healthcare provider.
You might also want to talk to a trusted friend so that you can share your emotions and any worries.
Currently, it is estimated that only 84% of people with HIV know their HIV status. Countries are looking for ways to increase the number of people testing for HIV. Self-testing is one way of doing this, because:
There is no risk of passing on HIV through kissing as saliva contains such a small trace of HIV. Because of this, lots of people find it confusing that you can use oral samples to test for HIV.
To explain this, the first thing to know is that oral HIV tests do not detect the virus itself, instead they look for antibodies. These are cells that the immune system develops to respond to an HIV infection. So, oral fluids don’t contain the virus needed to pass HIV on, but they do contain the antibodies required to detect an HIV infection.
It’s also worth noting that the tests do not look for antibodies in saliva, instead they test something called ‘oral mucosal transudate’, which is a fluid that is released from the cells that make up your cheeks and gums. This is why when you take an oral sample you rub the stick along your gums and cheeks, where antibodies are more likely to be found.
It’s a kit that you can use to test yourself for HIV at home or elsewhere. There are two kinds:
You take a sample (of blood or saliva) and post it to a laboratory. You will get your result by text (SMS) message or telephone call from a healthcare worker.
You take a sample and don’t send it to a laboratory: instead, you read the result yourself from the testing kit.
If they are available in your country, you can order them online or ask your healthcare provider for one. Self-testing hasn’t been approved everywhere, so check online to see if it is available where you are.
If you have HIV, it will show up on an HIV self-testing kit if it has been at least three months since you were exposed. This three-month period where HIV may be present but not detected is also called a window period. Because the length of the window period is three months for HIV self-testing kits, you must wait this long to get an accurate result.
The testing kits are designed to be easy to use and always come with instructions. Some kits need a blood sample and others need a saliva sample.
You put the lancet on the tip of your finger and press firmly so that it pricks the skin. It’s not as painful as it sounds – just like a dull pin prick. You then massage the side of the finger to form a drop of blood and either test it or send it to a laboratory.
You rub the swab over your upper gums once and then your lower gums once to collect a fluid sample. You then put the swab in the test tube and either test it or send it to a laboratory.
If you use a self-testing kit, you will usually get a result within 20 minutes.
If you use a postal test, you will receive your result within a few days.
If the result is negative, you do not have HIV.
If the result is positive, it must be checked again. Contact your local healthcare provider and tell them the result of your HIV self-test. They will test you for HIV again to confirm the result.
If you are positive, your healthcare provider will be able to start you on antiretroviral treatment straight away. This will keep the virus under control and help you stay healthy.
Licensed HIV tests that have been approved by national authorities are very reliable. On rare occasions they will produce a positive result which is then found to be negative. This is called a false positive test result. This is why all positive results must be checked again.
If your result is positive, you will be put in touch with a local healthcare provider.
You might also want to talk to a trusted friend so that you can share your emotions and any worries.
Currently, it is estimated that only 84% of people with HIV know their HIV status. Countries are looking for ways to increase the number of people testing for HIV. Self-testing is one way of doing this, because:
There is no risk of passing on HIV through kissing as saliva contains such a small trace of HIV. Because of this, lots of people find it confusing that you can use oral samples to test for HIV.
To explain this, the first thing to know is that oral HIV tests do not detect the virus itself, instead they look for antibodies. These are cells that the immune system develops to respond to an HIV infection. So, oral fluids don’t contain the virus needed to pass HIV on, but they do contain the antibodies required to detect an HIV infection.
It’s also worth noting that the tests do not look for antibodies in saliva, instead they test something called ‘oral mucosal transudate’, which is a fluid that is released from the cells that make up your cheeks and gums. This is why when you take an oral sample you rub the stick along your gums and cheeks, where antibodies are more likely to be found.
