How to cope with an HIV diagnosis
World AIDS Day: Is it easy to have an HIV test?
This World AIDS Day 2023, discover how checking your sexual health can be fast, straightforward, and comfortable.
There are several HIV testing options in the UK to choose from, either in a clinic or from your own home. Finding an HIV infection as early as possible means more effective treatment and greater chances of full recovery.
How to get tested for HIV
In the UK it's never been easier to get an HIV test and to get your result quickly. You have several options to choose from, including getting tested by a health professional or self-testing at home. HIV testing is either free or paid-for, depending on your chosen route.
Where to go
You can have your HIV test at:
- Some GP practices.
- Sexual health clinics - genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics specialise in this.
- HIV testing centres - run by charities like Terrence Higgins Trust.
- Some young people's clinics and contraception clinics.
- Local dependency services.
- Antenatal clinics - if you're pregnant.
- Private clinics.
- Your own home.
You can use the NHS website HIV testing service finder to locate your nearest clinic for free tests. You can also pay for your tests at private practices. For home testing kits, there are both free and paid-for options.
HIV testing at a practice, clinic, or centre
Once you've found a place to get tested, this is what you should expect:
- A healthcare professional will explain how the test works and answer any questions.
- There are two common types of HIV tests you could have:
- A blood test - a small sample is taken from your finger or arm.
- A point of care test - saliva is taken from around your gums.
- Your sample may need to be sent to a laboratory if you have a blood test and in this case you'll usually receive your results in 3-5 days. Some tests, including point of care tests, show your results within 3-20 minutes on the same day.
- An HIV-negative result means you don't have HIV and an HIV-positive result means you do have HIV. A positive result doesn't tell you if you have AIDS - the most advanced stage of HIV.
- If you have a positive result and your first test wasn't a blood test, you'll need a follow-up test to confirm the diagnosis.
- If you are diagnosed with HIV a professional will talk you through what happens next and your treatment options.
HIV testing at home
Home testing kits are easy to carry out, and can be a more comfortable and convenient option, offering more privacy for people who wish to by-pass discussions with a professional.
There are two types of home HIV testing:
- Self-tests - you take the sample and get the results within a few minutes.
- Postal tests - you take the sample and post it to a laboratory who will then contact you usually within 2-10 working days.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to find and order a free HIV test using an online test finder. There are also many HIV home tests you can pay for, online or in pharmacies like Boots and Superdrug.
You can find more information on how home testing kits work, for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, here.
How accurate is a HIV test?
No HIV test is 100% reliable, and no HIV test is able to detect the virus immediately after you have been infected. The time between HIV exposure and when it can be detected is called the window period.
If you think you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, talk to a healthcare provider about having post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)1 as soon as possible.
But blood tests are the most accurate - and of these the fourth-generation tests are the best2. Also called rapid antigen/antibody tests, these detect both HIV antibodies, produced by your immune system to fight HIV, and HIV antigens - proteins found in the virus.
- These tests have a 99.7% accuracy rating3.
- They also have a shorter window period then other tests, being able to detect HIV just 18 days after infection4. This is because HIV antigens can show up on tests earlier than antibodies.
- Accuracy ratings for other HIV testing may be slightly lower, but all clinically reliable STI tests are at least 90% accurate5.
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Are home HIV tests as reliable?
Yes. It is a myth that STI testing at home is less reliable than tests carried out by a clinician. According to The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), experts are recommending that sexual health services encourage the use of self-testing kits - as this may encourage more people to test5.
How much do paid-for HIV tests cost?
If you pay for an HIV test, the cost will depend on where you get it from.
HIV testing needn't be expensive, but prices online can range from around £15 when purchased from charities like Terrence Higgins Trust, to £100s in some private clinics, which may test for HIV along with other STIs at the same time.
How soon can HIV be detected by a blood test?
This depends on the type of blood test6:
- Antigen/antibody tests may detect HIV from 18 days after exposure - instant rapid tests may detect from 18 to 90 days after exposure, and lab tests from 18 to 45 days.
- Antibody tests may detect HIV from 23 to 90 days after exposure - most instant tests and self-tests are antibody tests.
- Nucleic acid tests (NATs) may detect HIV from 10 to 33 days after exposure.
Understanding HIV
Finding out you have HIV can be scary and sometimes life-changing, so it's important to look after your mental health during this time. HIV and AIDS treatment has come along way since the 1980s - understanding where we're at with HIV could also help, including the current situation for women with HIV, which often gets overlooked.
Further reading
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): PEP (Post-exposure prophylaxis).
- NAM aidsmap: How accurate are fourth-generation combination tests for HIV diagnosis?
- CDC: Laboratory testing for the diagnosis of HIV infection updated recommendations.
- Clinical Infectious Diseases: Time until emergence of HIV test reactivity following infection with HIV-1: implications for interpreting test results and retesting after exposure.
- National Institute for Health and Care Research: Self-testing kit for sexually transmitted infections increases diagnoses while reducing costs.
- CDC: Understanding the HIV window period.
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Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Egton Medical Information Systems Limited has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details see our conditions.