Comprehensive Guide to HIV Testing

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• In a home HIV test kit, a person has a test ID card that is used to identify the specimen by number. Anyone who has the number can get the test result over the phone. The person who is being tested has to make sure that nobody else sees the card. Otherwise, any person who sees the card or the number can get that other person's test results. So it's important that a person getting tested at home doesn't leave the ID number lying around the house, where other members of the household can see it. This differs dramatically from testing through the health department. To ensure confidentiality, health departments will usually not give test results over the phone or by mail. Test results through the health department are usually given in person.
• Getting test results over the phone can be hard to deal with, especially if the HIV test is positive. A person can just hang up and never hear all the counseling and information they need to hear. For this reason HIV test counseling is best done face-to-face, and is most effective this way.
• Using HIV home testing, if a person is positive, there is no way to do partner notification (anonymously helping a person's sex/needle-sharing partners know they've been exposed). Partner notification is routinely done by local health departments around the country for HIV and other STDs. Home testing bypasses this important, and proven, preventive health measure.
• There are presently two home HIV testing companies that have received FDA approval for these types of tests, Home Access, and Confide, which is no longer on the market. Unfortunately I recently discovered at least three other companies that are selling home HIV tests that have not been approved by the FDA. The three companies I found were all advertising via the Internet. Beware of these unapproved kits and only use Home Access for now. (For more information, look at The Body.com section on HIV Testing.)

What Home HIV Test Should I Buy?

Be sure you get an FDA approved home HIV test kit, such as "Home Access." Other tests are available, and some have been shown to be inaccurate. These are available over-the-counter at most drug stores. more from Federal Trade Commission

The FTC recently tested HIV kits advertised and sold on the Internet for self diagnosis at home. In every case, the kits showed a negative result when used on a known HIV-positive sample — that is, when they should have shown a positive result. Using one of these kits could give a person who might be infected with HIV the false impression that he or she is not infected.

I've Taken the Test. What Happens Now?

• Depending on the test you take, you may have to wait a week or more obtain your results.
• If you can, take a friend with you to pick up your results - especially if this is your first test or if it has been a long time since you last tested. They may be a source of comfort for you if your results are positive. If not, the two of you can celebrate together.
• Some more recently developed tests can provide you with your results within an hour. Occasionally these tests can be inconclusive, and you must still wait one or two weeks for the final result.

What Do My HIV Test Results Mean?

A negative HIV test result means:

• If you have not engaged in any risky behaviors for the last 6 months, you are not currently infected with HIV. If you have had unprotected sex or shared needles or have other risk factors in the last 6 months, you should be tested again. You could still be HIV positive, and pass the HIV on to other people, even though your test is negative.
• A negative test does not mean that you are immune to HIV.
• Some people who have a negative test may be tempted to continue risk behaviors, believing "It can't happen to me." If you continue unsafe behaviors, you are still at risk.

A positive HIV test result means:

• You are infected with the HIV virus. This does not necessarily mean that you have AIDS.
• A person with HIV is infected for life. He or she can pass the virus to others by having unprotected sex, or by sharing drug use needles or equipment. To protect yourself and others, you need to avoid doing these things. A woman who has HIV can pass it on to her unborn or breast feeding baby. Those carrying the HIV virus should not donate blood, plasma, semen, body organs, or other tissue.
• You should choose a doctor to monitor the progression of HIV in your body, and advise you on when it is appropriate to begin treatment. There are differing opinions about how early to begin treatment, but it's clearly much better to begin treatment long before symptoms of AIDS develop. The only way you can tell when to begin treatment is by having a doctor interpret additional tests. You may wish to change to a doctor that specializes in HIV care.
• If your HIV test is positive, your sexual partners and anyone with whom you have shared drug injection equipment may also be infected. They should be told they have been exposed to HIV and advised to seek HIV counseling and antibody testing. You can tell them yourself, work with your doctor, or ask for help from the local health department. Health departments do not reveal your name to sexual or drug-use partners, only the fact that they have been exposed to HIV.

Should I Take the HIV Test Again?

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Periodic testing has the following benefits:

• It takes up to 6 months for the HIV virus to be detected. If you have tested before this time has passed, you should test again to allow for this.
• Always knowing your HIV status may empower you to continue doing the right things.
• May give you an increased peace of mind in knowing you are negative.
• If you should become positive, you will know at the earlier possible moment and will have more treatment options available to you than if you learn about this later.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound Of Cure.

Next: Coping with an HIV diagnosis

Written 8/04. Last reviewed: 10/05

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