HIV Tests - HIV Testing

If you think you have HIV symptoms, it is highly advisable that HIV tests be performed.  Not only will this testing provide you with the answers you seek, it could save your life, and your partner's life as well. 

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) may cause, but is not guaranteed to cause, AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).  The sooner you get tested for HIV, the sooner proper treatment can begin.  Proper and timely treatment of HIV is critical to the likelihood of your future health and well being.  Unfortunately not enough people who have HIV find out about it early on. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 25% of the over one million people living with HIV in the United States are unaware that they're infected.  By not being tested, you could very well be helping to spread the disease, and leaving yourself vulnerable for developing AIDS without having the proper medical care needed. 

Confidential HIV Testing

The ELISA test was the first HIV test to be commonly used. It is usually the first option used when trying to detect an HIV infection.

The HIV antibody test is looking for the antibodies a person's immune system produces to fight off an HIV infection. Detectable antibodies of the HIV virus are usually present 6 to 12 weeks after infection.

A positive HIV test result for the ELISA means that antibodies to HIV are present in your system and therefore so is the disease. The test is then repeated for confirmation. If the test is negative at three months after possible infection, further testing is usually not needed as it has a low chance of having a false result at this point. 

However, there are a couple of situations in which a false positive may occur from HIV testing. Babies born to mothers infected with HIV can have the antibodies in their system for up to 18 months while actually being HIV negative. People who have participated in HIV vaccine trials may also have antibodies in their system without being infected by the virus. 

Western Blot

This is one of oldest and most accurate HIV tests used to confirm the positive results of the ELISA test. 

Polymearse Chain Reaction (PCR) Test

The PCR test is searching for the RNA or DNA of HIV in your body's white blood cells. It can detect this genetic material within two to three weeks of infection. However, they are not widely used because they are more expensive and complicated to administer than the antibody test. 

When mothers who are HIV positive give birth, their babies are generally PCR tested since antibody tests are inaccurate in these cases. 

Obtaining a confidential test for HIV is as simple as contacting our counselors to schedule a test at one of our local testing clinics near you.