HIV Testing What You Need to Know and When to Get Tested

HIV is a virus that progressively destroys the immune system by targeting CD4 T-cells. Without treatment, the immune system loses the ability to control infections and certain types of cancer, which can lead to life-threatening conditions.

The infection may remain without noticeable symptoms for a long time. A person can feel well and still carry the virus and transmit it to others.

You Should Consider HIV Testing If

• you had unprotected vaginal or anal sex
• you have a new or multiple sexual partners
• you have been diagnosed with another sexually transmitted infection
• you share needles or injection equipment
• your partner’s HIV status is unknown
• you want to be sure before continuing a sexual relationship

Testing helps determine your status and decide on further steps if needed.

Walk-in visits are available at Buckhead Primary and Urgent Care Clinic, and appointments can also be scheduled online at a convenient time.

How HIV is Transmitted

HIV can be transmitted through blood, semen, pre-ejaculate, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.

In practice, This Most Often Happens Through

• vaginal or anal sex without protection
• oral sex if semen enters the mouth and there are cuts, sores, or bleeding gums
• shared needles, syringes, or other injection equipment
• transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding

HIV is not spread through everyday contact. You cannot get HIV from touching, hugging, sharing food, toilet seats, or surfaces.

The Risk of HIV Transmission is Not the Same in Every Situation.

The highest risk is associated with receptive anal sex. Vaginal sex carries a lower but still significant risk. Oral sex is considered low risk, but transmission is still possible under certain conditions.

The risk from a single sexual contact is generally low, but not zero. For example, the estimated risk of acquiring HIV from one episode of unprotected heterosexual intercourse is approximately 1 in 900.

Risk Increases If

• there are cuts, sores, or inflammation
• another sexually transmitted infection is present
• the partner has a high viral load

Even if the risk from a single exposure seems low, repeated contacts increase the overall likelihood of infection.

When to Test for HIV After Exposure

If there was a high-risk exposure, preventive treatment may be available. It should be started as soon as possible, ideally within the first hours and no later than 72 hours.

Testing immediately after exposure is not informative. HIV is not detected right away due to the window period, the time between infection and when a test can detect it.

Most HIV tests detect antibodies, which the body produces after infection. In about 97% of people, these can be detected within 3 to 12 weeks.

Depending on the timing of exposure, repeat testing may be recommended to confirm the result.

If You Have Questions or Are Unsure

If you have questions about HIV or a possible exposure, you can contact the CDC information line at 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636) for guidance.

If you are not sure what to do, it is better to seek medical advice and take additional precautions. In this situation, it is safer to check and act early than to ignore the risk.

Related Links

• Yeast Infections in Women