hihow soon can i test for HIV. i suspect that i...

What are the types of HIV tests?

• There are three types of tests used to diagnose HIV infection: antibody tests, antigen/antibody tests, and nucleic acid tests (NATs)

•     Antibody tests check for HIV antibodies in blood or oral fluid. HIV antibodies are disease-fighting proteins that the body produces in response to HIV infection. Most rapid tests and home use tests are antibody tests.
•     Antigen/antibody tests can detect both HIV antibodies and HIV antigens (a part of the virus) in blood.
•     NATs look for HIV in the blood.
• No HIV test can detect HIV immediately after infection.

How accurate are these tests?

• An antigen/antibody test performed by a laboratory on blood from a vein can usually detect HIV infection 18 to 45 days after an exposure.

• Antibody tests can usually take 23 to 90 days to reliably detect HIV infection.
• Most rapid tests and home tests are antibody tests.
• In general, antibody tests that use blood from a vein can detect HIV sooner after infection than tests done with blood from a finger prick or with oral fluid.
• A nucleic acid test (NAT) can usually tell you if you have HIV infection 10 to 33 days after an exposure

• If you get an HIV test after a potential HIV exposure and the result is negative, get tested again after the window period for the test you’re taking to be sure.

• If your health care provider uses an antigen/antibody test performed by a laboratory on blood from a vein you should get tested again 45 days after your most recent exposure.
• For other tests, you should test again at least 90 days after your most recent exposure to tell for sure if you have HIV.