I can’t believe I had unprotected sex!!

So what’s next? How do I test to see if I have HIV or AIDS?

Well you can’t test to see if you have AIDS. AIDS is an illness that is developed in HIV patients. What we are concerned about here is the possibility of contracting HIV through the incident of unprotected sex. YOU have various HIV testing methods at your disposal and regardless of how you go about having your HIV test the principal is the same. Whether through your doctor, AIDS clinic or an online provider such as HeadStarttesting.co.nz they all test for HIV antibodies. These are not developed until 12 weeks although many individuals will develop them within 4 weeks. So the first essential step to take now if your exposure was recent is to stop all sexual contact until your status is known.  Then you should decide which of the HIV testing methods is suitable for you. If buying an HIV test through HeadStartTesting.co.nz you must remember that you will not receive counselling.

Many choose home testing as it allows for convenient and private testing and they have resigned themselves to going through testing without counselling. Of course if your test result is positive you will need immediate medical supervision. Many individuals test for HIV at 4, 8 and 12 weeks in order to reduce worry whilst waiting for the 12 weeks to pass. Most online stores selling HIV test kits offer discounted rates for multi-packs for this reason.

Whichever testing method you choose, the important point to stress is that if you have been at risk, do not risk others until you are certain of your HIV status.