Antibodies in your blood against HIV positive results

Soon after HIV infection, the corpse begins to build antibodies that fight the virus. The HIV trial looks for these antibodies in your blood. After about three months, most people have enough anti-HIV antibodies to test positive on standard HIV tests. Some people don’t test positive for six months or even a year, so repeat testing is needed.

The HIV test is plain. Home tests are available. You can also get tested at labs that keep your identity private. You can also get tested by your doctor, and at your public condition department. If you are doing a home exam, or if you order a test from a lab, a positive effect means you should see a doctor to confirm that you’re really infected. If you know you are at high danger of HIV infection and come down with a bad case of the flu, see a doctor right away. It could be the early signs of HIV infection. Tell your doctor about your risk behavior. There are very sensitive tests that can tell if you’ve got HIV and treatment during this very early stage of infection works best.

Before getting tested, think about what your test effect will mean. Most people need help with this, so see a counselor, psychologist, or doctor for advice - or call your local AIDS hotline. Prepare for your result. If you test negative, you may want to talk about how to reduce your future risk. There are many private AIDS organizations that can give you this kind of help. Usually these organizations have "been-there, done-that" counselors you can relate to. If you test positive, you’ll need help deciding what to do. HIV infection isn’t a death sentence. It does mean that you will need to take special care of your health. It also means that you will have to take specific care not to infect anybody else with the AIDS virus.

If you test positive for HIV, you must have medical care. If you don’t have a doctor, a local AIDS organization or AIDS hotline can help you discover one. Get some help from a person you trust. If you don’t have a person like this in your life, get help from a educated counselor. Have this person go with you to the doctor. If you test positive, you have to tell your sex and/or needle-sharing partners that they, too, need to be tested. But you don’t have to tell everybody else. Tell only those people who can support you. If you have children, talk with a counselor about what to tell them and when.