Testing And Living With HIV

A standard HIV test looks for antibodies in the blood of a person. When HIV enters the body of a person, the proteins are produced special and those are called p24 antigens. These antigens then quickly disappear and are replaced by antibodies. Antibodies are the body's response to infection. So if a person has HIV antibodies in their blood, it means that you are infected with HIV. There are only two exceptions to this rule. First, infants born to infected mothers retain their mother's antibodies for up to 18 months, which means they can be positive in a test for antibodies against HIV, even though in reality they are HIV negative. This is why babies born to infected mothers may receive a PCR test after birth. Second, some people who participated in the testing of vaccines against HIV may have antibodies against HIV, even if they are infected with the virus What is a PCR test PCR tests detect the genetic material HIV itself and can identify HIV in the blood within two or three weeks after infection. Most people develop detectable HIV antibodies within 6-12 weeks after infection. In rare cases, it can take up to six months. It is extremely unlikely that anyone would take over six months to develop antibodies. Getting tested earlier than three months can lead to a test result is not clear, since an infected person can still have not developed antibodies against HIV. However, the person may already have high levels of HIV in their blood, sexual fluids or breast milk. Someone can transmit HIV to another person during the period of the window, even if they did not test positive on an antibody test. It is best to wait at least three months after the last time you were at risk before taking the test, and refrain from unprotected sex or drug use with shared needles in the meantime. Things not very good tests There are some things about an HIV test that are not so good: * Find out who are positive can be very stressful and quality of life may suffer. * If others know you have HIV can have bad reactions or feel like you are talking about, even if many people get good feedback too. * Travel restrictions for people living with HIV and can be reserved or denied entry into a country * If you have had a positive result on an HIV test can be difficult or impossible to obtain assurance -Life and / or mortgage. * If you are prepared for them in advance, they can make it easier to make the decision to test and treat the consequences. * Whatever you decide, there is support to help you reach this decision. Being diagnosed as HIV positive is very stressful to achieve, but it gets better as time goes on. A lot of help and support available so please use it and not ignore.