If you think you might have HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), it’s a good idea to get tested. If you have it, you can start treatment and prevent spreading HIV, a virus that attacks the immune system, to others.

Even if you don’t think you could have HIV, your doctor may want you to get tested to confirm you don’t have the virus. It’s recommended that everyone older than age 13 have an HIV test at least once.

To get tested for HIV you can:

• Ask your doctor.
• Go to a health clinic like Planned Parenthood.
• Visit the CDC’s GetTested or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) to find a testing center.
• Buy a test online or at a drugstore and do it at home. You don’t need a prescription from your doctor.

In most states, you don’t need a parent's permission to buy the test or get checked for HIV. Many testing centers will do an HIV test for free, but ask if there’s a fee before you go.

How Do HIV Tests Work?

Most HIV tests use a blood sample, either from a blood draw (using a needle to take blood from your arm) or fingerstick. Others use saliva (spit), but this is less precise than blood tests.

Some tests look for HIV itself. But most look for HIV antibodies (parts of the immune system that fight the virus). When someone has HIV, the body makes antibodies to try to get rid of it.

Test results might be ready that day or take longer to come back.

Does HIV Always Show Up on Tests?

If someone got HIV recently, it might not show up on a test. How fast HIV appears depends on the kind of test done:

• Testing that looks for the virus itself can find HIV 7‒28 days after infection.
• Testing that looks for HIV antibodies can find them 3‒12 weeks after infection.

Who Will Know the Results of My HIV Test?

Testing sites have different privacy rules. If you go to an anonymous test site, only you know the results. No written record of the test result is kept.

If you go to a confidential test site, the results will go in your medical record. Positive results (meaning you have HIV) are sent to the state or local health department. Your insurance company will be able to see your results. And in some states, your parent or guardian may be contacted.

Before getting tested, you can ask about the site’s privacy rules.

What Happens if My HIV Test Is Positive?

With early treatment, people with HIV can stay healthy and live about as long as people who don’t have the virus.

People at the testing site can help you get the right care and support. You can get advice on things like how to tell your parents and find a doctor who's an HIV specialist.

If My HIV Test Is Negative, Do I Need to Get Tested Again?

If your HIV test is negative, ask at the testing site to see if you need to get checked again.

Some reasons to get tested again include if you:

• have sex without a condom
• are a male and have sex with other males
• have had sex with more than three people in the past year
• get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) (also called a sexually transmitted infection or STI)
• share needles to inject drugs or get tattoos
• are pregnant

If My HIV Test Is Negative, Does that Mean My Partner Doesn't Have HIV?

If your HIV test is negative, your partner could still have HIV. The only way to be sure is for them to also get tested.

How Can I Lower My Chances of Getting HIV?

You can reduce the risk of getting HIV by not having sex (called abstinence).

If you do have sex, use protection like a condom, finger condom, or dental dam each time. This includes vaginal, anal, or oral sex; sex using fingers; or other sexual contact. Have just one sexual partner and make sure the person has been tested for HIV. Also, be sure to get tested for STDs because having an STD makes it easier to get HIV. For example, some STDs cause sores through which HIV could enter the body.

It’s also important to not share needles for things like injecting drugs or getting tattoos.