An HIV test can show if you have been infected with HIV or not.
After being infected with HIV, the body forms antibodies in the blood. These antibodies can often be reliably detected by a HIV test.
For the HIV test to reliably tell whether you have been infected with HIV, you should wait at least six weeks after you suspect that you might have been infected. After 3 months the test is fully reliable.
Ask a health professional whether you should take the test and when you should take it.
A test will go like this:
- A health professional will take a blood test from you and send it to a laboratory.
- In the laboratory, in your blood will be tested for antibodies.
- It takes about a week to get the result back from the lab.
- If the test is positive, the health professional will explain the result to you and discuss what you can do now.
Rapid test
If you do not want to wait a week for the test result, you can also have a rapid test done. This test gives you faster results:
- A health professional will take a blood sample. After few minutes you will get the results.
- If no HIV is found, it is very unlikely that you are infected with HIV.
- If HIV is found in your blood, a second test must be done to confirm the result and be sure.
- You will receive the result of the confirmation test about a week later. If the test is positive, you will be offered regular consultations.
Talk to a health professional
You can talk to a doctor other other health professional openly. A health professional is not allowed not give any information to anyone else without your permission. Not even to your family or your partner. He / she is required by law not to talk to others about you (confidentiality).
I several cities in Norway there are also other places you can go to take a HIV test without being referred by your general practitioner. At some places you can take the test anonymously (without giving your name). Here you also get counselling after you get the result of the test, and you get to ask any questions you might have. Both the test and the consultations are free of charge.
