HIV testing

You should get tested if any of these apply to your situation:

• If you have had vaginal or anal intercourse without a condom and you do not know if your partner has HIV or not.
• If you have had oral sex and received vaginal secretions, pre-ejaculate or semen in your mouth (and you do not know if your partner has HIV or not).
• If you have used the same drug injecting equipment with another person.

There is a risk of HIV infection in situations where blood or secretions, such as vaginal secretions or semen enter another person’s mucous membranes or bloodstream. HIV does not transmit easily, and the greatest risk of infection is through unprotected vaginal or anal sex without a condom. Oral sex has a very low risk of infection for the person who comes into oral contact with vaginal secretions, pre-ejaculate or semen.

A person living with HIV, who is on effective HIV medication, cannot infect another person with HIV, even during sex without a condom. HIV medication significantly reduces the transmission of HIV also in injection drug users, when using shared injection equipment.

You can get an HIV test:

• Earliest 3 weeks after exposure to HIV.
• To receive the most accurate test result, get tested 3 months after exposure.

You can go for an HIV test at the earliest 3 weeks after you may have been exposed to HIV. Almost all HIV infections can be detected as early as two months after exposure to HIV. A negative test result is fully reliable if taken 3 months after exposure. HIV tests look for antibodies against HIV in the blood. The human body begins to produce antibodies at its own pace after infection. Therefore, antibodies cannot be found in the test immediately after the exposure. This is why you can’t get tested for HIV right after unprotected sex.

In most instances, antibodies are visible in the test six weeks after infection, but it may take longer for the antibodies to appear. This is why a negative test result taken three months after the most recent exposure is considered fully reliable. However, you can get tested for HIV as early as 4-6 weeks after exposure. If the result is negative, it should be confirmed with a new test, which is taken after the three months have passed. During this time, we advise to use a condom or dental dam during sex. A lot of water-soluble or silicone-based lubricant should be used together with a condom for anal intercourse.

HIV can be tested through a blood test from your arm, with a rapid HIV test or with a home HIV test. The HIV test is typically performed using either a blood sample drawn from a vein in the crook of the arm or a small drop of blood from the fingertip. The most commonly used test in Finland is HIV AgAb. This type of test recognizes both the antigen and antibodies in the serum.

The result of vein blood tests are developed within a week. The test on the blood from the fingertip can be conducted as a rapid test, which delivers the results in as little as 1 minute.

HIV can be tested through a blood test from your arm, with a rapid HIV test or with a home HIV test. The HIV test is usually done with either a vein blood test from the arm or a drop of blood from the fingertip. The most commonly used test in Finland is HIV AgAb. This type of test recognizes both the antigen and antibodies in the serum.

The result of vein blood tests are developed within a week. The test on the blood from the fingertip can be conducted as a rapid test, which delivers the results in as little as 1 minute.

Read more about HIV home testing!

A negative result means that no antibodies of HIV were found in the blood. In other words, if the test was done after 3 months of the risk situation, a negative result means that the tested person does not have HIV. If the risk situation was less than 3 months before the test, we suggest taking another test once 3 months have passed. This applies to all HIV testing methods—whether it’s a fingertip test, a venous blood sample, or a home test.

If the result of the rapid test from the fingertip is positive, a blood test is taken from a vein in the crook of your arm in order to confirm the result.  The confirmation results are usually delivered within a week. An HIV infection diagnosis can be made only after the confirmation test. A positive test result may cause anxiety or fear. We recommend reaching out to a reliable place for support if needed, such as Hivpoint or the health care system.

The amounts of HIV in a human’s bodily fluids are particularly high right after transmission, at which point the infection does not yet show in tests. So, it is possible to transmit the disease without one’s knowledge at this stage. Until you receive the final results from the tests, it is important that you use a condom, as well as lubricant (if necessary) in all sexual contact.