The only way to find out if you have HIV is to do a test.
Some people are more at risk of getting HIV and may need to have regular tests.
When you should get tested
Get tested if you think there’s a chance you may have been exposed to HIV.
The earlier HIV is diagnosed, the quicker you can start treatment and avoid becoming seriously ill.
HIV tests can check for parts of the virus or for your body's response to the virus.
It can take some time for the test to react to HIV and give an accurate result. This is called the window period.
How and where to get tested
There are different ways to get tested for HIV.
You can have:
- testing at a clinic
- rapid testing in the community
- home test you send to a lab
- self test with results in minutes
With rapid testing, home testing and self testing - you only use a small amount of blood.
These types of test can give you a reliable negative HIV result. But you must take the window period into account.
The tests may give a 'reactive' result. This means that the test has reacted with something in your blood that may be HIV.
You will need to have more blood tests on a larger amount of blood to confirm an HIV diagnosis.
Testing at a clinic or GP surgery
You can have a blood test at a STI clinic, GP surgery or private healthcare facility. This is sent to a laboratory to be tested. You will usually get the results of the test on the same day or within a few days.
You can get tested for free at all public STI and GUM clinics.
GPs and private healthcare clinics will have a fee for this service.
Many voluntary organisations, drug treatment services and student health services also run free HIV testing clinics.
HIV and STI Testing Centre Locator - hivireland.ie
Rapid HIV testing
A rapid HIV test can give a result in minutes. A rapid HIV test is done through some community outreach programmes. You have the test in a clinic or community venue.
A tester takes a small amount of blood from your finger. They test this in a test kit.
If the result is negative ask them about the window period.
If the result is reactive, they will do a blood test or refer you to a service to get a blood test. The blood test is sent to a laboratory. The laboratory will confirm if you have HIV.
You can get rapid testing through:
- Mpower, Dublin
- Sexual Health Centre, Cork
- Sexual Health West, Galway
- GOSHH, Limerick
A home-test sample you send to a lab
There are some HIV home-test kits that you post to a laboratory for testing.
You can buy this type of home test in most pharmacies or order them online.
The HSE offers this service for free.
To use the HSE home-testing service you must:
- be age 17 or older
- live in the Republic of Ireland
How the home-testing service works:
- Order a STI test kit online at SH:24.
- Read the instructions on the packet before taking your samples.
- Take your samples.
- Send your samples to the laboratory by post.
If you have had sex without a condom, it is recommended that you use the kit to test for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
If your HIV test is reactive, the service will call you with your results. You will need a blood test to confirm that you do or do not have HIV. They will tell you where to go for the blood test.
A self test with results in minutes
You can buy an HIV self-test kit from most pharmacies. Some organisations offer these free of charge.
You can do this test at home. Take a small amount of blood from your finger. Place the sample into the test kit. You will get the results in minutes.
If your test is negative, look at the window period to help you check how accurate the result is.
If your test is reactive you will need a blood test to confirm that you do or do not have HIV. To arrange a blood test contact your GP or a STI or GUM clinic.
Important
For home testing, check that any test you buy has a CE quality assurance mark and is licensed for sale in the EU.
What the test result means
If you have blood taken (blood test) to check for HIV, your result will be either:
- negative - no signs of infection
- positive - there are signs of infection
If your blood test is negative for HIV, you may need to have another blood test. This is because there is a period when the virus may not be detected. This is called the window period.
Rapid tests and home tests also have a window period.
If you have a negative result you will need to take the window period into account. This means that you may need to repeat the test after the window period to be sure the negative result is reliable.
If you have a reactive result from a rapid test or home test, you will need to have a blood test. The blood test will confirm if the reactive result is due to HIV or not.
Testing and the window period
All tests for HIV have a window period.
The window period is the time between a possible HIV exposure and when a test can detect HIV in your body.
The window period is usually about:
- 6 weeks if you have blood taken at a clinic
- 12 weeks for rapid testing, self testing or home testing
During the window period you can have HIV but still have a negative HIV test.
If you have an HIV test in a GP surgery, STI clinic, or community setting, you may need to go back and repeat the test. Do this at the end of the window period.
For home testing, ask the home test provider about repeating the test at the end of the window period.
For self testing, check the information in the leaflet that comes with the kit.
If you have HIV you can transmit the virus to other people during the window period.
After a positive result
If you test positive for HIV, you'll be referred to a specialist HIV clinic. You will have more tests at the clinic. You will find out about your treatment options.
Why get tested
Get tested if there is a chance you have HIV.
If your test is negative you can do things to stay negative. This will help keep you and your sexual partner healthy.
If you test positive you can get the treatment and care you need to live a healthy life. You can also help prevent transmission to your sexual partner.
Regular testing
Some people are more at risk of HIV than others. If you are more at risk, you need to get tested regularly.
Ask your GP or STI clinic about regular HIV testing.
Also consider other ways to prevent HIV infection.
HIV testing in pregnancy
If you're pregnant, you'll be offered a blood test to check for HIV. This is part of your pregnancy care.
If you test positive for HIV, you will be referred to a specialist HIV clinic for treatment. Early diagnosis and effective treatment in pregnancy prevent infection in babies.
If you test negative for HIV in pregnancy, you may need to retest at a later date. This depends on the window period or if there is any ongoing risk of HIV in pregnancy.
Finding out you have HIV when you're pregnant can be very difficult for you and your partner.
Your midwife and HIV services will support you and help reduce the risk to your baby.
In Ireland, treatment reduces the chance of a baby getting HIV to less than 1 in 1000.
Left untreated, HIV can pass to a baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.