HIV
HIV is a viral infection which can be transmitted through sex, blood and during childbirth and breast feeding. Most people will have no obvious symptoms of HIV infection however if HIV is not treated there are serious consequences for your future health. Treatment is now very effective and there are many advantages to testing and starting treatment early.
Testing
HIV testing is offered to everybody as part of a routine sexual health screen. It can take up to 45 days for an HIV test to become positive following exposure to the virus but you should not delay testing if you think you may have been at risk. We may recommend a repeat test after 45 days based upon your sexual history and risk assessment. Treatment of HIV is now very advanced and there are many benefits to testing and knowing your status early.
Rapid HIV Testing
In certain circumstances we can carry out a fingerpick HIV test in clinic with results available after 20 minutes.
Online testing
We provide an HIV test in all of our online kits. This is taken from a finger-prick sample, tested by our NHS laboratory. We recommend routinely testing for HIV when you change sexual partners or if you have a specific worry or concern. Please click here to order an online test.