How do you test for HIV? There are a few different kinds of HIV tests to know about:

Standard testing is when they take some blood from your arm and send it to a lab to get tested. The testing lab in Nova Scotia uses a test that can detect HIV as early as 18 days after infection in some people, in some people it can take 45 days for an infection to show up on a test. The test looks for things called “antibodies” to HIV, which are molecules the body produces in response to HIV infection, and also looks for a tiny bit of the virus called an “antigen.” In most cases, you will get your results in 7 – 21 days.

Take-home self-tests are rapid tests that can be done by yourself. They are a great option for folks who want to test anonymously or prefer the accessibility of testing from home. Self tests involve a finger prick and looks for HIV antibodies in your blood. These kits can be picked up at our HEAL NS office in Halifax, or shipped anywhere in the province through this link. If you get a positive (reactive) result on a self-test you must get a confirmatory standard test done.

There is also nominal and non-nominal testing. A nominal test result, the standard testing option, can be linked back to you through your name. Non-nominal testing is when a doctor sends a sample to the lab with some other marker, such as a birthday, so that they can link it to your medical file at their office without sharing your identity with the lab. In Nova Scotia, the only way to get fully anonymous confirmatory testing (standard testing) is at the Halifax Sexual Health Centre or the Ally Centre of Cape Breton. With anonymous testing they won’t ask for any personal information, so your test result won’t be linked back to you.

There’s a “window period” between the moment HIV transmission happens and when it will show up on an HIV test. This is based on the level of virus in your body and antibodies to the virus that become detectable over time. It can take up to 3 months after somebody gets HIV for tests to show a positive result, so talk about the window period with the person giving you the test, and be sure to test more than once during this window period if you think you might have been exposed to HIV.

This section was adapted, with permission, from The Sex You Want Website.
You can learn more about where we got this information from at: HSHC, NS Health
*disclaimer: we do not necessarily endorse all of the information, content, or language used in these references