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 is most accurate if the sample is taken 45 days (or later) after the exposure to the virus.  In most cases, you will hear back with your results in 7 – 21 days.

 

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Take-home self-tests are rapid tests that can be done by yourself. They are a great option for people who prefer to test from home. Self tests involve a finger prick that you give yourself. These kits can be ordered anywhere in Nova Scotia through the STI Care Now initiative. If you get a positive (reactive) result on a self-test you must get a confirmatory standard test done. If you are looking to test anonymously, call your local sexual health centre or AIDS service organization to see if they offer them. It takes 3 months after HIV exposure for these tests to be at their most accurate. 

 

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NOMINAL testing is the standard testing option in this province, and it means your blood sample that gets sent to the NS Health lab can be linked back to you through your name.

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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.

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ANONYMOUS testing is when your identity is not tracked when you get tested. 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.

 

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