HIV/AIDS

Should I Be Tested?
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you should get an HIV test. If you continue with any of these behaviors, you should be tested every year.

• Have you injected drugs or steroids or shared equipment (such as needles, syringes, works) with others?
• Have you had unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex with men who have sex with men, multiple partners, or anonymous partners?
• Have you exchanged sex for drugs or money?
• Have you been diagnosed with or treated for hepatitis, tuberculosis (TB), or a sexually transmitted infection (STI), like gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis?
• Have you had unprotected sex with someone who could answer yes to any of the above questions?

For women who plan to become pregnant, testing is also important. If a woman is infected with HIV, medical care and certain drugs given during pregnancy can lower the chance of passing HIV to her baby. All women who are pregnant should be tested during each pregnancy.

What Happens When I'm Tested?
The HIV/AIDS nurse will talk to you about your risk and you will give written consent.

• A specimen of blood or oral fluid is collected.
• Results will be ready in approximately 2 weeks, at which time you will have another appointment scheduled with the HIV/AIDS nurse to receive your test results.

Why Get Tested?

• If you test positive, there are treatments that will help keep you healthier longer. Treatment is available even if you don't have health insurance.
• If you know you have the virus, you can protect your sex or needle-sharing partners.
• A woman thinking about having a baby needs to know if she has the virus since she could give it to her baby. A pregnant woman with HIV can take medicine that will help protect the baby from HIV.