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Looking for HIV home testing and not eligible to participate through TakeMeHome? You can purchase a test by ordering it by pressing the button to the right.
1-866-436-6527
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV weakens your immune system, and makes it much harder for your body to fight off infections. When HIV progresses, it can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is a set of symptoms and specific illnesses—like infections and cancers. Fortunately, wonderful treatments exist to keep your immune system strong. By starting on treatment early and staying on it, HIV is now a manageable, chronic condition.
It’s recommended that men who have sex with men test for HIV every 3-6 months. For any person who has more than one sex partner, frequent testing is just as important. Each HIV test has a different ‘window period’. This means that if you are tested within a certain time period since your last risk, you may receive a ‘negative’ test result but still have an infection. This period of time is between 10 days and three months, depending on the person’s body and on the HIV test that’s used. Testing within this time period means that even with a negative test result, a person may be positive and could transmit HIV to their partners.
A preliminary positive result means that it’s possible you have HIV but additional testing is needed.
PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis , is a pill to help keep you HIV-negative. PrEP is highly effective when taken as prescribed. PrEP is very safe and generally well tolerated. Most insurance plans (public and private) cover PrEP. Find out if you qualify for free PrEP medications.
The most important thing to know about STDs: Get tested every three months. Get a blood test and pee in a cup. And if you’re giving blow jobs, or bottoming, ask your doctor to swab your mouth and butt as well! To find a free or low-cost test near you, go to gettested.cdc.gov.
U=U stands for undetectable means untransmittable. That means that people living with HIV who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load—the amount of HIV in the blood—by taking and adhering to antiretroviral therapy (ART) as prescribed cannot sexually transmit the virus to others.
Condoms can be great for many people. There are many different condom options out there, and they are very effective and cheap. They can be a great choice if you don’t know your partner well. They’re also great for making sure one of you doesn’t give the other a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or HIV. Condoms are easy to use, come in all kinds of colors and flavors, and it’s pretty easy to find them for free. Here are some questions that a lot of people have about them, and the answers.
Drugs and alcohol may be part of your life. The best thing you can do is get info and support to keep yourself healthy. Below are some resources for people who use and inject drugs that can help prevent HIV, hepatitis C, and overdose.
Find local harm reduction programs
Taking a pregnancy test, talking about pregnancy with a partner, starting birth control, and knowing about abortion options are all ways to make sure you can control if and when to become pregnant. Pregnancy can be prevented many different ways including using condoms, taking a pill, and other long-acting prevention methods. Below are resources about these options.
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