What Does a Positive HIV Test Result Mean? Consider getting tested together so you can both know your HIV status and take steps to keep yourselves healthy. But keep in mind that your partner(s) may not know or may be wrong about their status, and some may not tell you if they have HIV even if they know they're infected. It's important to be open with your partner(s) and ask them to tell you their HIV status. Therefore, taking an HIV test is not a way to find out if your partner is infected.
HIV is not necessarily transmitted every time you have sex. Your HIV test result reveals only your HIV status. If You Have a Negative Test Result, Does that Mean that Your Partner Is HIV-Negative Also? If you’re sexually active, continue to take actions to prevent HIV, like using condoms the right way every time you have sex and taking medicines to prevent HIV if you’re at high risk. If you learned you were HIV-negative the last time you were tested, you can only be sure you’re still negative if you haven’t had a potential HIV exposure since your last test. If you get an HIV test within 3 months after a potential HIV exposure and the result is negative, get tested again in 3 more months to be sure. To learn more about the window period and when a person should get retested, see CDC’s How soon after an exposure to HIV can an HIV test if I am infected?. If you get an HIV test after a potential HIV exposure and the result is negative, get tested again after the window period for the test you’re using to be sure. If you’re using a home test, you can get that information from the materials included in the test’s package. The window period varies from person to person and is also different depending upon the type of HIV test.Īsk your health care provider about the window period for the kind of test you’re taking.
That's because of the window period-the time between when a person gets HIV and when a test can accurately detect it. What Does a Negative HIV Test Result Mean?Ī negative result doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have HIV. Learn about what a positive and negative HIV test result mean. AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV testing shows whether a person is infected with HIV.