HIV Test Kit

Our HIV home test kit checks for the presence of HIV 1 and 2 antibodies, as well as the p24 antigen in a blood sample. The test is 99.8% likely to find an HIV infection if you have contracted it more than 4 weeks prior to the test.

The HIV test kit is unlikely to detect HIV if you contracted the infection within the last 4 weeks. If you’re worried you may have caught HIV from a recent incident like unprotected sex with someone whose HIV status is not clear to you, we recommend you wait until 4 weeks after the incident to get tested.

If you think you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours please visit your local sexual health clinic, or if not available, A&E, immediately. You may need to start taking post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

Many people are nervous about taking a blood test at home, but it’s simple and easy to use. There are instructions here, and they’re also contained in the test kit that you’ll be sent.

If you make a mistake when you’re using the test kit, we can send you a new one, free of charge.

Your test kit contains three lancets, which are used to prick the skin so you can collect a sample of blood. The test kit also includes swabs, a plaster, a collection tube, a wallet, and a prepaid envelope. When you test, you’ll also need a clean tissue handy.

You can take the sample at any time of day.

• Wash your hands with warm, soapy water. The test is easier to do if your fingers are warm
• Dry your hands
• Use one of the swabs to wipe one of your fingertips. It’s a good idea to use the middle or ring finger of the hand you do not write with
• Wait until the fingertip is dry
• Twist and remove the purple stick from a lancet. Place it in the middle of your fingertip, and press down the purple button at the end
• A small drop of blood should start to form on your fingertip. If this does not work on the first go, you can try again with the other 2 other lancets
• Use the tissue to wipe the first drop of blood away, then pick up the collection tube
• Point your finger downwards and squeeze the sides of your fingertip to get another drop of blood into the collection tube
• Keep doing this until you fill the tube to the top line. If you cannot get enough blood to fill the tube, use the extra lancets on another finger, repeating the steps above
• Once you’ve finished, use the plaster to cover your fingertip
• Put the lid on the collection tube and screw it on tightly
• Write your details on the sticky label. This is an important step as the lab need these details to be able to do your test
• Put the label on the collection tube and put the tube into the wallet. Then put the wallet into the prepaid envelope
• Post the sample to our lab
• Your results, along with advice from our doctors, will be in your account 2 to 3 days after your sample arrives at the lab

Symptoms of HIV often do not show, which means there's no way of telling whether or not someone is infected. The only way of knowing your HIV status for sure is by getting tested.

You might have a higher risk of HIV if you do not use condoms when having sex with someone whose HIV status is not clear to you, and you’re:

• a man who has sex with men
• a transgender person who has sex with men
• a woman who has sex with bisexual people
• having sex with someone from a country with a high rate of HIV

You also might have a higher risk of getting HIV if you:

• are having sex with someone who is HIV positive and has a detectable viral load (the amount of the virus in their blood is able to be found)
• are taking drugs using needles and sharing those needles with others
• are a sex worker
• get STIs (sexually transmitted infections) on a regular basis

There could be other reasons not listed here that put you at a higher risk of getting HIV.

Before taking PrEP

At the very least you should use the basic pre-PrEP test kit which tests for:

• HIV
• kidney function (creatinine and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate; eGFR)

We recommend that you use the full pre-PrEP test kit which tests for:

• HIV
• kidney function (creatinine and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate; eGFR)
• hepatitis B and C

We also recommend that you do a basic or full STI screen:

• men who have sex with men STI screen (basic and full)
• STI screen for women (basic and full)

Every three months while taking PrEP

You should use our three-monthly PrEP test kit which tests for:

• HIV
• kidney function (creatinine and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate; eGFR)

Once a year while taking PrEP

You should use our annual PrEP test kit which tests for:

• HIV
• kidney function (creatinine and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate; eGFR)
• hepatitis B and C

On a regular basis

You should use our basic or full STI screening kits:

• men who have sex with men STI screen (basic and full)
• STI screen for women (basic and full)

You can also buy the following test kits from Zava:

• HIV
• HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C

Why is it important to be HIV negative before and during PrEP therapy?

PrEP contains two types of antiviral drugs. These are also used in combination with other medicines to treat patients who are HIV positive.

Using them on their own when you’re HIV positive can mean you become resistant to them which would make treating the infection in the future more difficult.

The HIV test kit we use is an HIV 1 and 2 Abs/p24 Ag combination (fourth generation) test. It’s the standard test offered by most UK clinics and comes recommended by the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH).

It works by detecting both the specific proteins (antigens) found on the surface of the HIV virus itself, and the HIV-fighting antibodies produced by your body.

No, our home HIV test kits are not the same as 'rapid HIV tests' (where the result is given to you immediately, almost like a home pregnancy test).

Our tests are processed and analysed by qualified lab technicians and carry an incredibly small margin of error (0.2%). Your result will be given to you by an experienced and compassionate doctor who can provide support and advise you on what to do next.

We take every effort to protect your privacy, including:

• not emailing or texting you with medical information
• not sharing your information without your consent. See our privacy notice for more information
• sending your test kit out in plain packaging

We have information on the following areas of HIV:

• early symptoms of HIV and other symptoms
• symptoms of HIV in men and women
• the HIV rash

The NHS has information on:

• HIV and AIDs

Terrence Higgins Trust provides:

• information on HIV therapy, support, and counselling

Naz offers:

• information and support to Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities