After how long is it important to get yourself checked for HIV?

There is no time to get yourself checked for HIV testing; you can literally do it anytime. If you are confused or maybe your gut instinct is pointing you towards danger, then it is best to talk to your health care professional right away. Even if you assume that the person you had sex with might be HIV positive, you need to give yourself confirmation about it. At whatever age you start having sex, you are liable from that time to get yourself checked for HIV. It is very important and one should never overlook at it.

 

Make it a routine

It is recommended that getting yourself checked once a year is good to go with. But that does not mean that you have to wait for an entire year to get yourself HIV tested. If you have doubts, then go for it. Moreover, you can ask your health care expert whether you can get HIV tested twice within a year or not as that might bring in stronger confirmation your way. This usually depends upon how much sexually active you are. Married people have sex with just one individual and that makes it fine for them to get checked once within a year. However, for youngsters who get into sexual activities, outside wedlock, they indulge in with different partners and that puts them up for more risk. If you are having sex with more than one person, then do consult your doctor about it.

 

If you have taken a risk, how long do you need to wait?

Many times, we forget that a person might have been injected through shared injection equipment and it might not be sexual contact. Anyways, if you think that you have made a mistake like done sex without protection or shared an injection (if you are taking drugs), then you need to talk to your doctor right away. Many people have their own personal doctor, whom they have been visiting since a long time. If you don’t have one, then no need to worry, just talk to a good health care professional and they will guide you to HIV testing in the best way.

People are usually recommended to get an HIV test after 72 hours of sexual contact but if you are in an emergency, then you might have to go through PEP HIV testing process. This is done under emergency cases. This aids in reducing the chances of being infected with HIV overall. However, PEP is not always given. Doctors usually give this when they suspect that you might be at risk of HIV.

In some cases, doctors ask the patient to come back to them for some further tests, depending on their condition or time span of when they took an HIV test. To end it all, it is always best to wear a condom and take every end of protection that can save you from infections. Stay safe and healthy.