If you want to check whether you have contracted, order our home HIV test kit.
You will need to take a small blood sample and then send it back to our partner laboratory for analysis.
You will receive your test kit within 3-5 days of placing your order. We will contact you with your results within 3-5 days of the lab receiving your sample.
This is a convenient, discreet way of testing for HIV without having to visit your GP or local sexual health clinic.
If you think you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours please visit your local GUM clinic immediately.
Use our online assessment to order. A Superdrug Online Doctor will complete your prescription for collection at your local pharmacy.
How our service works
This home test kit detects the presence of HIV in your blood sample and is very accurate (99.8%) in finding the HIV infection if taken at least 6 weeks after the potential exposure.
The test kit provides instructions and everything you need to provide the blood sample including a sterile 'lancet' to prick your skin, the sample bottle, and a pre-paid envelope in which to post the sample.
The test will only detect an HIV infection that you have caught more than 6 weeks ago.
If you are worried about being exposed to HIV within the last 6 weeks, you can find a sexual health clinic offering an HIV RNA PCR test, or talk to someone at the clinic about other testing and treatment options.
Our doctors will provide you with your result as soon as it is available from the laboratory.
If your result is positive for HIV, our doctors will be available to provide advice, support and to guide you on next steps.
All positive results need to be followed up with a confirmation test using a different technology.
- You will receive your test kit 5-7 working days after you have placed your order.
- Your test results will be available 3-5 days after your sample reaches the laboratory.
The HIV test is an HIV 1&2 Abs/p24 Ag combination (Fourth Generation) test. It is the same test as would be offered by most sexual health clinics, unless they are using a rapid HIV test.
The test works in two ways: it detects the HIV virus itself, and it also detects the antibodies your body would produce to fight HIV if you were infected.
More information
How the Test Works
The test looks for HIV 1 and 2. It is 99.8% accurate at spotting the HIV infection if you have contracted it more than 6 weeks ago.
We send the test out to you in the post. It won’t say anywhere on the outside of the parcel what it is, our packaging is very discrete. You use the lancet in the test to prick the end of your finger and then squeeze some blood into the collection tube. You then send this back to our laboratory in a pre-paid envelope.
We will contact you with your results within 3-5 days of the lab receiving your sample. You can message one of our doctors with any questions after your order.
How is HIV Transmitted
HIV is passed on through (in order of the highest concentration of the virus):
- blood (including menstrual blood);
- semen;
- vaginal secretions;and
- breast milk.
HIV can be passed on as a result of direct blood contact (including blood transfusions or sharing needles). This is also very high risk.
Finally, HIV can be passed from a mother to baby (before or at birth or through breast milk).
It is not possible to get HIV through contact with saliva, tears, faeces, urine or sweat.
What if I Don't Have Symptoms?
One in five people who contract HIV have no symptoms. The only way to know whether you have it is to do a test. Most people get some flu-like symptoms between two and six weeks after they are exposed to the virus. This happens because your immune system tries to fight the virus. It can last for up to a month, but then you might not have any further symptoms until much later on. The test is the only way to find out for sure. The earlier you get tested, the better.
What Happens if I Test Positive?
A positive test result doesn’t mean for certain that you are HIV+. There is a slight chance that you are not, because the test has a small margin of error. So if you do test positive, you’ll need to have a confirmation test. If the confirmation test is also positive, the doctor or nurse who gives you your result will then put you in touch with a specialist. He or she will discuss what your options are for treatment and talk to you about the infection and what stage it is at. You’ll also be given the names of some support groups who can help you.
Use our online assessment to order. A Superdrug Online Doctor will complete your prescription for collection at your local pharmacy.