The only way to know you have HIV is to undergo a test. No, you cannot tell you are infected just by feeling. You may feel perfectly fine, yet might carry the virus, which will soon start replicating in your body. Even when this happens, you may still not get symptoms!
You must undergo a test if:
- You had unprotected sex.
- Your partner has HIV.
- You have shared needles for drugs, tattoos, or piercings.
- You are pregnant and don’t know about your sexual health.
- You are a man who has sex with men.
- You have multiple sex partners.
To test or not to test
You are aware of your sexual behaviors and know best whether you need HIV screening in Arlington. If you do, act swiftly because the virus, if in your body already, won’t wait. It will start replicating and spreading the infection. Over the years, HIV turns into full-blown AIDS. This can be fatal if still left untreated.
AIDS indicate that your immunity is severely compromised and you are vulnerable of contracting other infections easily. In the era of Coronavirus, it has become all the more important to undergo HIV test. You cannot live healthy with a compromised immunity.
There are ways to stop the replication of HIV. Thanks to progressive medical technology, you can avail yourselves post exposure treatment and stop the virus destroying your healthy cells. In this treatment, only the cells that are infected are targeted and they die.
“I am not sick”
This is no excuse for averting HIV test. As mentioned in the beginning, HIV hardly shows symptoms. Just the fact that you have had sex without using a condom with somebody whose sexual history is unknown is reason enough to undergo a test.
- If you turn out negative, you can consult a doctor for pre exposure prophylaxis, which is a treatment for HIV-negative people who had been exposed.
- If you turn out positive, your doctor will begin antiretroviral treatment, which helps to manage the viral load in your body and helps you lead a good life.
Wondering how to get tested for HIV in Arlington?
It’s simple. Just walk in the STD clinic and request a test. The clinic provides anonymous testing facility. So, you need not reveal your identity and can undergo test and treatment confidentially.
The clinic is equipped with an advanced lab that conducts comprehensive STD panel and other common conditions in men and women.
You must either give a blood sample or your saliva sample for the test.
Depending on the type of test, results take a few days to a couple of weeks to arrive. Rapid testing provides results in just 30 minutes or even less.
Procrastination does not make things happen. You have to make them happen. So, shed your shyness or fear and step inside the STD clinic with confidence for HIV screening in Arlington. Whatever the results are, accept them with courage and vow to take sexual health in your hands. The faster you act, the safer you are.
