An HIV test is done by a doctor or nurse taking a small amount of blood from your arm and sending it to a lab to be tested. The lab will check for antibodies (the cells your body produces to fight HIV).

If you are infected with HIV your body will produce antibodies and the test will be positive. However, after being infected with the virus your body will not produce antibodies right away. If you go for testing six weeks after being infected your test will be 92% accurate.

It is a good idea to have another HIV test done at six months to confirm that your first test was accurate.