SUPPORTSEXUAL

HIV 1&2 Self-Test

We're here to help you understand what your result does and doesn't tell you.

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Whatever your result, this test cannot confirm an HIV diagnosis on its own. Everything below explains why, and what comes next.

EU / UK ONLY
HIV 1&2 Self-Test

Read your result

What your result might look like.

Read at exactly 10 minutes. A red line must appear beside C for the test to have worked. The line beside T carries the result.

  • Positive

    Positive

    Lines at both C and T

    What it means

    The test detected HIV-1 or HIV-2 antibodies in your sample. Any shade of colour at T counts, even fainter than the examples in the instructions.

    What it doesn't mean

    A positive self-test is not a diagnosis. It has to be confirmed by a doctor — other things can produce a reaction, and confirmation is a real step, not a formality.

    What to do next

    Contact a doctor and tell them this result. Until confirmatory testing is done, avoid anything that could pass HIV to someone else — your doctor can talk you through what that means.
  • Negative

    Negative

    A line at C only

    What it means

    No HIV antibodies were detected, or they're present at a level too low for this test to see.

    What it doesn't mean

    It doesn't cover the window period. Antibodies can take up to three months to build after an exposure. A negative also says nothing about other sexually transmitted infections, or about a partner's status.

    What to do next

    If you think you've been exposed, test again three months after that exposure. If you have symptoms, speak to a doctor regardless of this result.
  • Invalid

    Invalid

    No line at C — or a line at T only

    What it means

    Without a control line the test can't be read. Too little blood, or a step that went wrong, are the usual reasons.

    What it doesn't mean

    It isn't a result of any kind, positive or negative.

    What to do next

    Repeat with a new device and a fresh blood sample.

This is an antibody test, not a test for the virus itself. Evaluation reports show a sensitivity of 99.3% and a specificity of 99.7%, with an overall accuracy of 99.6% against the laboratory standard. It cannot be used to detect any other sexually transmitted infection, and it is not for use in emergency situations.

Not sure what you're seeing?

Before you read anything into it.

A self-test result is a starting point, never a conclusion. Four things the instructions want you to check.

01

Is there a line beside C? Without it the test is invalid, whatever else you can see. A line beside T alone is not a positive — it's an invalid test.

02

Any colour beside T counts. The leaflet is explicit that the line can be much fainter than the pictures and still be a positive result.

03

Check the time. Read at exactly 10 minutes. A result read later than that may show a false positive.

04

Count back from your last possible exposure. Antibodies take 23 to 90 days to appear. A negative inside that window does not rule out infection.

How this works

Your photo is reviewed by a member of our support team. They are not healthcare professionals and cannot diagnose a condition or advise on treatment. What they can do is help you read what your test is showing.

Nothing here is automated. Your photo stays confidential and is used only to answer you.

Lost the card from your kit? You can still send a photo. Put the cassette on a plain white surface in good light.

Upload your photo

Before taking the test

A few things worth knowing first.

Read the whole procedure before you start. This test has more steps than most.

  1. Not recommended if you take medicines that thin the blood, such as anticoagulants, or if you have haemophilia.
  2. Wash your hands in warm water and dry them. Warm water widens the capillaries and makes the blood draw easier.
  3. Use the side of the ring finger, not the centre of the fingertip. Massage from the palm toward the fingertip before you use the lancet.
  4. The kit contains two lancets. Use the second one only if the first fails — each lancet and the test are single use.
  5. Store the kit between 4 and 30°C. Do not freeze. Don't open the sealed aluminium pouch until you are ready to test.

Directions for use

How to take it.

About fifteen minutes, ten of it waiting.

  • STEP 01

    Warm your hands and prick

    Wash with soap and warm water and dry your hands. Clean the spot with the gauze, twist the lancet cap a full turn and pull it off, then press the lancet against the side of your ring finger.

  • STEP 02

    Fill the pipette

    Hold your hand down and massage from palm toward fingertip until a large drop forms. Touch the pipette to it without squeezing, and let it fill to the black line.

  • STEP 03

    Mix, then add three drops

    Squeeze the blood into the dropper vial, press the bulb two or three times to get all of it out, screw the cap back on and mix well. Then unscrew the blue cap and put three drops into the well marked S, waiting three to five seconds between each.

  • STEP 04

    Read at 10 minutes

    Leave the cassette flat and read it at exactly ten minutes.

Read at exactly 10 minutes. The instructions state that a result read later than 10 minutes may not be correct, and that false positives can appear after that point.

WATCH IT DONE

The whole thing, start to finish.

Documents

Everything in writing.

Questions

The ones we hear most often.

Yes. The instructions state that the colour intensity in the test line region varies with the concentration of antibodies, and that any shade of colour beside T — even fainter than the images in the leaflet — should be considered a positive result. Contact a doctor to arrange confirmatory testing.

Antibodies can take 23 to 90 days to reach a detectable level. A negative inside that window doesn't rule out infection. The instructions recommend repeating the test 3 months after the possible exposure, and avoiding any activity that could transmit HIV in the meantime.

No. This test doesn't exclude other sexually transmitted infections — herpes, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and viral hepatitis among them — and a negative result for you says nothing about a partner's status.

It can. False positives can arise from other infections including mycoplasma pneumoniae, borrelia, hepatitis C, HTLV and Epstein-Barr virus, and from pregnancy. False negatives are possible when antibody levels are still below the limit of detection. This is exactly why confirmation by a doctor is required.

No. It's a single-use self-test for individual use, and the instructions state it is not suitable for emergency situations or for monitoring people already on antiretroviral therapy.

Confirming your result

Every positive needs a confirmatory test.

This is the part of the instructions that matters most, and it's easy to miss in a leaflet. A reactive self-test is a reason to see a doctor, not an answer in itself.

  • A positive result means antibodies were detected. It does not confirm HIV infection
  • Confirmation requires further diagnostic investigation arranged by a doctor
  • Until you have those results, avoid any activity that could transmit HIV to others
  • A negative result inside the 23 to 90 day window period does not rule out a recent infection
  • This test cannot detect any other sexually transmitted infection, and it is not for use in emergencies

Confirmatory testing is free and confidential through sexual health services in most of the UK and EU. If a positive is confirmed, effective treatment is available and starting it early protects both your health and the people around you. Getting the confirmatory test is the single most useful thing you can do with this result.

Still need help

 Talk to someone. 

No scripts, no phone tree. Whichever is easiest for you.

  • What comes next

    Getting a confirmatory test

    Free and confidential through sexual health services across the UK and EU. Whatever your result, this is the step that turns it into an answer.

    Find a service

The HIV 1&2 Self-Test detects antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 in whole blood. It does not diagnose HIV infection. A positive result requires confirmation by a doctor through further diagnostic investigation, and a negative result does not exclude infection acquired within the previous three months. Do not make any decision of medical relevance without first consulting a doctor. CE 0483. Available in the EU and UK only.