• Blood tests are the best ways to confirm an HIV infection.medical syringe and ampoule on a white background. image by Petr Gnuskin from Fotolia.com
  
  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that if you have had sex with a man who has sex with men, injected illegal drugs, had anonymous sex or sex with multiple partners or are unfamiliar with your lover's sexual history, then you should have a medical professional test you for HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS. Taking a test for HIV can be a nerve-wracking, unpleasant experience, but the silver lining is that you can get your results in a fairly quick and relatively painless manner.
  
  

Standard Blood Draw

• A medical professional can test for HIV by drawing blood from a vein. Later on, a lab technician will examine the blood for HIV antibodies. Antibodies are substances produced by blood cells to fight viruses and infections, and HIV has its own specific antibodies. If the first blood test shows HIV antibodies, you will take a second test for HIV antibodies. If two tests show HIV antibodies in the blood sample, the next step is to test for HIV itself.
  
  

Rapid Test Results

• Some HIV tests can produce results in a matter of minutes. These tests also look for certain antibodies. Medical professionals can give rapid tests by pricking a patient's fingers for blood, taking swaths of tissue samples from cheeks in order to get blood cells or just by rubbing gums. If the news is bad and the initial tests detect HIV, then an additional blood test will confirm the results or call for more testing.
  
  

Home Tests

• The United State's Food and Drug Administration has approved only one home HIV detection kit, "The Home Access HIV-1 Test System," also called "The Home Access Express HIV-1 Test System." The system allows a patient to prick a finger for blood, place his or her blood on a special paper and then to mail the sample into a lab. The person who takes the test receives an identification number to use when calling a phone number for test results.
  
  

Urine Tests.

• Physicians have the option of taking a urine sample from patients. A urine test requires a patient to pee into a cup, the patient then seals the cup and a lab technician tests the sample for HIV antibodies. In the event that urine test shows HIV antibodies, an additional blood test will confirm the results or call for more testing.