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Have you ever had sex without a condom? Had a partner cheat on you? Shared needles? Been pregnant? Any of these are good reasons to get tested for HIV. Another good reason is that one in four people with HIV don't know they are infected.

If you've never gotten an HIV test, make it one of your resolutions for 2007. Here's what you can expect when getting an HIV test.

It takes about three months from the time a

person is infected with HIV for the test to detect the antibodies to it. That means if you had unprotected sex this morning, you'll have to wait three months before an HIV test could tell you if you were infected from that experience.

What's Your Name?

Before getting tested, find out if the clinic you're going to offers confidential or anonymous testing. Confidential testing means you'll give your real name and the results of your test will go into your medical record. Only you and your health care providers should have access to this information, but the fact that you received an HIV test will be recorded.

Because of new federal regulations, fewer places offer anonymous testing. An anonymous test means that instead of using your real name you will be assigned a randomly generated number that will be used to link you to your test results. Because the test is anonymous it won't be recorded in your medical record.

Pre-Test

During your appointment expect questions about how many people you've had sex with, how often you've used condoms, your history of STI infections, if you've shared needles or if your partners have shared needles or have had any STIs. These questions are personal, but HIV test counselors are supposed to treat all patients with respect and maintain a non-judgmental attitude. If you feel your treatment during an HIV test is not satisfactory, be sure to fill out a satisfaction survey, documenting your concerns. Most healthcare facilities have these surveys, as they strive for quality customer care.

Your health care provider should help you develop a plan to reduce your HIV risk in the future. Depending on your lifestyle your plan could include using lubrication and condoms with new partners. It could also include not sharing needles or cleaning them before sharing them. Ultimately it will be up to you to decide what, if anything, you want to change in your life to lower your risk for HIV infection.

Testing Options

Your testing options will depend on where you get tested. Most places offer a blood test and an oral test called Orasure. Some clinics now offer rapid testing that will give you results on the same day, in about 25 minutes.

Blood Testing

Your health care provider will draw a small vial of blood from your arm. The blood is then processed in a lab, to test for the antibodies to HIV that will develop after a person has been infected.

Oral Test

If you get the Orasure test you will be asked to put a cotton swab in your mouth, in between your cheek and gums. You'll rub it back and forth and then let it rest inside your mouth for a few minutes. The swab collects cells from the lining of your mouth that will be tested for HIV antibodies.

Hurry Up and Wait

Depending where you get tested it could take up to two weeks for your sample to be sent to a lab, for the lab to run the tests and then get those results back to your health care provider. Think ahead of time about who you can talk to if the stress of waiting for results gets to you.

Positive or Negative?

Be prepared for the fact that getting an HIV test can be an emotional experience regardless of your results.

If your test results are positive it means HIV antibodies were detected in your sample and you are infected with HIV. You may want to take a follow-up test to make sure the test was accurate.

Many people with HIV live with few symptoms for many years with the help of medications and a healthy lifestyle. You'll want to talk with a health care provider about how advanced your HIV is and what your options are.

If your HIV test comes back negative that means that prior to the last three months you were not infected with HIV. You'll still want to get tested in another three to six months to make sure you weren't infected during the three months prior to the test you just took.

Sex 411: Places to get an HIV test in CU

 McKinley Health Center

( www.mhc.uiuc.edu )

 Champaign Urbana Public Health

Department ( www.cuphd.org )

 Your personal doctor

Kim Rice and Kate Ruin are professional sex educators. Send fan mail, sex questions and comments to riceandruin@yahoo.com