HIV testing: do you need to declare?

[Sour006]

Hi. I don't know where else to ask this.
Basically in my country and especially the area I live in right now, the way to get tested for hiv is either through kits at home (which I usually did but it hasn't been testable lately for some reason). Or you go into a gum clinic after making an appointment online.
The online appointment is always automated form based. One of the questions to book an appointment (here) is the gender question. I'm FTM and transitioned to the point I pass now. I'm aware my sex is 'female', but there's no way I can go and wait in a female waiting room. I don't have friends to go with me as a cover up, and my social dysphoria is so bad, just the thought of having to explain that I'm trans in person terrifies me. The online tests at least have a female, male, transsexual female, transsexual male options. But the one at my hospital has only (cis) male/female options, and it's completely automated and doesn't offer a phone call alternative for me to declare ahead of time.

So the brunt of my question is, since there's no other option for me right now, do I have to declare my gender as a biological sex to get an accurate result? Does sex have anything to do with the blood results? Could I book an appointment as a male and ignore the trans side of things and still get an accurate result?
I haven't been able to find any resources or facts about this, and where I live there's only this option or the (not working for me right now) at home test kit.

[Dena]

Welcome to Susan's Place. Declaring your gender shouldn't matter for an HIV test but I am not sure you don't have another options. In the United State when you receive a physical, you also have a blood draw. If you feel the need, the doctor can add an HIV test to the the list of things to check for. In my case because I never have been sexually active, I told the doctor there was no point in running the test and it save me a few dollars on the physical.

In any case, you should be having regular blood draws to check your levels when your on testosterone so it shouldn't be very difficult to add the test to the others.

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[itsApril]

So the brunt of my question is, since there's no other option for me right now, do I have to declare my gender as a biological sex to get an accurate result? Does sex have anything to do with the blood results? Could I book an appointment as a male and ignore the trans side of things and still get an accurate result?

HIV is a retrovirus that can infect ANYBODY, male or female.  The common tests determine whether the infection is present by seeing if your body is generating antibodies to the HIV virus.  This antibody generation process is a natural defense mechanism of the human body, and it operates exactly the same, no matter whether you are male or female.  The testing procedure is the same blood draw and the same test either way.

I don't understand the glitch you described about waiting rooms and testing, so I can't give you any meaningful input about that.

But I do know that the paramount interest of most medical and public health folks involved in testing for infectious diseases is to determine whether or not you are infected so you can get medical treatment if you need it.  They're not interested in jacking anybody up over their sexuality, lifestyle, gender identity, or morals.

If you have any question about your HIV status, YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT thing by getting tested!  Don't let any hassles or obstacles get in the way of getting the information you need.

[Sour006]

Welcome to Susan's Place. Declaring your gender shouldn't matter for an HIV test but I am not sure you don't have another options. In the United State when you receive a physical, you also have a blood draw. If you feel the need, the doctor can add an HIV test to the the list of things to check for. In my case because I never have been sexually active, I told the doctor there was no point in running the test and it save me a few dollars on the physical.

In any case, you should be having regular blood draws to check your levels when your on testosterone so it shouldn't be very difficult to add the test to the others.

Thanks for the help. Sadly, I'm I. The UK, we don't get full checks here, my go doesn't do any sti related tests, and they won't even tell me my blood type when taking my bloods anyway. We don't really get full checks here so we have to go to sex health clinics, hence my issue.
But if the blood results won't be different because of biological sex then I will just go stealth, I just don't k is enough about biology to know for myself if that would've been true.

[Kylo]

Thanks for the help. Sadly, I'm I. The UK, we don't get full checks here, my go doesn't do any sti related tests, and they won't even tell me my blood type when taking my bloods anyway. We don't really get full checks here so we have to go to sex health clinics, hence my issue.
But if the blood results won't be different because of biological sex then I will just go stealth, I just don't k is enough about biology to know for myself if that would've been true.

I used to work in a UK hospital processing HIV tests among other human samples.

No, it doesn't matter your gender, and as soon as your sample is collected from the GUM it is labelled only with a number instead of a name when it goes to the testing lab. Nobody in there will ever see your name or gender on the sample they are testing, it is strictly confidential. It won't matter what you present as when you go in.