If you'd rather skip the reading, walk in seven days a week at 117a Harley Street or book online. An HIV test at Sexual Health Clinic London is £75 plus a £50 blood draw (£125 total), with results in 4 to 24 hours.
HIV symptoms timeline
HIV usually follows three phases. Many people have a short early illness at 2 to 6 weeks, followed by a long phase with no symptoms. Only if HIV is never treated does illness follow, as the immune system weakens. The table sets out what tends to happen, and when, if you're tracking a possible exposure.
What does the first sign of HIV look like?
The most common first sign is a fever, as part of a flu-like illness known as seroconversion. It usually comes with other symptoms rather than on its own.
Seroconversion is your immune system's first response to the virus. It typically begins 2 to 6 weeks after exposure, though it can start earlier or later, and generally lasts one to two weeks. Symptoms can include:
- Fever
- Fatigue and a general feeling of being unwell
- Muscle and joint pain
- A rash, typically flat, red or pink spots on the chest and trunk, usually not itchy
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, or groin
- Night sweats
- Mouth ulcers
- Nausea, diarrhoea, or vomiting
The rash is the symptom most people search for. It's typically maculopapular, meaning small, flat or slightly raised spots, usually red or dark pink. In most cases it isn't itchy, and it fades on its own without treatment. It looks like a number of other viral rashes and some drug reactions, which is part of why you can't diagnose it yourself.
Can you tell HIV apart from a cold or flu by symptoms alone?
No. Seroconversion illness looks very like glandular fever, flu, strep throat and a range of other common infections. A clinical examination alone can't reliably tell them apart.
What raises suspicion is context rather than the symptoms themselves. That might be a specific sexual exposure 2 to 6 weeks earlier, several symptoms arriving together, or symptoms that feel far worse than an ordinary cold. None of this is diagnostic. It's a reason to test, not a reason to assume the worst, and not a reason to assume you're clear either.
What if I have no symptoms at all?
That's common, and it doesn't mean you're clear. Some people newly infected with HIV notice nothing in the early weeks and feel completely normal while the virus is present.
That's why testing is guided by exposure rather than symptoms. If you've had a risk exposure, the useful question is "when can I test?" rather than "do I have symptoms?"
When can you test for HIV after exposure?
A standard fourth-generation HIV blood test picks up most infections from 4 weeks after exposure. UK guidance treats a negative result at 45 days as conclusive, so a test taken earlier may need repeating. If you can't wait, our early detection test can detect HIV from 10 days after exposure. It's a different test from the standard screen, and your clinician can advise which suits your situation.
If the exposure was in the last 72 hours, contact an NHS sexual health clinic or A&E straight away about post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). This is emergency medicine that can reduce the chance of infection if it's started in time, and it works best the sooner it's started. PEP isn't provided at this clinic. Come and see us for your HIV test once the right window has passed.
What HIV does after the early illness settles
After any early illness resolves, HIV typically enters a long phase with no symptoms, sometimes lasting many years. The virus is still present during this time and gradually affects the immune system. This quiet period is why so many people are diagnosed years after the original exposure, often while testing for something unrelated.
Without treatment, often after many years, the immune system can weaken enough to cause more serious illness, including recurrent infections and unexplained weight loss. Treatment stops HIV progressing, which is why an early diagnosis matters. With early diagnosis and modern treatment, people with HIV generally have a near-normal life expectancy.
Testing at our Harley Street clinic
If you want a wider check at the same visit, the Bronze package in our screening packages covers HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea for £250. Results for blood tests come back in about 24 hours, and urine and swab results within 3 working days.
If you need an answer faster, the FAST Screen Simple on our same-day screening service covers the same four infections for £350, with all results in 6 hours. The FAST Screen Complex (£450) adds hepatitis B and C, also with all results in 6 hours.
You can walk in seven days a week at 117A Harley Street, and talk timing through with a clinician if you're unsure which test suits your exposure. The visit is confidential, as with all of our private STI testing in London. Worried about symptoms in the first couple of days after sex? Our page on symptoms 2 days after sex explains why that's too early for an HIV illness or a reliable result.
Book an HIV test at 117a Harley Street. Walk in any day, or book online.
References
- BHIVA: British HIV Association guidelines for the treatment of HIV-1-positive adults
- BASHH: UK national guidelines for HIV testing
- NHS: HIV and AIDS, symptoms
- NICE CKS: HIV infection and AIDS
