There are many questions in each section. Here are three that you may have that are time-sensitive:
Together TakeMeHome is an HIV self-testing program throughout the U.S. including Puerto Rico. Our program mails you free HIV tests. You can take the test in a place that is safe, private, and convenient without having to go to a clinic or testing site.
A self-test is a test you can take yourself and get the results yourself, kind of like a COVID self-test or a home pregnancy test. Some people like using a self-test option because you can take it privately on your own time and in your own space.
We offer two types of self-tests that will tell you your HIV status.
We want to make getting tested as easy and private as possible. When you click ORDER NOW, you will be asked just a few questions to see if you are eligible to use our free service. If you are eligible, you will be able order your HIV self-test in less than 1 minute. We will also ask you to help the program by answering a few optional questions that will take less than 2 minutes after your order. You can order a test every 90 days.
We will ask for your date of birth, an email address and mailing address for your HIV self-test to be shipped. After you place your order, there are additional questions such as your gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. These additional questions allow us to ensure we are reaching the people who are most impacted by HIV in the U.S.
Anyone 17 years of age and older living anywhere in the U.S., including Puerto Rico, can order a test.
Together TakeMeHome only sends tests to people 17 years of age or older through our program. But it also depends on which HIV self-test you are ordering!
HIV fingerstick self-tests (INSTI®) are approved for people ages 18 and up.
HIV oral swab self-tests (OraQuick®) are offered by us for people ages 17 and up.
However, the OraQuick HIV self-test was recently approved to be used by those 14 years of age and older. While our program hasn’t changed the minimum age you can visit OraQuick’s website, check a pharmacy or online retailer, or find a local self-testing program.
You can also get tested at a clinic if you are not old enough to order a test from our program. There are different laws in each state about your ability to give consent as a minor and about the privacy of your test results. Talk to your local clinic and ask them what they offer to young people. Find a clinic here.
If you live in Puerto Rico or you need more information about these laws in Spanish, contact us at support@together.takemehome.org or call 628-899-4662.
No. Our HIV self-tests cannot tell if you have HIV when your last exposure was only a few days ago. You should go to a clinic immediately and get a blood test for HIV and an HIV-prevention treatment called PEP. You can prevent HIV by taking medications called Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). PEP must be started within 72 hours (3 days) of when you were potentially exposed (like having condomless sex or sharing syringes) to prevent infection. Find where to get PEP near you here.
Only contact our support team at support@together.takemehome.org or 628-899-4662 if you’re having trouble accessing PEP on your own. We have limited business hours, so please get help from a healthcare provider immediately and don’t wait for our response.
No. You should go to a clinic as soon as possible. You can find a healthcare provider or find a local service here. It’s important to get a lab test for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as soon as possible.
If you know you have HIV, you can order an HIV self-test and give it to someone else, like a partner or a friend. You should not use the test on yourself. If you need a healthcare provider to help you manage your HIV, you can find one here. Using the same link, you can also find testing locations for other STIs, like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis.
PrEP medications can affect the ability for a self-test to detect HIV. Using an HIV self-test is not a substitute for your regular PrEP lab work you get from your healthcare provider. You can always order an HIV self-test and give it to someone else, like a partner or a friend.
Together TakeMeHome is completely free to you. You will not be asked to pay anything for the HIV self-test when you order. Additionally, health insurance is not used to cover the cost of your test so you will never receive a bill for the free HIV self-test. This program is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Together TakeMeHome is a collaboration between Emory University, Building Healthy Online Communities, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NASTAD, Orasure, and Signal.
Click here to find an HIV testing program in your country. HIV self-tests may be available in your location.
This program offers two different types of rapid HIV self-tests. One uses an oral swab (HIV oral swab/OraQuick®) and the other uses a drop of blood (HIV fingerstick/INSTI®).
Who can use the HIV oral swab self-test?
Our program offers this test to people 17 years of age and older* who have not already been diagnosed with HIV. This test is not meant for people who are living with HIV and have received an HIV diagnosis from a healthcare provider.
*The OraQuick® HIV self-test was recently approved to be used by those 14 years of age and older. While our program hasn't changed the minimum age, you can visit OraQuick's website, check a pharmacy or online retailer, or find a local self-testing program.
How accurate is the HIV oral swab self-test?
The test is very accurate in screening for HIV.
Some people (8 out of 100) will receive a negative result, even if they have HIV. In very rare situations (2 out of 1000), you may receive a positive result when you do not have HIV. You can learn more about the accuracy of each test here.
If you have concerns about results or accuracy of the test, you can always go in person to get a test in a clinic. However, preliminary positive results from this rapid HIV self-test must be confirmed with additional blood work from your healthcare provider.
How soon after potential exposure can I test myself?
These tests are best used for routine screening. Self-tests are not useful for detecting a possible HIV infection less than 3 weeks since a possible exposure.
Don't delay testing! If you've had sex or shared syringes less than 12 weeks ago, you may also want to get an HIV test at a clinic to detect a more recent exposure.
How do I use the HIV oral swab self-test?
The HIV oral swab self-test can be completed by swabbing your gums. This test doesn't require a blood sample (through getting your finger pricked or a blood draw from a vein) like you might have received in the past from a healthcare provider.
Do not eat, drink or use oral care products (such as mouthwash, toothpaste, whitening strips, or denture adhesive) 30 minutes before starting the test.
When you're ready, gently run the included swab along your upper gums once and your lower gums once. You then place the swab into a provided test tube of liquid. You get your results 20 minutes later.
There are written instructions in the test package. You can also visit OraQuick.com to view helpful videos that show you how to use it. You can also call the OraQuick® hotline for questions you have about the test itself: 1-866-436-6527.
What should I do if I test positive on the HIV oral swab self-test?
It means the test detected antibodies to HIV in your oral fluid sample. You may have HIV but will need to confirm your result with blood work from a healthcare provider.
If the confirmatory test is positive, a healthcare provider can help you start your treatment and tell your sex partners from the last 12 months. Your medical provider or local health department can also help and will protect your anonymity, too.
This program offers two different types of rapid HIV self-tests. One uses a drop of blood (HIV fingerstick/INSTI®) and the other uses an oral swab (HIV oral swab/OraQuick®).
Who can use the HIV fingerstick self-test?
Our program offers this test to people 18 years of age and older who have not already been diagnosed with HIV. This test is not meant for people who are living with HIV and have received an HIV diagnosis from a healthcare provider.
How accurate is the HIV fingerstick self-test?
The test is extremely accurate in screening for HIV.
You can learn more about the accuracy of each test here.
If you have concerns about results or accuracy of the test, you can always go in person to get a test in a clinic. However, preliminary positive results from this rapid HIV fingerstick test must be confirmed with additional blood work from your healthcare provider.
How soon after potential exposure can I test myself?
Self-tests are not useful for detecting a possible HIV infection less than 3 weeks since a possible exposure. These tests are best used after 3 months have elapsed.
Don't delay testing! If you've had sex or shared syringes less than 12 weeks ago, you may also want to get an HIV test at a clinic to detect a more recent exposure.
How do I use the HIV fingerstick self-test?
The HIV fingerstick self-test uses 1 drop of blood. Unlike getting your blood taken from a vein to fill up a test tube, you prick your finger to draw a small amount of blood.
For this test, you clean your finger with an alcohol wipe, stick the side of your finger with a provided lancet, and add one large drop of blood into a bottle of liquid. You shake that bottle and then pour it along with two other bottles of liquid into a provided testing device. You get your results 1 minute later.
There are written instructions in the test package. You can also visit INSTI.com to view helpful videos that show you how to use it. You can also call the INSTI® hotline for questions you have about the test itself: 1-866-674-6784 (extension 200).
What should I do if I test positive on the HIV fingerstick test?
It means the test detected antibodies to HIV in your blood sample. You may have HIV but will need to confirm your result with blood work from a healthcare provider.
If the confirmatory test is positive, a healthcare provider can help you start your treatment and tell your sex partners from the last 12 months. Your medical provider or local health department can also help and will protect your anonymity, too.
You have a choice in selecting the type of HIV self-tests you receive. You may choose to get:
There are some similarities between the two types of self-tests:
Don't delay testing! If you've had sex or shared syringes less than 12 weeks ago, you may also want to get an HIV test at a clinic to detect a more recent exposure.
However, they do differ in some key ways:
HIV oral swab self-test
HIV fingerstick self-test
Learn more at OraQuick's website and INSTI's website.
Both of the self-tests we offer will only test for HIV. They do not test for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), like gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis. If you need STI testing, you can find your closest clinic here.
They also do not test for infections that may be passed through sex, drug use, or other close contact, like viral hepatitis, bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections (UTIs), or yeast infections.
Yes. We are providing these tests free to anyone who may benefit from using the tests. Each package comes with two self-tests. You can give one to someone else, like a partner or a friend. You can also share our link with them so they can order a pack of tests. You can even test together!
Sometimes our system doesn’t recognize an address. If you are having trouble ordering your HIV self-test, you can email support@together.takemehome.org or call 628-899-4662 and we can help you.
Yes! Please double check your information as you enter the shipping address and on the confirmation screen before submitting your order. Remember to put your apartment number if you have one.
If you live in Puerto Rico, make sure to list your urbanization as well.
Your comfort and privacy are important to us. We want you to feel safe and confident ordering an HIV self-test. If using your legal name means you won’t order, then please use whatever name allows you to safely receive the package. If you decide to not use your legal name, please don’t change any other information. Use your actual date of birth and contact information (email and phone number) so we can verify your order. Please note, once you have submitted your order, the name on the order can’t be changed.
There are many reasons why you may need to use a mailing address that isn’t your legal one. You can always use the mailing address for a trusted person in your life, your work address, or the address of wherever you are currently staying or living. If you run into any issues when entering your address, reach out to our team at 628-899-4662 or support@together.takemehome.org.
Neither of the self-tests provided by Together TakeMeHome should be used by people currently on PrEP in place of their required blood work. PrEP medications can also affect the ability of this self-test to detect HIV. People on PrEP should get blood work from their health care provider (usually the person who prescribes their PrEP medication).
At this time, there is no reason to believe that hormone therapy impacts the accuracy of results from either of the HIV self-tests we offer.
At this time, there is no reason to believe that using doxyPEP to prevent STIs impacts the accuracy of results from either of the HIV self-tests we offer.
There’s also no reason to believe taking antibiotics for any reason would impact the results of an HIV self-test. However, if you are experiencing any signs of an infection (fever, chills, sores, genital discharge or pain), hold off on taking the self-test until after you get examined by a healthcare provider.
Most HIV self-tests will arrive within 3 to 5 days. Instructions with a link to a video on how to use the HIV self-test are included. We’ll email you tracking information when your HIV self-test is on its way. Be sure to check your spam folder and add no-reply@together.takemehome.org to your address book to make sure you don’t miss it!
You cannot cancel your order once it is placed. We cannot cancel orders because they are fulfilled automatically by our shipping partner. When you receive your HIV self-tests, you can either keep them to use later or give them to someone else who would use them. The tests must be used before the expiration date printed on the OraQuick® box or INSTI® packet.
Please don’t order another HIV self-test if you made a mistake. As you are entering your shipping address, please remember to enter all information, including your apartment number if you have one. If you notice a mistake after you’ve ordered, email support@together.takemehome.org or call us at 628-899-4662 as soon as you can so we can try to fix the issue.
Please don’t order another HIV self-test since that can cause confusion. Email support@together.takemehome.org or call 628-899-4662 to make any changes.
Our HIV self-tests are shipped by ShipBob. They arrive in an unmarked white plastic envelope with a label that does not list our program’s name or HIV test. The return address of the send is listed as TTMH, 46 Isidor Cr. Suite 101, Sparks, NV, 89441 or TTMH, 2201 Green Ln Unit 3, Levittown, PA 19057.
If your tracking number is not linked or does not populate information in google, please try to search your order through one of these 3rd party carriers:
If you are unable to locate your tracking information through one of these websites, please reach out to customer support at support@together.takemehome.org.
You will get instructions in your package that describe how to complete each part of the HIV self-test. You can find instructional videos and other information here.
If you need support on how to use each test, your best approach is to reach out to the support teams from the companies that manufacture the tests.
Yes. Both HIV self-tests do expire. HIV oral swab self-tests typically last up to 30 months while HIV fingerstick self-tests last up to 13 months. Check the side of the OraQuick® box or INSTI® packet to make sure the expiration date has not passed. Email us at support@together.takemehome.org or call 628-899-4662 if it has expired, and we will help you order a new test.
Most people who were exposed to HIV will have a positive HIV self-test within 12 weeks of that exposure. People can get HIV through having anal or vaginal sex or sharing needles, syringes, and other drug injection equipment (for example, cookers).
All HIV tests have a window period. This is the time from infection until the time the test is able to detect HIV infection. Both HIV self-tests have the same window period. They both can detect HIV as early as 3 weeks after exposure (from sex or sharing syringes) but can take up to 12 weeks after exposure to detect HIV.
If you think you’ve been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, you should go to a healthcare provider immediately and talk to them about taking HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). PEP must be started ideally within 24 hours after sex or sharing syringes, but no more than 72 hours after to be effective.
Don’t delay testing! If you’ve had sex or shared syringes less than 12 weeks ago, you may also want to get an HIV test at a clinic to detect a more recent exposure. You can also contact our customer service team with questions at support@together.takemehome.org or call 628-899-4662.
We cannot accept an HIV self-test back, even if it is unused. You can either keep your HIV self-test to use later or give it to someone else to use. You must use the test by the expiration date listed on the OraQuick® box or INSTI® packet.
Once you take the test, you will be able to see your results within minutes.
The HIV oral swab self-test gets you results in 20 minutes. You can find out more about reading the OraQuick® test results here.
The HIV fingerstick self-test gets you results in 1 minute. You can find out more about reading the INSTI® test results here.
No worries! This happens sometimes. Let us know so we can help you get a new test by calling 628-899-4662 or emailng support@together.takemehome.org.
Testing positive can be a stressful experience. If you have a positive result, you will need to go to a healthcare provider or clinic to get a lab test to confirm if you have HIV. HIV self-tests can sometimes show a “false positive” result, meaning that your test says you’re positive but you actually don’t have HIV. That’s why you need to get another HIV test to verify your self-test results. Find your closest clinic here. If you need help, reach out to us by calling 628-899-4662 or emailng support@together.takemehome.org.
Click here for what to do if you get a positive result.
We do not provide medications for HIV treatment or PrEP. You can find out how to get HIV treatment in this step-by-step guide.
If you are interested in PrEP, reach out to a local PrEP provider. If you cannot use this locator, please reach out to our PrEP navigation team by calling 628-899-4662 or emailng support@together.takemehome.org.
If you are already on PrEP, you can apply for free PrEP at Ready Set PrEP.
To read the results of your HIV oral swab self-test, you must be able clearly see the test result lines on the swab to understand your result.
Taking the HIV fingerstick self-test and determining the test results are based on sight. You must be able to add the 3 provided bottles of liquid in the correct order as labeled on each bottle. You must also be able to clearly see the number of dots and where they are placed on the testing device to understand the result of your test.
Your comfort and privacy are important to us. We want you to feel safe and confident ordering an HIV self-test, and we know that you may be concerned about ordering a sexual health test. You can see what our discreet packaging looks like here. You may choose to send packages to a trusted friend or family member’s address. If using your name means you won’t order, then please use whatever name feels best. If you decide to not use your legal name, please don’t change any other information. Use your actual date of birth and contact information so we can verify your order if there are any issues. Please note, once you put a name on your order, you will not be able to change it later.
Email us at support@together.takemehome.org or call us at 628-899-4662. We aim to get back to you within 1-2 business days.
Thank you for helping let people know about our program! There are a variety of ways you can do so:
Thank you for being part of our program and taking control of your sexual health and wellness.
