How is the test done?
Usually a small amount of blood is taken from your finger or your arm. Blood from a finger prick is put in a vial of solution and tested with a dipstick. Blood taken from your arm with a needle will be sent to a lab for testing. Some hospitals and clinics may instead test a sample of fluid obtained from your mouth by swabbing your gums. Having the test takes just a few minutes of your time. There is no risk of getting AIDS, hepatitis, or any other blood-borne disease from this test. Home test kits have become available through the Internet. However, some of these tests have been shown to be inaccurate. The only HIV test approved by the FDA is the Home Access HIV testing kit. When you do this home test, first you register by phone. Then you collect a sample of blood and mail the sample to the lab for testing. Toll-free telephone support is available 24 hours a day for test and result questions. Like the positive results from the first HIV tests done by your healthcare provider, positive
A. The test laboratory sends you in a sealed package, a small kit containing two sterile-packed small sticks, which look like a cross between a cotton bud (Q-Tip), and a small toothbrush. These are for taking the two samples. Each stick is rubbed on the inside of each cheek to collect the sample. The head of the sticks are then pushed off into a small thimble size container filled with salt solution and sealed. These containers are then returned in a post-bag to the laboratory, along with the form. It is not possible to test hair or any other sample. You receive the marker count results after 6-8 weeks (varies with lab chosen) and the results are also communicated to the project administrator. The results are posted on the website in such a manner that the living descendant cannot be identified.
Your blood pressure will be taken in both arms. Blood pressures will be taken at several different places along your legs and ankles. A tracing of the strength of the pulses in your legs and feet will be made with each blood pressure. The test takes 20-30 minutes and is usually done in the vascular laboratory. You do not need to do anything to prepare for it. You will be awake and lying down during this test.
Because a hysterosalpingogram is an x-ray, the test is generally done between day 7 and 10 of your menstrual cycle to ensure that you are not currently pregnant. The test itself shouldn’t take more than five minutes. Although a gynecologist can perform an HSG, the majority of the time a radiologist will perform the test. As a result, you will most likely to go the radiology department in a hospital to have the test done. Before the test, the specialist will review any medications you are currently taking as well as your health history. Be sure to disclose any allergies you may have. This is important because allergies to iodine, seafood or certain dyes can make it unsafe to have a hysterosalpingogram. If an HSG is not possible for you, you will be encouraged to have a sonohysterogram instead.
