Think you’ve just come down with a bad cold or a nasty case of the flu? It could be just that. But, if you’ve recently had unprotected sex and are experiencing symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and swollen glands, it could be that you’ve managed to contract HIV.
Early HIV symptoms tend to mimic those most often associated with the flu. While some people will start having HIV symptoms within a month or two of infection, for others, HIV symptoms won’t surface for multiple months or even longer.
So what should you do if you start feeling like flu season has reared its ugly head? For starters, don’t panic. Just because HIV symptoms and flu symptoms are similar doesn’t mean that you’ve gotten an STD. But what you can do is go out and get an STD test to see if your HIV symptoms are indeed indicative of more than just a cold. You can also ask your partner if he or she has undergone STD testing and what the results were, as your risk for infection will unfortunately increase if it turns out that your partner has HIV.
If your HIV test does come positive, take comfort in the fact that thanks to a host of antiviral medications, doctors are able to control HIV and limit its ability to attack the immune system. The key, however, is to begin treatment as early as possible. So if you do start experiencing HIV symptoms, it’s in your best interest to be proactive—because while those early symptoms could just be signs of a cold of the flu, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
