STI testing: where to go and what happens

You can have an STI (sexually transmitted infection) without knowing it. Testing is useful even when nothing hurts and your discharge hasn’t changed. Which tests you need depends on your sexual history, your symptoms and other things.

Choosing where to go

In the UK, anyone can go to a sexual health clinic, including people with no symptoms. These clinics may also be called GUM or sexual and reproductive health clinics. NHS STI tests are free. Some free chlamydia home testing services are available for under 25s. Check what’s offered near you.

In the US, your usual healthcare provider can talk to you about testing. CDC also points to clinics that offer confidential, free or low-cost tests. When you book, ask about the full cost, how results are sent and whether any paperwork will go to the person who holds your insurance.

What the clinician will ask

A doctor or nurse may ask when you last had sex, whether you used condoms and whether you have symptoms. Mention oral or anal sex too, because you may need throat or rectal tests. If you’re not sure why they’re asking something, ask them to explain.

Give the date of a possible exposure if you can, and say if you’re guessing. A short note can make this easier if the appointment feels awkward. You could start with, “I’d like testing, but I’m not sure which samples I need.”

Samples and examinations

STI tests may use urine, blood or swabs from the vagina, throat or rectum. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea tests can often use a urine sample or a vaginal swab you take yourself. The clinic can explain which samples fit the tests on offer.

At a UK clinic, you can ask for a female or male clinician, and for someone to be with you during a test or examination. This could be a friend, family member or another member of staff. Tell the clinic what you’d like when you book.

Home testing can mean taking your own sample and sending it to a lab. Before you order a kit, ask which infections and which parts of the body it covers, how to send it back, and who gives treatment or follow-up.

Go to A&E now (UK), or an emergency department (US and elsewhere), for pain in your pelvis that is severe or getting worse, or comes with feeling faint or heavy vaginal bleeding. Contact an urgent GP service or NHS 111 today (UK), or your doctor or urgent care service (US and elsewhere), for pain in your pelvis with unusual discharge or bleeding. In these situations, don’t wait for a home test result or a routine testing appointment.

Confidentiality and getting the results

Staff at UK sexual health clinics don’t tell your GP or anyone else what you talked about without your permission. There is one exception: if staff think you or someone else is at risk of harm. NHS guidance says they’ll talk to you before sharing information.

Clinics may send results by phone, text or a plain letter. Tell them which contact details are safe to use. Ask whether they contact everyone or only people who need follow-up, and what to do if you hear nothing.

US recommendations and test timing

CDC recommends yearly chlamydia and gonorrhoea tests for sexually active women younger than 25 years. Some women 25 years and older also need yearly tests, including those with a new partner, more than one partner, or a partner with an STI. Ask which recommendations apply to your body and sexual history.

CDC recommends at least one HIV test for everyone aged 13 to 64 years. In pregnancy, it recommends early tests for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Your clinician can explain whether you need other tests.

No HIV test can find an infection straight away. The time before a test can find it is called the window period. You may need to test again after a recent exposure. Ask the clinic when to test and whether to come back.

When to contact a service

Go to A&E now (UK), or an emergency department (US and elsewhere), for pain in your pelvis that is severe or getting worse, or comes with feeling faint or heavy vaginal bleeding.

Contact an urgent GP service or NHS 111 today (UK), or your doctor or urgent care service (US and elsewhere), for pain in your pelvis with unusual discharge or bleeding. Don’t wait for a home test result or a routine testing appointment.

If you may have been exposed to HIV within 72 hours, go now to a sexual health clinic or A&E in the UK, or an emergency department or urgent sexual health service elsewhere. Ask about PEP. Don’t wait for a home kit.

For other worries about testing, contact a sexual health clinic or doctor. If an infection is found, book an appointment to talk about treatment as advised. UK clinics can usually tell your partners without naming you, so you can ask for help with that.