STD Screening

Sexual transmitted disease (STD) screening, also called sex transmitted infection (STI) testing, checks a sample of your blood, urine or cells for infections passed through sexual contact. Many of these infections cause no symptoms at all, so testing is often the only way to find out whether you have one.

Why might I need STD screening?

You might be advised to have STD screening if you're sexually active, whether or not you have symptoms. A doctor or nurse is best placed to tell you if and when you need testing, since they understand what puts people at higher risk.

You may need testing if:

• You're sexually active
• You have symptoms, such as pain when you pass urine, unusual discharge, or sores, blisters or lumps around your genitals
• A sexual partner has told you they have an STI
• You're pregnant
• You've started a relationship with a new partner

Healthcare professionals may advise more frequent HIV testing for individuals with specific risk factors, including those using PrEP, gay and bisexual men, people who inject drugs, people involved in sex work, and those whose partner is from a country with a higher prevalence of HIV.

What are the benefits of STD screening?

Finding out early means you can start treatment sooner, which improves your chances of a full recovery and helps you avoid longer-term problems. Untreated STIs can sometimes lead to serious complications, including infertility, organ damage or loss of sight, and in rare cases can be life-threatening.

Testing also protects the people you have sex with. If you know you have an STI, you can take steps to stop it spreading and let your partners know so they can get tested and treated too.

If you're pregnant, testing and treating an STI early helps protect both your health and your baby's, as an untreated infection during pregnancy can create risks for you both.

Are there different types of STD screening?

There are a few ways to have STD screening, depending on your symptoms and what's available in your area:

• A full clinic appointment, if you have symptoms. A doctor or nurse asks about your sexual history and symptoms, examines you if needed, then takes the right samples for your situation
• A quicker, test-only clinic visit, for people with no symptoms. You take your own swab or urine sample, and a staff member takes a blood sample if you need one
• A home test kit, which you use in private and then send off for results. These are usually for people with no symptoms and are often limited to how often you can order one.

Whichever option you choose, the exact sample needed, whether that's blood, urine or a swab, depends on which infections are being tested for.

How do I prepare for STD screening?

You usually don't need to do anything special to prepare for a blood test. If you're having a urine or swab test, avoid using vaginal creams or douches beforehand, as these can affect your results.

Timing matters, too. Most STIs take a little while to show up in a test after you've been exposed, so testing too soon can give an inaccurate result. This is called the window period, and it's different for each infection:

• Chlamydia and gonorrhoea: 2 weeks
• HIV: providers generally advise waiting 6–7 weeks for an accurate result
• Syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C: 12 weeks

If you're not sure whether enough time has passed, it's a good idea to test now and test again later to be sure.

If you have a clinic appointment, try to arrive about 10 minutes early and go to reception when you arrive. It's best not to bring children with you unless someone else can look after them while you're seen, as appointments can involve sensitive questions and examinations.

It can also help to prepare yourself mentally. Waiting for a test or results can bring up difficult feelings, and it may help to talk to someone you trust, or a counsellor, before or after your appointment.

What happens during STD screening?

1. A doctor or nurse will ask about your sexual history, any symptoms, and how many partners you've had. This conversation is private and confidential
2. If you have symptoms, they may examine you for visible signs of infection, such as sores or a rash
3. You'll give the samples needed for your particular test. Depending on what's being tested for, this could be a blood sample from your arm, a urine sample, or a swab from your genitals, throat or rectum.

If you don't have symptoms, you may be offered a quicker test-only visit, where you take your own urine or swab sample and a staff member only takes a blood sample if you need one. Home test kits work in a similar way: you take your own samples in private, following the instructions provided, and send them off for testing.

What happens after STD screening?

There's no recovery time needed after STD screening itself, so you can go straight back to your normal activities.

How quickly you get your results depends on the test and where you had it done. A rapid HIV test in some clinics can be ready in around 20 minutes, while other results take longer, sometimes several days to a couple of weeks.

If you were tested at a clinic, you may need to call an automated results line yourself, usually from around 7–10 days after your test, using the reference number you were given. If your result is positive, the clinic will usually call or text you directly. Some clinics won't contact you at all if your result is negative, so it's worth checking the results line rather than assuming everything is clear.

If you test positive for an STI, your doctor or nurse will talk you through your treatment options and what happens next. It's important to complete any treatment exactly as prescribed. Some STIs can be cured completely, while others are managed to control symptoms and lower the risk of passing the infection on.

What are the risks or side effects?

STD screening shouldn't hurt. Most people find it quick and reasonably comfortable, though it's normal to feel a little uneasy about having an examination or being asked personal questions.

A doctor or nurse will always ask for your permission before examining you or taking a sample and will try to help you feel as comfortable as possible.

The main risk is testing too soon after a possible exposure, before an infection would show up in a test. This is why it's worth waiting for the window period to pass or testing again later if you're unsure.