Go to Content Go to Navigation Go to Navigation Go to Site Search Homepage

What procedure will a clinician follow in testing someone for STI’s?

It depends on the infection. When health care providers test for sexually transmitted infections, they usually test for a few different ones. To decide what to test for, providers examine their clients. They talk with them about their visible symptoms, other symptoms they may feel, and what kind of risks they may have taken.

Depending on what’s found during the examination and conversation, the health care provider may take samples of

  • blood — to check for CMV (cytomegalovirus), hepatitis, herpes, HIV, or syphilis
  • urine — to check for chlamydia and gonorrhea
  • cells — to check for BV (bacterial vaginosis), chlamydia, gonorrhea, HPV (human papilloma virus), molluscum contagiosum, or scabies
  • fluid, secretions, or discharge — to check for BV, gonorrhea, herpes, HPV, pelvic inflammatory disease, syphilis, or trichomoniasis
  • cells from the cervix for Pap tests to detect changes associated with certain types of HPV that can cause cancer
  • saliva can be used to test for HIV

Recently, some health officials have called for similar tests on cells collected from the rectum if people have anal sex.

Most health care providers will not do a screening for sexually transmitted infections unless the client asks. So, don’t let embarrassment become a health risk. If you’re sexually active, you should ask to be screened for infections.

HIV tests and screening for sexually transmitted infections are available at many Planned Parenthood health centers, most health care providers, hospitals, and health clinics.

Tags: STDs, going to the doctor

Explore more on

Español

This website uses cookies

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors use cookies and other tools to collect, store, monitor, and analyze information about your interaction with our site to improve performance, analyze your use of our sites and assist in our marketing efforts. You may opt out of the use of these cookies and other tools at any time by visiting Cookie Settings. By clicking “Allow All Cookies” you consent to our collection and use of such data, and our Terms of Use. For more information, see our Privacy Notice.

Cookie Settings

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors, use cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies to collect, store, monitor, and process certain information about you when you access and use our services, read our emails, or otherwise engage with us. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences, or your device. We use that information to make the site work, analyze performance and traffic on our website, to provide a more personalized web experience, and assist in our marketing efforts. We also share information with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners. You can change your default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of required cookies when utilizing our site; this includes necessary cookies that help our site to function (such as remembering your cookie preference settings). For more information, please see our Privacy Notice.

Marketing

On

We use online advertising to promote our mission and help constituents find our services. Marketing pixels help us measure the success of our campaigns.

Performance

On

We use qualitative data, including session replay, to learn about your user experience and improve our products and services.

Analytics

On

We use web analytics to help us understand user engagement with our website, trends, and overall reach of our products.