Should I Get an STI Test?

Add up all the “yes”s. Did you circle one or more “yes”?

If so, it’s time to get an STI test! Regular STI testing is part of a healthy sex life. It’s important to get at least one STI test for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and/or trichomoniasis every year even if you’re using protection and/or have been with the same partner all year. We also recommend everyone get tested for HIV and syphilis at least once in their life.

Whenever you have a new sexual partner, it’s a good idea to get tested before having sex. You can even go get tested together! Read these tips for how to manage this conversation with a partner. Any time that you have a new partner or have had unprotected sex, we recommend getting tested. 

Also, if you’re pregnant, we recommend getting tested for at least syphilis due to the risk of syphilis being passed on to your baby. Unfortunately, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea are all on the rise. Therefore, we are recommending that every pregnant person know their STI status so they can get treatment. Some people may need to get STI tests more frequently based on their risk factors. 

Lastly, the most common symptom of an STI is NO symptom, so we generally recommend that anyone having sex gets regular STI exams. Fortunately, getting STI tested is easy and fast at Planned Parenthood, most STIs are curable, and all STIs are treatable. Learn more about getting tested here and make an appointment today!

Did you circle “no” to being sexually active?

If so, you most likely don’t need an STI test yet. Let’s be clear. When we say “sexually active”, we mean engaging in oral, anal, or vaginal sex. However, activities where sexual fluids are exchanged or some skin-to-skin contact if there are open sores can also put you at risk for sexually transmitted infections. It’s extremely unlikely to get an STI from kissing, masturbation, touching a partners’ genitals with your hands (without any fluid exchange), and clothed activities. For more in-depth information on how to protect yourself, your partner, and have safer sex, click here.