It depends on which infection you have. Some infections need several tests in order to identify the condition. Your test may include any one of these procedures:
Based on your symptoms, a diagnosis can be made and treatment might begin right away depending on your situation. Other times, your health care professional may need to send a sample to a lab to be tested. In that case, the results may not be available for several days.
In general, parental permission is not needed for STD testing.
It is important to understand that each test is designed for a specific infection. Some infections are grouped together because several infections might show up on the same test. Here are some simple guidelines to understanding STD tests.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening is primarily done with either a urine test or a swab inside a man’s penis or a woman’s cervix. The sample is then sent and analyzed in a laboratory. Results may take 1-2 days. The importance of this test is that many infected patients have neither signs nor symptoms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages an HIV test at least once if you're an adolescent or adult between the ages of 15 and 65. Younger teens should be tested when they engage in risky behavior.
Hepatitis C testing is recommended for everyone born between 1945 and 1965 because of the high incidence found in this age group. Testing is also important because hepatitis C often has no symptoms until it is in an advanced stage.
For syphilis, Dr. McMeeking will normally take either a blood sample or a swab from any genital sores you might have. For HIV and hepatitis, a blood sample is most commonly taken. The blood samples are then sent to a laboratory to be analyzed and will take 1-2 days for results.
HIV testing is confidential and offered to people who are considered to be in high-risk groups. High risk groups include those diagnosed with gonorrhea and syphilis; those who are gay, bisexual and transgender men; and injection drug users.
Once your blood is drawn, you will be given a confidential HIV testing number attached to your appointment card. Once your results are verified by our clinic, you’ll be given a return appointment for HIV disclosure counseling.
We provide Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention as well as Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).
We offer expert HIV care and personalized counseling with specially-trained clinicians. We also offer a unique referral network available to help with a wide variety of practical needs.
There are no complete screening tests for herpes, a viral infection that can be transmitted even when a person doesn't have symptoms. One of the best procedures is taking tissue samples or cultures from a sore, if you have them, for examination in a laboratory. However, a negative test won’t rule out herpes as a cause for genital ulcerations (open sores). Herpes is complicated because many people do not have any symptoms.
There is also a blood test for herpes, but the results aren't always conclusive. However, some blood tests can be helpful in differentiating between herpes simplex 1 and 2. Type 1 commonly causes cold sores and on rare occasions genital sores. Type 2 typically causes genital sores. Still it’s important to remember that results from this test are not conclusive.