STD Testing: When To Get One?

Follow Up STD care

We will follow-up with your care to ensure that your STD is being treated accordingly. Our concierge doctor offers follow up testing to ensure eradication for treatable STDs.

We ensure complete privacy and protection of your health records.  Our lab tests are accurate. The testing complies with the highest standard of quality control and assurance. Some STD’s require a future test for diagnosis and we can schedule that test for you in the future.

We provide testing and treatment for the following STDs:

What is an STD?

STDs are sexually transmitted diseases that spread through oral, anal, and vaginal sexual activity. They can even transmit through intimate personal contacts such as kissing or mother-to-child during birth.

STDs are more likely to happen if you’ve multiple sex partners, making it difficult to know when and from where you contracted the disease. Bacteria, viruses, and/or parasite causes these STDs that are affecting millions of Americans.

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, HPV infections, and genital herpes are the most common types of STDs. Alarmingly, they are more prevalent in teens and young adults who are 15-24 years old. If left untreated, STDs can cause death and long-term health disorders such as blindness, infertility, brain damage, and birth defects.

Timely diagnosis can treat all forms of STDs, including HIV, while others can be completely cured. Therefore, early STD screening and testing are essential to avoid complications and mitigate the risk of health issues.

STD symptoms aren’t very visible, which is why it goes undiagnosed until the fatal stage. Selecting the STD testing process and frequency depends on various factors such as age and sexual activities.

But before we dig deeper into the topic, it is best to discuss the common signs of STDs that you should look for:

Signs and Symptoms of STDs

You might experience a wide range of symptoms if you’ve STDs and STIs, but they, most likely go unnoticed. Therefore, doctors recommend regular checkups as you can pass on STDs without knowing it. If you’re under 25 years, it is best to get tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia as per CDC recommendations.

If you’ve got an STD, you’re likely to experience these active symptoms:

You might experience these symptoms during infections that are not STIs, such as UTIs and yeast infections. That is why getting tested is the only way to know about your sexual health.

When To Get STD Testing Done?

Getting STD testing depends upon your sexual lifestyle and your doctor’s recommendation. According to various health departments, you should get STD screening and testing done, if you or your partner:

1. are sexually active
2. have multiple partners
3. experience any of the symptoms stated above
4. do unprotected sex
5. has/had partners with STI
6. have shared needles during drug testing, blood withdrawal, tattooing, and piercing

STDs can be contracted by:

• Oral Sex
• Mucous Membranes
• Vaginal Intercourse
• Skin
• Anal Intercourse
• Bodily Fluids
• Blood

Do I Still Need To Get Tested Even When There Are No Symptoms?

It is important to get tested, especially if you think you’ve STI, as it can lead to several health complications and affect your partner too. You may even develop other forms of STDs if you’re infected with one.

Since you might not experience any symptoms in most cases, the best way to tell is by getting tested. STD testing becomes all the more important if you have had unprotected sex or been active with multiple partners.

It is an integral part of maintaining and keeping a check on your sexual health and well-being. They are quick, painless, and at times free.

Other signs and symptoms of STDs

Some STDs present with many symptoms while others with few that go unnoticed. STD symptoms can consist of

• changes in urine
• secretion or discharge from a genital organ
• a rash on the body
• burning with urination
• bumps/blisters/vesicles on the genitals
• white spots on the pubic hair
• unusual urine odor or color
• painful ulcers on the genitals and more

How Are STD Tests Done?

Your doctor or nurse will prescribe you a STI test depending on the type of STD you have. To get the history, they might ask for your symptoms, the number of partners, and details about your sexual activities.

After that, the doctor will examine your genitals and perform pelvic exams, especially if you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms. Those with no symptoms will undergo STD screening as a part of a routine checkup.

Based on your examination, the doctor will take one or more of the following samples for STDs Screening:

• blood samples and blood test
• urine sample
• swab test in your mouth
• Swab test in genitals; urethra for males and pelvic for females
• Swab test of discharge or sore skin
• lumbar puncture or spinal tap

At MyConciergeMD, our highly trained and experienced doctors specialize in STD testing. Once you discuss your symptoms and concerns, our professionals will run an examination before providing one of the tests we discussed.

Cost of STD Testing

The cost of STD and STI testing depends on the healthcare facility you visit, the tests needed, and whether you’re insured. Without insurance, STI tests can cost anywhere between $100-600 at a healthcare or planned parenting center. The price for lab-based and at-home STI tests is comparatively lower, and with insurance, you might get it for free.

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention database has free and low-cost options. Using your zip code, you can find the facility nearest to your location. In most cases, you can avail of walk-in STD testing instead of appointment-based visits for quick diagnosis and treatment.

For a worry-free STD test, you can head on over to MyConciergeMD. Not only are our tests affordable, but they also promise professionalism and accuracy. You can schedule an appointment today to get tested for STDs and avoid health issues.

Getting Positive Results

If your test results are positive, healthcare providers may recommend additional tests. After which, your treatment plan will be scheduled to mitigate the associated risks, including cure and prevention of transmission.

In case the STD test results are positive, your sexual partners are also likely to undergo screening and testing, as many STIs are sexually communicable. You can seek referrals from our general practitioner to deal with emotional and psychological stress.

Our proficient and certified doctors will also help create a treatment plan suited to your unique needs.

HIV Prevention Is Better Than Cure—All About PrEP

Not sharing needles, having protected sex, and indulging in less risky sexual behaviors are some basic strategies to prevent contracting HIV/AIDs. But one of the most effective methods is to use HIV prevention medicines, including PrEP and PEP.

PrEP is a pre-exposure prophylaxis drug that reduces the risk of contracting HIV through sex or needle use. These medicines are available in the form of pills or injections that you can take based on your doctor’s prescription

You might switch from pills to shots only if you’ve no known allergy to the drugs available in the shot. Besides, you must regularly visit the healthcare centers for injections and HIV testing before each dose.

On the other hand, PEP is a preventive drug taken after exposure to Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, or HIV. The PEP treatment must start within 72 hours of possible exposure to such diseases to prevent infection. The drug is repeated again after 28 days for effective results.