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IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
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Getting Tested for STIs
Aaron Dunn, 06.10.08
The only way to know for sure if you have an STI is to get tested. |
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When it comes to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the only thing worse than having one is having one and not knowing it. And if you have an STI, you're not the only one who's in danger. Your partners are in trouble, too. And so are theirs.
Just Do It
The only way to know for sure if you have an STI is to get tested. STI testing is a quick and simple process, and is widely available at hospitals, doctors' offices, and health centers, including Planned Parenthood health centers. Testing is often offered for free or on a sliding-fee basis, meaning almost anyone can afford to get tested, regardless of income.
There are several different STI tests; which one you should get, and how often you should return for follow-up testing depends on your personal situation. An open and honest discussion with your health care provider about your sex life and sex practices is the key to determining which tests are most appropriate for you, and how often you should be tested.
Come Clean
When you meet with a clinician for STI testing, it's important to tell it like it is: your number of sex partners, any potentially risky behaviors, whether you use birth control, you name it.
You should also discuss any suspicious signs and symptoms you may have. Strange discharges, unusual rashes or sores, or any kind of pain or soreness in the pelvic area should be noted.
Let's Get Physical
The next step, in most cases, is the physical exam. Your health care provider will do a quick overall exam to see if there are any visible signs of infection. Chances are she'll pay particular attention to the STI hot spots: the genital area, especially, but also your eyes, mouth, and nose. If anal intercourse is part of your sexual history, a rectal exam may also be in order.
What happens next typically depends partly on what the clinician found during the physical exam, and partly on what you told her during the initial interview. No single test can screen for all STIs. If there are signs and symptoms pointing to any specific STI, your clinician will choose the test — blood, urine, or swab — that best targets that infection.
Blood Tests
The blood test involves drawing blood with a needle and sending it to a lab for analysis. Four common STIs can be diagnosed with a blood test: hepatitis, herpes, HIV, and syphilis.
Urine Tests
Urine tests are used to diagnose chlamydia and gonorrhea. The procedure is simple: Pee into a small container, give it to your clinician, and wait for the results.
Swab Tests
Swab tests are used to detect bacterial vaginosis (BV), chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, HIV, HPV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis.
Swabbing involves dipping or smearing a cotton-tipped implement (like a Q-tip) into fluids, discharges, or secretions. Swabs may also be used to pick up cells from the cervix, opening of the urethra, rectum, throat, or inside the cheek. The swab picks up just enough of the discharge or cells for a trained clinician to conduct a thorough microscopic analysis.
Remarkably, swabbing is usually not painful. Uncomfortable, certainly, but not painful.
Visual Exam
Clinicians can usually recognize genital warts, molluscum contagiosum, pubic lice (crabs), and scabies during a physical exam. Sometimes, a sample of tissue from a slight skin scraping is needed to diagnose scabies.
Take Charge of Your Health
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 3 million American teenage girls, or at least one out of every four, have one of four major STIs: HPV, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and herpes. And millions more teens — guys and girls — have any number of other STIs, including gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, and HIV/AIDS.
STIs, in other words, are everywhere. You can call 1-800-230-PLAN to make an appointment with the nearest Planned Parenthood health center, or find us online. |
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