Apologies if this is off-topic. Not sure where to ask.
Rookie question here. I generally stay far away from hospitals and the like aside from an annual checkup. Now I’m in a new relationship so I’d like to know:
How does testing for STDs work (specifically here in the USA)?
Do I need to make a special appointment with my GP?
Do they need to take blood?
Is it subject to special confidentiality rules or anything like that?
Do I have to go to the pharmacist or a specialist?
Does insurance pay for it?
Are there specific tests I need to ask for?
I’ve been with one person previously, but not sexually active since the start of the pandemic. I don’t HAVE any STDs, but want to know what I need to be aware of, and I want to be ready to show my new GF that I’m clean. I did not attend Sex Ed in middle school.
2 comments
Not sure how it is in the US. Here in the UK you can simply order a DIY kit with which you collect blood/urine/swabs samples yourself and then send them to get tested. It’s all fairly easy and fast.
But yeah, not sure about the US, as your health system tends to be very confusing.
For a full screen, blood from the arm is taken to test for HIV and syphilis. Either a urine sample (more common) or a vaginal/urethral swab is collected to test for gonorrhea and chlamydia. Herpes and HPV are not part of full screens. Herpes can be tested by swabbing any present lesions and HPV is tested via Pap tests.