What happens in an STI test?
You can get a sexual health check from a GP or from a sexual health clinic. If your doctor doesn’t see many gay or bisexual men, or you don’t want them to know you have sex with men, try a different doctor or go to a sexual health clinic. Sexual health clinics offer confidential STI (including HIV) testing, treatment and information. Specialist medical, nursing, counselling and interpreter services are also available. Public sexual health clinics are free, you don’t need your Medicare card, and you can be anonymous if you wish. Free condoms and lube are also available, along with needle and syringe programs. There is a list of sexual health clinics listed on this website, listing both public and private sexual health clinics.
When you go for a sexual health check, your doctor will assess your risk by asking a series of questions about your sexual history. A full sexual health check-up should include all of the tests listed below.
If you don’t have any symptoms a routine check-up should involve a:
- Blood test for HIV;
- Blood test for syphilis and hepatitis A and B and, depending on your risk, for Hepatitis C (it is recommended HIV-positive men and men who inject drugs should get tested for Hepatitis C once a year);
- Urine sample for chlamydia;
- Anal swabs for gonorrhoea and chlamydia (even if you aren’t fucked, as STIs can be transmitted by activities like rimming and fingering);
- Throat swab for gonorrhoea; and
- Physical examination for genital herpes, genital warts, pubic lice and scabies.
You may need to ask specifically for some of these tests.
If you have symptoms you may be offered different tests.
An STI test can be done regardless of whether you have symptoms or not. For urethral tests (that is, testing for infection in the penis) the type of test you have is determined by the presence or absence of symptoms.
If you do not have any symptoms you will have a urine test. A urine sample is the 'first void urine', the first part of the urine stream.
For rectal or throat (pharyngeal) tests, or when you actually have symptoms from the penis such as discharge or an ulcer or sore, a swab will be taken with what looks like a long cotton bud. Swabs can be taken from the mouth, anus and cock. Swabs of the anus are important even if you aren’t fucked, as STIs can be transmitted by activities like rimming and fingering. Some practitioners will let you take your own anal swabs if this is more comfortable for you. If you are concerned or feel uncomfortable about having swabs taken perhaps go to a sexual health clinic as they do these tests every day.
For blood-borne viruses (BBV), such as HIV and hepatitis C, and bacterial diseases such as syphilis you will need to have a blood test. A small vial of blood will be taken for testing. Before taking blood for HIV and hepatitis C, it essential that the practitioner has discussed the test and possible outcomes with you, this is called the pre-test discussion or pre-test counselling.
With all testing it is important to specify what you want to be tested for, as health care workers cannot test for STIs and BBVs without your permission. Talk to your practitioner if you are unsure what to be tested for. Test results can take up to seven to ten days to come back and you may need to make another appointment to receive these results in person, particularly for tests such as HIV. Post-test counselling is available and should be provided if you are receiving results for HIV or hepatitis C.