Should i get std tested

In as little as one day, chlamydia may show up in your system, but testing should be done at least five days after exposure. It is recommended you retest two weeks after treatment to make sure you are free of the infection. You can be tested for gonorrhea six days after possible exposure and then again after treatment. It can take up to seven weeks for hepatitis A to show up in your blood.

There is no cure for hepatitis A, so no retesting needs to be done. This disease takes weeks to show up in your system. This disease can take up to nine weeks to show up in your blood, and retesting is recommended three months after a positive test to confirm that you have it. Hepatitis C is treatable and can be cured. There are two types of herpes — oral and genital — and both are very common. You can be tested anytime after six weeks from the date of exposure.

The answers depend on your age, your sexual behaviors and other risk factors. Don't assume that you're receiving STI testing every time you have a gynecologic exam or Pap test. If you think that you need STI testing, request it from your doctor. Talk to your doctor about your concerns and what tests you'd like or need. Doctors screen people for chlamydia and gonorrhea by taking a urine test or a swab inside the penis in men or from the cervix in women. The sample is then analyzed in a lab.

Screening is important, because if you don't have signs or symptoms, you may not know that you have either infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC encourages HIV testing, at least once, as a routine part of medical care if you're an adolescent or adult between the ages of 13 and Younger teens should be tested if they have a high risk of an STI.

The CDC recommends hepatitis C screening for everyone born between and The incidence of hepatitis C is high in this age group, and the disease often has no symptoms until it's advanced. Vaccines are available for both hepatitis A and B if screening shows you haven't been exposed to these viruses.

National guidelines recommend that you request testing for HIV , syphilis and hepatitis if you:. Your doctor tests you for syphilis by taking either a blood sample or a swab from any genital sores you might have. The sample is examined in a lab. A blood sample is taken to test for HIV and hepatitis.

No good screening test exists for herpes — a viral infection. Most people with herpes infection never have any symptoms but can still transmit the virus to others. Your doctor may take a tissue scraping or culture of blisters or early ulcers, if you have them, to be examined in a lab. But a negative test doesn't rule out herpes as a cause for genital ulcerations. A blood test also may help detect a past herpes infection, but results aren't always definite. Some blood tests can help differentiate between the two main types of the herpes virus.

Type 1 is the virus that more typically causes cold sores, although it can also cause genital sores. Type 2 is the virus that causes genital sores more often. Still, the results may not be totally clear, depending on the sensitivity of the test and the stage of the infection. False-positive and false-negative results are possible.

You've had chlamydia or other STIs before. You: Have a new sex partner. Have had more than one sex partner in the past year. Have a high-risk partner. A high-risk partner is someone who has other sex partners, unprotected sex, or has an STI.

You don't use condoms when having sex, you use drugs, or you exchange sex for money. You have a high risk of getting gonorrhea if: You're a sexually active male or female younger than You have had gonorrhea or other STIs before.

You have a high risk of getting syphilis if you: Are a man who has sex with men and has high-risk sexual behaviors. Are a sex worker or you exchange sex for drugs.

Are in an adult prison or jail. What are the tests for STIs? What are the benefits of getting tested? This is important so that: You can get treatment and avoid long-term problems, such as not being able to have a baby infertility. If you know that you have an STI, you can get treatment and avoid spreading the infection to others. If you know that you have an STI, you can tell your sex partner s so they can be treated and can avoid spreading the infection. If you're pregnant, an STI test can find an infection so you don't spread the infection to your newborn.

What are the risks of getting tested? If your test shows that you have an STI, your sex partner s will need to know and get tested, which may affect your relationship.

If you have an STI, your doctor may be required by law to report it to your local health department. You may be asked for names and addresses of your sex partners. You could have a false-positive test result, which shows that you have the disease when you actually don't.

This could cause you unneeded worry and treatment. For syphilis, you could have a false-negative result, which shows that you don't have the disease when you actually do. Sometimes the test can't find the antibodies yet. So you might infect others because you don't think you have the disease. Why might your doctor recommend that you get tested? Your doctor may want you to be tested if: You have a high risk for getting an STI.

You are pregnant. Compare your options. You may have a follow-up test, such as a gonorrhea culture to see if the bacteria are resistant to antibiotics. If the test shows that you have an infection, you can take steps to avoid spreading the disease to others. You can tell others so they can decide whether to be tested.

If you're pregnant, you can avoid spreading the infection to your newborn. A test could find an infection early and help you avoid long-term problems from the disease. Getting tested may give you peace of mind. If you have an STI, your doctor may have to report it to the health department.

The health department may contact your sex partner s. Telling people that you have an STI may be hard for you and can affect your relationships. Your test could give a false-positive result, which means that the results show that you have an infection when you don't. Your test could give a false-negative result, which means that the results show that you don't have an infection when you do.

You consider getting tested in the future if your lifestyle changes or you become at risk for an STI. You won't have the risk of getting a false-positive or false-negative test result. You won't have a test you don't need if you know you're not at risk for an STI. If you have an STI, you won't find out, and you may spread the infection to others. If you're pregnant and have an STI, you could spread the infection to your newborn. You won't be able to tell other people that they are at risk and might want to get tested.

They could spread the infection to others. You could have long-term problems from an untreated infection. Personal stories about considering STI testing These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers.

Information on sexually transmitted infections specifically for women. Read about gender specific symptoms, prevention and tests. See some examples and descriptions. Some of the most common causes of genital rashes are infections and autoimmune disorders.

This includes such conditions as jock itch and psoriasis…. Practicing safe sex is crucial to the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Learn more. Talking about sex can be awkward. But it's also a key adult skill. We asked sex and relationship experts for the best ways to talk about sex.

As featured on Good Morning America, we examine expert opinions and survey data in a comprehensive overview of the current fertility landscape in Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect.

Who should be tested for STIs? What STIs should you be tested for? Where can you be tested for STIs? How are STI tests performed?

Frequently asked questions about STI testing. Genital Herpes.