Conditions that can pass from one person to the other after sexual contact are STDs. Diseases transmitting sexually can be either gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis, HIV, herpes, etc. All these diseases require timely detection and medication for complete cure. In order to diagnose sexually transmitting diseases you need to know the answer of where to get free STD testing. It is extremely important to get regular tests for sexually transmitting diseases so that the doctors diagnose it at an early stage.
What are the reasons to test for STIs?
Everyone knows that regular testing for STDs is the best practice. But why do you need frequent testing for STIs is important information for every individual. Like any other disease, STIs are also treatable when you get to know about it at an early stage. It gives your doctor time to identify the cause and suggest the best possible treatment.
Many people tend to take the STD test only after identifying symptoms. But in such situations, there are chances that the infection may already reach the stage of severity. Furthermore, there are people who may not even have any symptoms but may still have the infection in the body. For these reasons it is always a recommendation to take STI tests regularly as a preventive measure.
Do you need STD testing?
While regular testing is always the best practice, it is also essential for you to understand whether you need STD testing or not. Any individual with an active sexual life must definitely take the STD testing seriously. Additionally, having unprotected sex makes you prone to infection and in such scenario you must opt for STD testing at the earliest.
Furthermore, during pregnancy it is essential to get all the STD testing done. This helps in keeping the unborn safe and healthy.
Different testing frequency for various STDs
Common sexually transmitting diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc are testable at nearby sexual health centers. Clearly, every disease has different symptoms, different testing schedules, etc.
Talking about the testing frequency of different STDs below is the list that can be helpful for you:
- Gonorrhea – It is advisable to test for gonorrhea every two weeks depending on the sexual lifestyle that you follow.
- Chlamydia – One to two weeks is the advisable testing frequency for this common infection.
- Trichomoniasis – Commonly one month to one week is the recommended testing frequency for this one.
- Hepatitis – Mostly 9-10 weeks are advisable for hepatitis B and close to 3 weeks for hepatitis C.
- Herpes – The testing frequency is around 1-4 months for this disease.
Which are the places to get STI testing?
As per the symptoms the disease testing takes place on the advise of the doctor. This STI testing facility is available at many places, some of which are as follows:
- Doctor’s office
Good doctors usually have resources necessary to screen STIs. Your doctor is already aware of your medical history and this become helpful is deciding which tests to take. STD testing is possible via swab, blood, or urine samples. After sample collection, the testing may take place either at the doctor’s lab or at some other testing laboratory. Because the reports are directly available to your doctor, he or she themselves suggest the necessary course of action as per the reports.
- City health centers
Visiting the doctor’s office for STD testing is a good choice but can be slightly expensive. To get free STD testing, city health centers and community clinics are a good choice. These not just come with free testing facility but also have some preventive treatments available for certain STDs. The community clinics are also a place where you can get advise for family planning or education about healthy sex life.
- Urgent care centers
For people who want a discreet, immediate diagnosis and treatment without having to pay a visit to the primary healthcare provider, the urgent care centers are a good choice. Depending on the resources available you may or may not find testing facility available at the urgent care centers. The urgent care centers are a great place for immediate attention but you may have to take the complete treatment from your primary doctor.
- Lab-based tests and at-home testing
Proper diagnostic laboratories also provide the STD testing facility. As per the discussion with your doctor you may visit the laboratory to give the samples. Good laboratories come with the benefit of latest technologies and accurate reports. Apart from lab-based tests, there are now at-home testing kits available for those who do not want to visit the labs. But for the at-home tests, you need to first know the disease for which you want to test. So, you must discuss the symptoms with your doctor before deciding to purchase the testing kit.
Bottom line:
Having complete information about STDs and the relevant tests makes it helpful to prevent the severe impact of these diseases. Sexual health is a topic that people don’t talk about much. This taboo surrounding sexual health comes with its own drawbacks. Therefore, if you are a sexually active person, make sure you discuss about it with your doctor and take every step essential to stay healthy.
