Preventive care & physicals
STD & sexual health screening
We provide confidential sexual health screening — blood and urine tests, and swabs where appropriate. Most infections have no symptoms at all, which is why testing is based on when you last tested and your situation, not on whether something feels wrong.
Come in if you have
- You have a new partner, or several
- It has been a while since you last tested
- A partner has told you they tested positive
- You have symptoms — discharge, sores, burning, itching, or pelvic pain
- You are starting a new relationship and want to test together
What happens at your visit
- We ask what you need tested and why. Brief, clinical, no commentary.
- Most screening is a blood test and a urine sample. Swabs only where they are needed.
- We explain what each test does and does not cover — no single test checks for everything.
- Results are explained clearly, and if something is positive we treat it and talk through notifying partners.
Testing is routine, not a confession
Sexual health screening is ordinary preventive medicine, in the same category as checking cholesterol. The questions we ask are to work out which tests you actually need — nothing more.
If you have been putting this off because of how the conversation might go, it will be shorter and more boring than you are expecting.
Symptoms are the exception, not the rule
Most sexually transmitted infections produce no symptoms for a long time, sometimes never. Feeling completely well tells you nothing about whether you have one.
The consequences of leaving them untreated — infertility, chronic pelvic pain, increased HIV risk, and in the case of syphilis, damage to the heart and nervous system years later — are largely preventable with a test and a course of treatment.
Know what you are being tested for
A “full screen” means different things in different places. A standard panel generally covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Herpes testing is not routinely included, and hepatitis may or may not be, depending on your risk.
Tell us what you want covered and we will be explicit about what is and is not in the tests we order.
Timing matters
Testing too soon after a possible exposure can give a negative result that is not reliable, because different infections take different lengths of time to become detectable. Tell us when the exposure was and we will advise on timing rather than letting you leave with false reassurance.
If something is positive
Most of what we find is straightforward to treat, often with a single course. We will explain what it means, treat it, arrange any follow-up test needed to confirm it has cleared, and talk through how to let partners know — including options that do not involve naming you.
Common questions
- Is this confidential?
- Yes. It is part of your medical record and protected like everything else. If you are on someone else's insurance and worried about what appears on a statement, tell us — we will explain your options, including self-pay.
- Does one test cover everything?
- No, and this is a common misunderstanding. A standard panel usually covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Herpes is not routinely included unless you ask or have symptoms. Tell us what you want covered.
- I have no symptoms. Do I still need testing?
- Yes. Most sexually transmitted infections cause no symptoms, particularly early on — that is precisely why they spread and why untreated infections cause damage later.
- How soon after exposure can I test?
- It varies by infection, and testing too early gives a false reassurance. Tell us the date and we will advise when to test, or test now and repeat at the right point.
- Will I be judged?
- No. These are routine tests we run constantly. Answering our questions honestly gets you the right tests — that is the only reason we ask.
This page explains how we care for this condition at our office. It is general information, not medical advice for your specific situation — please talk to us about your own care.
Ready to get this looked at?
Call us or send a request and we will get you in — often the same or next day.