Diagnosing Sexually Transmitted Infections with Blood Tests

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) might lead to serious health problems including cancer, infertility, or even organ damage, if treatment is delayed or left untreated.

People might contact STIs anywhere, but only a few get treatments. You might already be infected with an STI without having any visible symptom. The only way to find out if you have STI is to undergo an STI testing. However, the associated stigma holds some people back from getting the STI test.

Who should take an STI test?

Getting an STI test is mandatory if you are sexually active. You must undertake the STI test if you are:

• Getting symptoms associated with STI or indicating an STI
• Wanting to begin a new relationship
• Involved with multiple partners
• Having unprotected sex

Regular STI testing is not necessary if both you and your partner have been tested at the beginning of mutual monogamous relation. Most people do not usually take an STI test these days before entering a relationship. If you already in a mutual relationship without having any STI test, go for it today. It might be possible that you or your partner is carrying an STI. Consult your doctor for more information on STI testing.

Which type of STI test should you take?

There are countless STIs around, and would go on and on making a list of all the STIs one should actually get tested for. However, discussing with your healthcare provider regarding which specific STIs to focus on would be better. Gonorrhoea, chlamydia, hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), trichomoniasis, and syphilis are some of the most common STIs which should be tested for. For instance, you need not run a blood test for the STI, herpes unless your doctor recommends it.

Talk to your doctor

Private blood test does not cover all the STIs. In fact, there are several STIs which are not included, and you need to separately request for that STI to be added to your blood test.

When it comes to sexual health, there are still numerous people who hesitate or feel shy to get an STI test. You must not be hesitant about this and feel free to discuss about any sexual health concern with your doctor to get the necessary care and treatment. STI testing is again important if you are pregnant as some STIs might affect the growing foetus, even leading to abortion in extreme situations. STI tests are usually run in pregnant women during their first prenatal visit.

Risk Factors to Discuss with the Doctor

Always discuss risk factors and concerns related to your sexual health with the doctor as only a professional can guide you on which type of STI test is right and suitable for your condition. For example, if you are engaged in anal sex then an anal Pap smear screening is right for you. You must focus on the following aspects while consulting your doctor:

• Discuss which type of medication you have
• Inform if you or your partner is engaged with other sexual partners as well
• Consult which type of protections to use during oral, anal, or vaginal sex
• Address any suspected or known exposures to any kind of STI

Where can you get an STI test?

You can have an STI test either at the office of your regular doctor or at some sexual health clinic. It completely depends on your preference. In fact, there are some STIs which you can test online or virtually right from your home. However, the reliability of the results is not as precise and accurate as those when the test is performed in a professional setting.

In order to create proper sexual health awareness among the public, the Government should focus on accurate STIs record. As a result, every doctor running the STI test legally requires to report positive STI result to the Government. Some STIs to which the Government pays more attention include chlamydia, chancroid, hepatitis, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and HIV.

How are STI tests performed?

STI test can be done in different ways using different samples such as physical examination, blood tests, swabs, or urine tests.

• Swabs

Swabs collected from cervix, vagina, or urethra are used to check for STIs. Cervical or vaginal swabs collected using a cotton application can help examine the pelvis in females. In case of both male and female, urethral swabs are again collected for the test using a cotton applicator injected into the urethra. In order to check for the presence of an infectious organism in the rectum in case of anal sex, collecting a rectal swab can help.

• Physical examination

Physical examinations are used to diagnose STIs like genital warts or herpes. Bumps, sores, and several other signs are common symptoms of these STIs and are easily visible. This helps the doctor diagnose your condition without running any test. The doctor might also collect samples from your genital area for further testing if he/she fails to reach a solid conclusion from physical examination. Once you notice changes around your genitals, rectum, or anus, consult your doctor at once.

• Blood and urine tests

Testing with urine or blood samples is one of the most common methods to detect STIs. The doctor might recommend a blood or urine test to check for STIs like gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis, syphilis, HIV, or other STIs. However, urine or blood test is not always accurate in some cases. Moreover, blood test is not suitable to detect STIs unless they are exposed to the infection for a prolonged period. For instance, if you have HIV, at least a couple of weeks or up to a few months is required to detect the infection with a blood test.

• Pap smears and HPV testing

A Pap smear test looks for early signs of anal cancer or cervical cancer. Women with HPV infections, particularly HPV-16 and HPV-18, are highly susceptible to risks of cervical cancer. If you have anal sex with HPV infections, it might cause anal cancer as well.

After the Pap smear test, you will be recommended to go for separate HPV testing as the former one does not report about your sexual health status. In fact, an unusual result of Pap smear does not necessarily indicate you have cervical or anal cancer, and it might disappear on its own without any treatment in some cases. If your results show abnormal Pap smear but negative results for HPV, the risks of developing anal or cervical cancer become considerably low.

If you go through any symptom of STI, see your doctor at once and ask if you need a private blood test and any further treatment. Contact Private Blood Tests London to book your appointment for STI blood tests.