This depends on whether you have symptoms or not. We commonly do the following tests with patient consent for people who are worried they have a sexually transmitted infection (STI):

Males – For Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, we routinely offer a urine test. If you have symptoms like discharge, a swab will be taken from the tip of your penis. For other STIs like HIV and Syphilis, we do blood tests. Depending on your sexual history we may also take swabs from your throat and rectum and blood tests for other infections.

Females – For Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, we routinely ask you to take swabs yourself from your vagina and/ or to provide a urine sample. If you have symptoms, an examination will be necessary so the clinician can see your vagina and cervix (neck of the womb). For other STIs like HIV and Syphilis, we routinely do blood tests. Depending on your sexual history we may also take swabs from your throat, vagina (using a small instrument called a speculum), and do blood tests for other infections.