test for STD

What is best test for STD?


This discussion is related to SCARED OF STD INFECTION (Im a suffering hypochondriac).

[Vance2335]

There are a number of different STD's and each has a different test.

[dids1972]

What are the tests to negate any STD after protected sex and unprotedcted oral sex with a sex worker

[dids1972]

How much one should wait to go for test after protected sex and unprotedcted oral sex with a sex worker (incubation period) ?

[Vance2335]

Protected sex=no risk
Unprotected oral sex...Gonorrhea and NGU-test after 1 week, Syphilis test after 6 weeks and Herpes test after 4 months.

But oral sex is low risk to get an STD, but still possible. Without symptoms (gonorrhea & NGU-discharge, syphilis-sore on penis, herpes-outbreak) no need for testing.

[dids1972]

A lot of thanks

[dids1972]

How much one should wait for symtops to appear in case of protected sex and unprotedcted oral sex with a sex worker

[Vance2335]

Read my responce and you will have your answer.

[lc69]

Wow.

To start, dids... There is no *one* test to check for STDs... different STDs require different tests. But in general there is a blood test for HIV, throat and genital swabs for Chlamydia for and Gonorrhea, another blood test for Syphilis. There is also a slide smear that can be done as a preliminary check for Gonorrhea and to check for NGUs.

Those are generally the "standard" tests that a good clinic will do for you. Not as common, there is also a blood test for HSV-1 and HSV-2 and blood tests for Hepatitis. You might have to ask for those although your provider may rule out certain tests depending on the activities you have engaged in. (That does' t mean you can't get them done anyway.)

Some providers will also do a visual inspection for anything visual -- HSV-1 or -2, any of the strains of HPV that generate warts.


These test don't "negate" any STD... they simply test for them. Some of the STDs can be cured -- Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis and NGUs all respond to antibiotics. Some genital warts can be removed ... removal of the wart can remove the HPV that caused it (although I'm not sure that is 100% effective).

HSV can't be "cured" -- once you have it you have it. It can be managed however and daily meds can help redice the chance the you pass them on to someone else.

And then there's the "big" one... HIV... can't be cured either but as I understand it, the meds they have today here in the US are generally able to manage the disease for a long period of time. I don't really know the details of that, so I don't know how effective the meds are or what the side effects are. But in general this is still one of those you *don't* want to get.

Lastly there are the various strains of Hepatitis .. A, B and C... I'm not all that familiar with them but my general understanding is that at least C isn't curable. Or not curable unless caught early. And C (and the others) may not be manageable and may result in a pretty bad outcome (sickness, death)... I don't think the Heps are all that common although I think Hep C is becoming more common recently. The various strains of Hep are more associated with specific "higher risk" activities, so your provider may not feel you are at risk for these. Unprotected sex with a sex worker may be one of those higher risks. You should spend some time researching the Heps online and talk to your health care provider about it (and please post here if you find anything important).


Lastly, the different STDs have different incubation times ... which also depends on the test method. HIV for example can be detected using the more expensive PCR method after 10 days. But requires 6 months for accurate detection via the more common Elisa method. For HSV (Herpes... both type 1 and type 2) lesions can appear as soon as six to eight days after exposure and a test can be made at that time from the lesions. If that test is negative or if you don't have symptoms, most people who are HSV+ seroconvert within 4 to 6 months and you can check for HSV with a blood test at that point. The incubation period for HPV can be from three weeks to eight months and sometimes can take up to two years to show up.

Keep in mind that there are plenty of STDs that you can have and be completely asymptomatic -- Herpes is pretty common and most people don't have symptoms, miss them when they do have them, or think they are something else.

Really, *really* be aware that protected sex does *not* mean "no risk". Condoms are "safer", but by no means 100% effective. Many STDs can be transmitted *around* the condom (i.e. through skin-to-skin contact past the base of the condom), or through secondary skin/fluid contact (you touch your partner with your hand or a toy then touch yourself). Even with HIV, condoms only reduce the risk of transmission about 70-85% if used correctly (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV).

And oral sex *can* transmit STDs even if you don't have symptoms. Go and get tested even if you are asymptomatic -- it's better to know than not.

For an idea of the tests available, you can also look at: http://sxcheck.com/view.php5/test/GetTested -- I haven't used their services before so I don't know how they operate, but they might be a good resource for you. I don't get the sense that they do a physical exam and it I'm not sure if they give any advice or not, so you should still try to find a clinic or doctor who you can talk to. Some clinics offer their services and tests for free or a reduced rate (the sxcheck tests *are* rather expensive....).

As far as how long you wait before going to get tested... go now. It never hurts to go sooner rather than later. You might have symptoms for something now that can be treated now. And your provider can better advise you on when to come back and get followup tests/checkups. You will probably need to go a few times... once for an initial exam and round of tests, then another for a followup after six months at least to check for HIV and HSV after their 6 month incubation period.

---Lawrence