Hey Kintsugi how are you doing I want to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. The chance I have something is low because... nothing is wrong and I've been pretty careful, but I could have been more careful, so I want to make sure. The problem is that the big chain places I saw doing testing, even with good reviews, won't take insurance. My insurance is great right now bc it is a gift from my father but I can't afford medical exams without it. Can a regular doctor do a full STD test? Do you know of places that will take insurance if I don't care about it slightly breaching strict confidentiality (as you can see from me making an internet forum post anout it)? If you did this, how did you do it. Thanks.
regular doctors absolutely can do a full STD test! depending on your area, Planned Parenthood might be able to do it too, but i'm not sure how they work with insurance. also, on the off chance you're in college, most colleges/universities have clinics that pretty much do STD testing all day err day.
I only wish I had a planned parenthood in my town. There isn't one nearby. We have this awesome LGBT focused clinic but they're constantly packed up to the gills. And yeah if I were still in school the uni clinic would be a brilliant idea but I went and got my degree and went on with my life >u< If a general practitioner can do a full test, though, that's probably a good choice. It was just that the specialized labs wouldn't take insurance--man I can't afford that. My insurance is good because I'm not the one earning it!! Luckily I already know some good doctors here... would you call specifically to schedule STD testing or what? Will they need to do a general exam first?... Or a pap smear?... I'm fine with either I'm just money bound...
yeah, just call the doctor and say you want STI testing. (i think "sexually transmitted infection" is the current official terminology.) you don't normally need a full checkup beforehand, but the doctor might want to look at your junk for a visual inspection. apart from that, you pee in a cup, possibly get blood drawn depending on which infections they're looking for, and then the doctor will probably take a swab of your vaginal or cervical mucus.
Also: not to stress you out, but you might want to ask them which STIs they're testing for. I have read that some places will only test for herpes on request (I will say though, that was an older source, so it could be completely inaccurate these days). That said you'd have probably noticed something wrong if you had it, so if you haven't I wouldn't be too worried!
