How Do You Get Tested?

[blue_eyez 19]

There's lots of support for getting testing and many swingers say the do it regularly. How do you get tested? Doctor's office? General lab? Mail order? Something else?

 

What do you get tested for (HIV, hepatitis, etc.)?

 

How frequently?

 

What's the cost?

 

Hope that's not too many questions!

[dan63 106]

Our local health department offers it for a small paperwork fee. We haven't done it yet but plan on it. We have made that our policy for any bareback play. Mandatory recent (less than 2 weeks) clean STD test for EVERYONE involved.

[njbm 2,877]

We use STD Check on the web. We want to see if we are ok periodically. We get a full panel. They send you to a lab near you and send you the results. We don't really need a health insurer to know about this if not necessary. I think it costs around $300.

 

We just do not play bareback. You can get enough things with a condom. And the test means nothing as soon as you play with a new partner. Sorry to be a little negative.

[blue_eyez 19]

Here's a follow up to my original question.

 

I used STDcheck.com to arrange for the testing. They offer a 10 panel test for $198.00, covering HIV type 1 & type 2 antibody/antigen (4th gen), herpes type 1 & type 2, hepatitis A, hepatitis B & hepatitis C, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. After setting up an account and making your online payment, you choose Quest or Labcorp for your blood draw, and then you print a certificate for that lab that describes the tests to be done and to indicate you've already paid for the tests. Because it's a simple blood draw, you don't need to schedule an appointment (which can further protect your identity, if that's important to you); you can walk in, present the certificate, and then wait for your blood draw. I scheduled an appointment just to be sure I wouldn't have to wait. I went to Labcorp, presented the certificate, and they did the blood draw. Total time there was less than 10 minutes. The medical assistant was very nice (and chatty).

 

I received my results in my account mailbox the next day. (All clear!) That was surprisingly fast but it may be because I live in a major city and lab facilities are abundant.

 

While the cost felt a bit steep, the experience was easy and quick.

[Guest]

We do it each year as part of our annual physicals. Interestingly, we were both doing it before we met since we were “mid-life” singles and dating, me a widow, he divorced. He was also a regular blood donor, which gave him some concerns there as well.

[adamgunn 1,460]

My doctor looks for it during my checkups.

[Guest]

I live in the UK and if I go to a clinic and ask to be tested for STD'S then the test is free, BUT they usually only take a urine sample which is a limited test.

 

A full STD / STI test should include a urine test / blood test / and in the case of a women a vaginal swab.

 

However I find if you attend a free clinic and tell them that you either:

 

A) Had sex with someone a few months ago after which they admitted they use to inject drugs.

 

B) That you noticed a homeless / junkie type person on the street who had fell over and hit their head and was bleeding badly, so you pressed some tissues over the wound but ended up covered in their blood.

 

 

Then that will prompt the clinic to do a full STD screen.

 

 

 

** WARNING **

 

Remember some STD'S have a 2 to 3 month incubation period, meaning you can catch an STD but it will not show up on tests for 2 or 3 months.

 

In many cases you can not have sex with someone and then go to be checked out the week after.

 

In many cases when you go for an STD test the doctor or nurse will ask you...

 

"When did you last have sex with someone that you think was infected?"

 

"When did you come in contact with blood that could have been infected?"

 

 

In some cases if your answer is less than 1 month ago then the doctor will refuse to do a full STD screening, because the doctor knows you could still have an STD in the incubation period, that you could still have an STD that will not show up on tests yet.

 

So if a doctor asks you when you last slept with someone, or when you came in contact with blood products make sure you always say over 1 month ago.

 

 

** ANOTHER WARNING **

 

 

Is that personally I NEVER USE my own doctors / local doctors to complete these STD tests, I always use a busy city centre sexual health / family planning clinic.

 

If you use your own doctors then chances are that doctor will write "Doctors Notes" about why you visited them.

 

In a lot of cases potential JOBS might ask to see your medical records.

 

Generally jobs such as:

 

Hospital Jobs

Medical Jobs

Police Jobs

Army Jobs

Court Jobs

Security Jobs

Government Jobs

Food Processing Jobs

 

Will request to see your medical records (they don't ALL ask to see them, but a lot of them do these days)

 

That these days a lot of jobs are starting to request they can see your medical records to make sure they are not hiring someone who is a risk / mentally unstable / has bad or hidden injuries.

 

 

In my past about 4 different jobs have asked to see my medical records before hiring me, I can happily break those down.

 

 

Food Processing: When I was young I applied to work in a food factory and they wanted to see my medical records so they could assess if I was safe to work around food. If I had back problems, infectious diseases, bad skin problems, some kind of STD they wouldn't have hired me.

 

Hospital: Some years later I worked in a hospital with sick children, they wanted to see my full doctors records to make sure I was safe to work around children and around sick people.

 

Security: I then worked in the security industry on very high profile governmental contracts, again they wanted to see my full medical records to make sure I was mentally stable.

 

Government: I then moved onto a different job within the governmental sector and again they wanted my full medical records on file.

 

 

 

IF those people had read my medical notes and it said:

 

 

Year 2000 - Tested for STDS

Year 2002 - Tested for STDS

Year 2005 - Tested for STDS

Year 2006 - Tested for STDS

Year 2008 - Tested for STDS

Year 2010 - Tested for STDS

Year 2012 - Tested for STDS

 

Ect.....

 

 

Then potentially it would have worked against me, potentially they would have viewed me as a highly sex crazed individual who was a risk.

 

 

Its just my personal opinion but I try and keep STD tests off my normal doctors notes so I use a different drop in clinic instead. Most simple drop in clinics who offer free tests don't contact your doctor unless they actually fond something wrong.

 

Personally I do not speak to my doctor about swinging / group sex / STD tests. I just use one of the bigger, free, anonymous clinics.

 

 

Perhaps people will say.....

 

"It would be against the law to refuse your job application based on you been tested for STD'S"

 

Yeah it might be, but the world doesn't actually work like that, the final choice on your working position is often left to some office manager sat flicking through your medical notes. They also do NOT need to give a reason why you did't get the job, all they need to say is "Your application has not been successful"

 

 

If your doctors notes make you appear as some kind of highly sex / sex crazed person who needs STD testing every 6 months then that will raise big red flags for a lot of jobs, so personally I prefer to keep such things away from my actual medical records.