Swabs and urine samples
In females, swabs may be taken from the vagina, neck of womb (cervix), urethra (urinary opening) and also from the back passage (rectum) and throat if appropriate. A freshly passed first urine sample is usually requested.
The infections tested for may include:
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhoea
- Candida (thrush)
- Trichomoniasis (TV)
- Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)
- Herpes
- Non specific urethritis (NSU)
Don't worry if you have never heard of these, as we will explain each of them to you.
For men, the procedure is simpler. Usually a fine swab will be taken from the urethra to test for Non-Specific Urethritis (NSU), and Gonorrhoea. This test can be a little uncomfortable but only lasts a few seconds. A freshly passed first urine sample is usually requested to test for chlamydia.
The advantage of taking swabs is that we can diagnose two of these infections on the day and give you any treatment that you need. It is important that men do not pass urine for 2 hours before having these swabs otherwise you can flush out the bacteria that we are testing for.
Blood tests
Everyone attending the clinic will be offered blood tests for Syphilis and HIV, even if you think that you are at low risk of having these infections. If the doctor suggests an HIV test, it does not necessarily mean that he or she thinks that you are at high risk.
Some people will be offered a test for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Gay and bisexual men will be offered free vaccination for Hepatitis B
We can diagnose some infections on the day in our laboratory and will then give you the results and any necessary treatment. Other tests will be sent to the laboratory and it usually takes around 10 days to get the results.