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October 29, 2022

Moans and groans. Oohs and aahs. Pleasure and pleas. In a dream world, sex would only be about these feel-good components. Unfortunately, there are also some risks to sex, such as unwanted sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Currently one in five people in the United States has a genital, anal, or oral STI, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention1. The good news is, it’s easier than ever to get tested, and you can even do it from the privacy of your own home these days thanks to at-home STI kits. 

Broadly speaking, if detected, STIs are no big deal. All sexually transmitted infections can be cured or treated, after all. “Sexually transmitted infections are only dangerous if you do not know that you have one,” says Emily Rymland, DNP, FNP-C, a doctor of nursing practice, AAHIVS-certified HIV specialist, and Director of Clinical Services at Nurx. Left undetected, sexually transmitted infections can progress into sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which mean they cause unfavorable symptoms and/or other issues. If gonorrhea or chlamydia are left untreated, for example, they can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, she says, while syphilis can cause dementia, paralysis, and even blindness if left untreated.

Thankfully, at-home STI tests make it as easy as ever to find out your current STI status. “At-home STI tests give people the opportunity to learn more about their own bodies and health, right from the comfort of their own home,” says Rymland. Best, they’re usually affordable and nearly fool-proof. 

Read on for a round-up for the best at-home STI tests on the market depending what you want to get tested for, as well as your gender, sex, sexuality, and budget.

An at-home STI or STD test allows you to test yourself for sexually transmitted infections right from your own home. Designed to make getting information about your own health even easier, these at-home tests use Q-tip swabs, a finger prick, and/or urine—depending on the specific STIs the test can detect—to tell you whether or not you have an STI (at the time of testing). 

These tests are a great option for anyone who doesn’t have time to go to a testing center during the hours their local testing center is open, doesn’t have access to transportation to get to a testing center, or who for their own reasons prefers to avoid doctor office settings, says certified sex therapist Jordan Soper, PsyD., CST.

“They also tend to be less expensive than testing at a commercial testing lab or urgent care, making them ideal for people who don’t have health insurance,” adds Rymland. 

Exactly how the at-home STD test works—as well as exactly what they measure—varies based on the specific test and what it’s testing for. 

To understand why there might be differences between the different STI tests, you need to understand a bit more about sexually transmitted infections, generally speaking.

There are three main types of sexually transmitted infections:  

Parasitic STIs (like trichomoniasis) and bacterial STIs (like gonorrhea and chlamydia) are typically considered site-specific. This means if you contract the STI rectally, it stays in the rectal region, while if you contract it vaginally, it stays in the vaginal region. Parasitic and bacterial STI tests are usually detected either through a urine sample, or throat, anal, penile, or vaginal swab.  

Viral STIs (like HIV and herpes), on the other hand, are typically considered full-body pathogens, which means they don’t infect just one body part, but instead live in the body. Vital STIs are usually tested for through a blood test, such as a finger prick, though recent innovations may make saliva tests possible, too. 

You could use an at-home STI test anytime you want to know your current STI status. You might want to get STI tested, for instance, if you have sex without a condom or have barrier-free oral with a new partner or someone who you believe may have other undisclosed sexual partners.

Whether you test yourself by going to a doctor’s office or screening yourself from home, however, you need to remember that STIs have an incubation period. 

When you are first exposed to an STI, it takes time for your body to recognize the infection and create protective antibodies in response to it, explains Dr. Soper. The antibodies are what most of these tests are looking for. If you take an at-home STI test before your body has had time to respond to the infection, you will get a false negative. 

That’s why the National Health Service recommends waiting two to three weeks after a potential exposure to test yourself. Viral STIs like hepatitis, HPV, and HIV can take even longer than that to appear. 

The best way to ensure accurate results is to test yourself at least two weeks after potential exposure (read: sexy time with someone whose STI status you don’t know or who you know to have a positive STI status) and then again two or three months after exposure. 

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention2 recommends that sexually active women get tested at least once each year for gonorrhea and chlymedia, while gay and bisexual men get tested for those two as well as syphilis. The CDC offers no official recommendations for straight men, which is frankly disappointing. 

As it goes, most healthcare professionals think these recommendations are inefficient. “It should go without saying, but men can get STIs and pass those STIs onto their sexual partners, no matter their gender,” says Felice Gersh, MD, author of PCOS SOS: A Gynecologist’s Lifeline To Naturally Restore Your Rhythms, Hormones and Happiness. 

So, what’s a better rule of thumb? Before every new sexual partner, according to Erin Flinn, a NP and healthcare expert with Favor. “Patients should get checked for STI — either at a clinic or using an at-home test— prior to having sex with a new partner, and asking that they do the same,” she says.

People should get tested more frequently than that if they begin to experience unusual symptoms. While the majority (nearly 70%) of STIs are asymptomatic, sometimes people will experience STI symptoms, such as pain while peeing, discomfort during sex, itchiness, lumps and bumps, blisters or sores, and unusual discharge. If you experience any of these symptoms, or any other genital, anal, or throat abnormalities, you should test yourself for all STIs. 

Left untreated, some STIs can have serious consequences such as neurological conditions, infertility, scarring, and more, says Rymland. And of course, left untreated, there is also the risk of transmitting the infection to your other sexual partners, she says.

Experiencing unusual symptoms but test negative for all the STIs your at-home STI test detects? Head to the doctor, says Soper. You may have another sexually transmitted infection, or another infection like a yeast infection, bacterial vaginosis, or urinary tract infection. If you’re experiencing pain and discomfort, it could also be another underlying condition such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids. 

A doctor will be able to help you understand exactly what’s going on with your body and provide the proper treatment or care depending.

At-home STI tests are a great option for people who don’t have health insurance or who are otherwise on a budget. But there are free and low-cost ways to get tested in person, if you’d prefer to have one-on-one access to a provider to ask all your STI and other sexual health questions to. 

 The following locations often offer low-cost or free STD testing: 

• Your local, city, or state health department
• Planned Parenthood
• LGBTQIA+ centers
• University or college campus clinics