core sti test kit for men who have sex with men

This test includes a urine sample that detects the presence of Chlamydia and gonorrhoea. There is a throat swab and a rectal swab that checks for both Chlamydia and gonorrhoea.

The small blood sample provided by you is tested for the presence of HIV and Syphilis.

Anyone who is sexually active should get tested for sexually transmitted infections at least once a year.

Certain groups of people are at particularly high risk and are advised to have more regular tests :-

• men who have sex with men are advised to test every 3 months if they're having unprotected sex with new or casual partners
• black African men and women are advised to have a regular HIV test and STI screen if they're having unprotected sex with new or casual partners
• people who share needles, syringes or other injecting equipment

Testing at the start of a sexual relationship as part of a full sexual health check is recommended, especially if you plan on not using condoms. Also, a negative test result in the past is no longer accurate if you've taken risks since. 

Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the UK and easily transferred during vaginal, anal and oral sex.                                                                                                                                                    Your urine sample will detect whether you have genital Chlamydia and your throat and anal swabs will check for it in your throat and anus.

Some men have mild symptoms that disappear after a few days. However, even if the symptoms disappear they will still have the infection and be able to transfer it to another person.

If Chlamydia is left untreated in men they are at risk of infertility, reactive arthritis or orchitis (swollen testicles).

Gonorrhoea is the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the UK. It can be contracted by having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with an infected person.

10% of men are unaware that they’re infected as they don’t experience any obvious symptoms and this means that the infection can go untreated until the disease has progressed. This can lead to serious long term health problems and infertility.

This test will detect the infection in your urine, throat and anus.

Most people diagnosed with HIV in the UK acquire the virus through unprotected vaginal or anal sex. It’s also possible to catch HIV through unprotected oral sex but the risk is much lower and so it’s very rare.

The blood test kit checks whether you have contracted  HIV.
You will need to produce a small blood sample using a sterile lancet that is enclosed within the test kit.

It’s very accurate (99.8%) at detecting the presence of HIV in your blood providing the sample is taken at least 45 days after potential exposure to the virus.

Most people who are infected with HIV experience a short ( lasting around 2 weeks) flu-like illness that occurs within 6 weeks of infection.

Once this passes an infected person usually feels fine for a number of years. During this time, known as asymptomatic HIV infection, the virus continues to be active and causes progressive damage to your immune system. This can lead to life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, tuberculosis (TB) and pneumonia. Early diagnosis and treatment of HIV can prevent these illnesses.

Therefore, it's extremely important that you get tested if you think you may have been exposed to HIV, even if you have no symptoms.

However, if you think you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours please go to your local sexual health clinic or A&E dept. immediately to receive treatment.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria. It can be transmitted during vaginal, anal or oral sex. During the early stages of infection it usually causes painless but very infectious sores or ulcers called  chancres.

It's important to get tested and treated as soon as possible if you think you might have syphilis, as it can cause serious problems if it's left untreated. It can cause damage to your inner organs and as the disease progresses it can cause brain damage and dementia.

People with syphilis are up to five times more likely to be infected with HIV, which can enter the body through any syphilis sores that start to bleed during sex.

You will receive your test results within 4-5 working days of your test kit samples reaching the lab.

As soon as the lab has your test results you will be notified by your chosen method, email or SMS.  There will not be any detail in this message, it will simply ask you to login to your WebMed account; using your secure password. When you have logged in you will find your confidential test results.

It’s important to always wear a condom, particularly with new partners, when having any kind of sexual activity.

Avoid sharing sex toys but if you do, make sure you wash them and cover with a condom.

Not all STIs can be prevented entirely by wearing a condom but your chances of contracting an infection can be dramatically reduced by wearing one. 

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