We all know STD testing is essential for any sexually active individual.
Actually getting a person to get tested regularly is still essential but a bit of hard work. Most people want to prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases and take care of their own health by getting tested. The difficulty is the execution, actually getting people to go.
Most feel like there is a stigma with STD testing, feeling others will judge them as promiscuous and if a test has positive results, dirty or unclean.
However, this is simply not the case. Many STD’s are becoming more and more common because people are not getting tested and their spreading rapidly. There are many ways to get tested via doctor’s lab order or privately online.
One of the many labs that perform blood and urine testing for sexually transmitted diseases is LabCorp of America. They can perform many tests for various sexually transmitted diseases- bacterial or viral. These include but are not limited to Chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, Hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, syphilis, etc.
Who Should Get Tested For Sexually Transmitted Diseases?
Anyone who is sexually active should consider regular routine STD testing.
If you are in a long term monogamous relationship, you may not feel it necessary to have tests done as often. Please consider that if you had sexual relationships before your partner, both of you should have STD tests completed, even if you are planning to be monogamous.
Here are a few reasons to consider routine regular testing (recommended 1-2x/yr):
– You are not using condoms (birth control is NOT disease prevention!)
– You are entering into a new relationship
– Your partner has been unfaithful (or you suspect they have)
– You have multiple partners
– You present symptoms that are consistent with those of an STD
How Does LabCorp STD Testing Work?
When a person has their yearly health exam, they can request for their doctor to order lab work for a full panel of sexually transmitted diseases. This should cover all of the most prevalent STD’s transmitted. If you do not get regular health exams or simply feel too uncomfortable to ask your doctor for a lab order, you can simply go online and purchase the tests you wish to have. When doing this, you will be given an authorized number after you complete your order. You will then take that number as your “identity” into a lab facility, like LabCorp and have your labs done confidentially.
There are various types of testing depending on what tests are ordered. Urine tests and bloods tests are the most common while others tests can require swab testing or a pap smear. LabCorp offers high quality testing for all sexually transmitted diseases in over 1700 locations nationwide.
LabCorp STD Test Facts
As soon as you get your order, either from online or from your doctor- you can go to the lab at any time.
They will take your order form and key in all tests and then call you back to have your blood drawn and/or take a urine sample. For a faster process, you can make an appointment with Labcorp online at their website, Labcorp.com. You do not need your order to make an appt. You simply make the appointment time online at their website and bring your order with you.
After you complete your test, you can expect to have results in as little as a few hours or it may take several days. Most standard lab results are available within 5-7 days. Labcorp also offers a service called Beacon that allows a you to go online in their patient portal to view your test results as well as print or download them. The service free, easy and secure!
Why Is Getting Testing Regularly Important?
It’s very important for any sexually active individual to get tested regularly for sexually transmitted diseases. It ensures their health and the health of their sexual partners, helping prevent endless transmission of STD’s. With the large increase in transmission rates since 2015, the need to regularly get tested is growing.
[alert-success]Early diagnosis is key when treating sexually transmitted diseases and infections.[/alert-success]
Diseases like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are so common and frequent in sexually active individuals that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual testing for anyone having sex.
Although some STD’s are treatable, if left undiagnosed and untreated, they can wreak havoc on your body causing future problems (i.e.: within neurological and central nervous systems) resulting in serious health complications like cancer, blindness, organ damage/failure, infertility and even death.