Do You Have to See a Doctor to Find Out if You Have an STD?

How can I know if I have an STD without getting checked by a doctor? Or is that the only way to find out?

To find out if you have an STD, you can get tested at a doctor's office or health clinic. To find places near you to get tested, check Planned Parenthood's search tool. Some places offer free or low-cost testing and treatment. Home tests are available for some STDs. But the results aren’t always reliable, they can be expensive, and they don't include treatment.

Health care providers can diagnose many STDs with a urine (pee) sample or a swab of the cervix (in females) or the urethra (in males). Sometimes a sample from a sore or a blood test is needed. If it turns out that you do have an STD, the health care provider will prescribe medicine and/or give you an antibiotic injection (shot) in the office. Sometimes they can also give you a prescription for your partner too.

It is really important to treat STDs as early as possible so that they don’t spread to others or cause any long-term problems. In most states, as long as you are over age 13, you don’t need to worry about your parents finding out. You can always ask the health care provider, just to be sure.

To help lower your risk of getting an STD:

• Use a latex condom every time you have sex (vaginal, oral, or anal).
• Get tested with any new partners before having sex.
• Have sex with one partner only (who also doesn’t have sex with other people).

You don’t have to have any symptoms to have an STD. So remember to get tested every year (or more often if recommended by your health care provider).