How regularly you get tested will depend on the amount of sex you are having, the type of sex, who and how many people you are having it with and the harm reduction or ‘safer sex’ strategies you use. It’s best to speak with your GP or the sexual health clinic to determine the frequency that best suits you. For example, I get swabs and bloods done (ie. the whole lot) every three months because I have access to free testing and I prefer the peace of mind. 

What happens in a sexual health test will vary depending on whether you present with symptoms or not. If you don’t have any symptoms, the GP or Sexual Health Nurse will give you a swab for your genital area, and separate swabs for your throat and/or anus. Usually these swabs are ‘self-applied’, which means you can swab yourself privately in the bathroom or doctor’s room. You will also be given blood pathology forms, where a nurse will take your blood (usually from the underside of your elbow/forearm). Depending on the advice of your doctor, you can decide to do both swabs and bloods every time - or some people do swabs more frequently than bloods. 

If you are presenting with a symptom (or aren’t sure if something is a symptom), the doctor may perform a physical examination where they will swab the affected area for you. The doctor won’t usually give you a diagnosis on the spot, but may give you their perceived ‘potential cause’ for the symptom. Results usually come back in a few days, and you’re either texted that you’re negative - or you might get contacted to return to the clinic (usually this is the case if the results are positive) to discuss results and potential treatment options. Don’t freak out if they do want you to come in for a discussion, sometimes this could be to discuss other health concerns (like low iron) that your GP may have been testing for at the same time. And regardless, most STIs are treatable - so it’s not the end of the world if you do return a positive result. 

In NSW (and in many other places across the country), there is the option to go to clinics where they provide free and anonymous testing. This means that you a) don’t have to pay / don’t need medicare and b) you don’t have to provide any personal identification. This is a good option if you’re worried about disclosing your personal information and/or the costs of seeing a doctor is inaccessible for you (ie. you don’t have medicare, or there’s a ‘gap’).