What STI tests should I get after unprotected sex if I have no symptoms?

Short answer

No symptoms does not mean no STI. The tests that make sense depend on the kind of contact you had, where it happened, when it happened, and your and your partner’s known status. A sexual-health clinic can match testing to oral, vaginal, anal, or skin contact and explain if a test needs repeating because the exposure was recent.

Start with the exposure, not a generic checklist

Tell the clinician whether there was oral, vaginal, or anal sex, sharing of sex toys, blood exposure, and whether barriers were used or broke. A urine sample does not check every possible site. Depending on your history, a service may discuss urine, blood, vaginal, rectal, or throat samples.

Testing too early can leave uncertainty

Every test needs time after exposure before it can reliably find an infection. That does not mean you should wait silently. Contact a service now, give the date of the contact, and ask what to do today and whether to book follow-up testing. If there may have been a recent HIV exposure, urgent prevention options can be time-sensitive, so contact an urgent sexual-health service straight away.

Symptoms are not required

Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV, and other infections can be symptom-free. Testing is about protecting your health and your partners, not about proving that anyone did something wrong. Until you have a plan, barriers and avoiding contact that could pass an infection on can reduce uncertainty for everyone.

Bring the useful details

The date of exposure, types of sex, any symptoms, recent tests, pregnancy possibility, medicines, and known partner results all help a clinic give more accurate advice. You can ask for confidential care.

Sources and further reading

• CDC: Getting tested for STIs (reviewed March 17, 2026)
• CDC: Sexual history and STI risk assessment (accessed August 2026)
• CDC: HIV testing (accessed August 2026)