STIs and testing

Questions about sexually transmitted infections usually arrive with a date, a symptom, a test result or a lot of uncertainty. This collection makes space for the practical next question: what a test can and cannot tell you, what to say at a sexual-health clinic, and how infections such as chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis are discussed without guesswork.

It is general information, not a way to diagnose yourself from a symptom or to choose a testing timetable alone. Tests vary, and the right next step depends on the sex you had, when it happened, symptoms, treatment and local services. A clinic can help match the test and timing to the situation.

Seek prompt clinical care for severe pain, fever, a spreading rash, sores, unexpected bleeding, testicular pain or swelling, or if you think you may have had a recent high-risk exposure. If a result is positive, follow the advice from the clinician or service that gave it rather than relying on an article to manage treatment.