STI testing

[essos.livejournal.com]

Hello ladies.

I'm going to make an appointment to get tested for STIs. I don't have any symptoms, so what is it possible for me to get tested for? When I call to make the appointment or when I go in for it, will I need to give the doctor a whole list of things to test for as opposed just saying 'Everything!'?

Also, I'm getting tested now and planning to again in 6 months. I had unprotected PIV sex with a new partner in the past two months and I read that it can take 6 months for some STIs to show up as positive. Is that true? (EDIT: Just to clarify because I tend to not make sense. Is it true that I may have contracted something from the very recent unprotected PIV sex but a test wouldn't show it until June?)

Thanks!

Comments

[jenmarie.livejournal.com]

Great comment!

I'll add that the most common blood tests for HSV are type-specific, so you can know which you may have. Though, they won't tell you WHERE you have it, and one can have HSV2 orally and HSV1 genitally. My husband got tested after I got my positive results and found that he has HSV1 (which we figured as he has cold sores), but not HSV2.

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

thanks :)

and totally true - most blood tests can type the HSV, but that doesn't really tell you much either. There's also the problematic bit that oral HSV can easily be transmitted to genitals via oral sex even without an outbreak. Big bummers all around, you know?

[sandi1743.livejournal.com]

if you ask/are getting the HSV blood test just make sure that the HSV is the type specif. IgG NOT the IgM - Quest has started to discon't the IgM due to the high number of false positives. HSV is also done via a western blot on your blood. I know that my GYN has always tested for Trich as well when she does the other swabs.

[jenmarie.livejournal.com]

In the case of my husband, it worked OK, but only because we already knew he had one of 'em orally. In my case, I'm going to at least nominally assume that I have them in the typical locations (HSV1 orally, HSV2 genitally) just because we know his status.

I will say that if I ever do have an outbreak in either location I'll have it cultured so I know for sure.

Like I said, it's not really a big deal either way (considering it's a minor skin condition and not health-threatening), and I kind of consider myself lucky because it isn't something I'll have to worry about for the future... as far as contracting it goes. Once you have one there, the likelihood of getting the other in the same location is really really small. The stigma associated with herpes does make interactions with future partners potentially touchy, though. :|