Physician will order testing through Quest Diagnostics.

Sexually transmitted diseases are common, but the types of STD testing you need may vary by your risk factors. 

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Chlamydia and Gonorrhea

National guidelines recommend that you get screened annually if:

You're a sexually active woman under age 25

You're a woman older than 25 and at risk of STIs — such as having sex with a new partner or multiple partners

You're a man who has sex with men

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages HIV testing, at least once, as a routine part of medical care if you're an adolescent or adult between the ages of 13 and 64. Younger teens should be tested if they have a high risk of an STI. The CDC advises yearly HIV testing if you're at high risk of infection.

The CDC recommends Hepatitis C screening for everyone born between 1945 and 1965. The incidence of hepatitis C is high in this age group, and the disease often has no symptoms until it's advanced. 

National guidelines recommend that you request testing for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis if you:

Test positive for another STI, which puts you at greater risk of other STIs

Have had more than one sexual partner (or if your partner has had multiple partners) since your last test

Use intravenous (IV) drugs

Are a man who has sex with men

Are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant

Your doctor tests your for blood for syphilis 

Genital herpes

No good screening test exists for herpes — a viral infection. Most people with herpes infection never have any symptoms but can still transmit the virus to others. 

A blood test also may help detect a past herpes infection, but results aren't always definite. Some blood tests can help differentiate between the two main types of the herpes virus. Type 1 is the virus that more typically causes cold sores, although it can also cause genital sores.

Type 2 is the virus that causes genital sores more often. Still, the results may not be totally clear, depending on the sensitivity of the test and the stage of the infection. False-positive and false-negative results are possible.