STD / STI Testing

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How do I know if I need an STD/STI test? 

It can be difficult to know if you need an STD test because many STDs don’t cause symptoms, or their symptoms clear up after a period of time. That’s why health care professionals recommend routine testing for some STDs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, especially for those people who are at higher risk of contracting these infections. This includes: 

• People under the age of 25 who are sexually active
• People who have had more than one sexual partner in the past year
• People who have had unprotected sex in geographic locations where specific STDs are more prevalent
   

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What are the symptoms of common STDs/STIs? 

As mentioned previously, some STDs don’t cause any symptoms. That’s why routine STD testing is so important when it comes to your overall health. That being said, here are some of the most common STDs and their corresponding symptoms: 

Gonorrhea

• Increased urination or urgency to urinate
• Pain or a burning sensation during urination
• A pus-like or cloudy discharge from your vagina or penis
• Painful or swollen testicles
• Increased menstrual bleeding or bleeding in between periods

Chlamydia

• Pain while engaging in sex for women
• Pain or a burning sensation during urination
• Pain in your lower abdomen
• Unusual discharge from your penis or vagina
• Tender or swollen testicles

Hepatitis B

• Pain in your abdomen
• Dark coloured urine
• Pain in your joints
• Fever, nausea, or vomiting
• Decreased appetite

Trichomoniasis

• Unusual discharge from your penis or vagina
• A burning sensation during or after urination
• An itching sensation or irritation within your penis
• A burning sensation after ejaculation
• Redness, soreness, itching, or burning of female genitals

Syphilis

• Enlarged lymph nodes in your groin area
• Painless sore or “chancre” at the infection site
• Fever
• Skin rash with tiny red or brown coloured sores
• Fatigue, weight loss, headache, or hair loss
   

What can I expect during an STD test? 

For the most part, you can expect an STD test to resemble other types of tests you’ve had in the past such as routine blood work or urinalysis. Each type of STD requires its own specific sort of test to determine whether the patient is infected, but the majority of them can be completed using either a blood or urine sample. These are relatively painless and quick 15-minute collection procedures that are simple and straightforward. Book your test from the comfort and safety of your own home with Ichor.

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What STDs or STIs can Ichor collect test samples for? 

Not too long ago getting tested for bacterial STDs meant having an uncomfortable experience where a swab was inserted into a man’s urethra or a woman’s cervix. Fortunately, urine and blood testing for STDs has become much more common and available. At Ichor, we only collect urine or blood samples using our mobile lab collection services, which means we can help facilitate testing for the following STDs: 

• Chlamydia
• Herpes
• Gonorrhea
• Hepatitis B
• Trichomoniasis
• Syphilis
• HIV

By choosing Ichor to get your lab work collected at home, you can avoid having to travel to an STD clinic which can be awkward, embarrassing or time-consuming. Our certified Calgary or Edmonton Medical Laboratory Assistants take the privacy of our patients extremely seriously and exercise complete discretion when conducting our mobile laboratory collection services from your home. 

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*Remember to present your requisition for STI/STD tests when we arrive.  If you require a requisition, Signature Medical Centre is providing telehealth appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic and can provide you with one virtually. 

 

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