An STD test can find the presence of many sexually transmitted diseases (STD). There are many kinds of STD tests. Some test for a single type of infection. Other tests include a panel of individual tests to check for an array of STIs, including syphilis, Trichomonas, gonorrhea, chlamydia, Herpes, hepatitis and HIV tests. There is no test or panel of tests that can identify all infectious agents, so it is important to be aware what a given test will detect.
There are a number of good reasons to get an STD test. Some of the include:
- A diagnostic test to determine the cause of a symptoms or an illness
- A screening test to detect asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections
- To check if potential long-term sexual partners are free of diseases before they engaging in unprotected sex
- A mandatory check prior to or during pregnancy, to prevent harm to the baby
- A check after birth, to check that the baby has not caught an STI from their mother
- To prevent the use of infected donated blood or organs
- To help the tracing process from a known infected individual
Not all STIs are symptomatic, and symptoms may not appear right away. In some instances a disease can be carried with no outward symptoms for many months or even years. So testing does not always guarantee protection against STDs.
