05 May 2019 |

How Long You can Wait for STD Testing after Unprotected Sex

Unfortunately, this is not an easy question. There are a lot of factors to consider before even attempting to answer the question. The first thing to consider is that STI testing is not also perfect.

Even if you have waited long enough for a test to work, you can still get a false negative or false positive. Also, all STD tests do not work in the same way — some tests are just after the presence of a pathogen while others look at the response of your immune system to the infection.

Theoretically, tests that look for the presence of pathogens should be faster because pathogens are always at the onset of every disease. However, these tests depend on samples from an infection location to be effective, and this is not always easy to come by.

For instance, the herpes swabs are extremely sensitive to timing - they only work during a very short window of active infection, and that’s why the ease and accuracy of these tests are highly dependent on the disease.

However, there has been the development of new tools to help doctors use urine samples for gonorrhoea and chlamydia. Other infections are more difficult to detect without seeing symptoms such as lesion or sore. These include herpes and HPV.

If you notice any of those symptoms, visit a private STD clinic in London for testing and treatment.

Tests that require blood samples look for antibodies, and they don’t need a doctor to know where to sample. What these tests need is time to turn positive, and this happens when your immune system first reacts to the infection and then produces high levels of antibodies that are detected.

There are different types of antibodies peak during various stages of the infection, and this can be used to determine how long the infection has been in your body.

Waiting Times And The Accuracy Of Test Results

You have to consider a lot of factors before you can answer how long it would take for someone to test positive or negative on an STD test after a risky sexual activity. Some of these factors are what STDs the person was exposed to and what tests were carried out to detect the infection.

Due to the reasons above, it is quite difficult to give someone a definitive answer on how long they should wait to get a test. Even from a research standpoint, it is difficult. Due to this, there is little or no solid data on how long people should wait and get tested after being exposed to STD.

The common practice on ground is for people to get tested after 2 or 3 weeks of exposure to bacterial STDs. They can and should even go sooner than that if they have started developing symptoms. However, there is still a need for a second test, and this should be done three to six months after to be certain about the result. After a month, some tests for gonorrhoea and chlamydia would be certain and reasonably accurate, but other tests for HIV and herpes need a longer time before they can be confirmed.

If you had a very-high risk encounter, six months is a good conclusive follow-up time for most STDs. You might choose to get tested sooner, but you will have to go back for a standard screening schedule.

Getting Results

Once your test has been carried out, you will have to wait for the result. Some rapid STD tests are available and they can produce results in an hour or less, but every clinic stock rapid tests and they are also not available for every STD.

If you are interested in the rapid tests, visit an STD clinic in London — you can also call us on 020 71830649 and find out what rapid testing is available. If you don’t want rapid testing, other STD test results will be ready between 48 hours and 2 weeks.

STD Testing is Not Everything

A common question most people often ask is “should I tell my current or future partners that I have been exposed to an STD?” Others ask “what if we only have oral sex?” or “what if the sex was brief?” The answers to these questions are all the same.

People are supposed to discuss before having sex — most people don’t enter sexual relationships completely inexperienced, and so it is highly relevant to talk about safe sex and testing.

Still, it is difficult for some people to have this discussion, that’s why it is highly important everyone practice safe sex. This is safer until you are very sure of your test result and even if it comes out negative, continue protecting yourself.

Condoms are not so perfect, but it is better you use them than having sex without protection. People who have been unfaithful to a current partner might find it difficult and complicated to disclose their STD results.

They should still tell despite this because more people would be willing to forgive infidelity that didn’t expose them to STD unknowingly than the one that did. When someone confesses to cheating, they give their partners an opportunity to minimise their physical and emotional risks.

Some people have used STD transmission to manipulate their partners, but this is not the best way to make a partner stay with you or convince them to forgive or overlook your infidelity.

However, most people who get over the stigma and initial shock of an STD diagnosis discover that fear is not love. Beware of whom you enter into a relationship with; there are a lot of manipulative people out there who will intentionally infect a partner with STD just to keep them around.

We know dating with an STD is not easy, but it is better than staying in a relationship with a partner who is physically and emotionally abusive.

We run same day std testing in London - this means you can get your result on the same day if the rapid test is available for the test you want to run. Contact us or book an appointment by calling 02071830649.