What happens when I get there?
Unless you have symptoms of an STI, a doctor or nurse will not usually examine you.
They will simply ask questions about your sexual history to work out which STIs to test for, or give you information about how to keep yourself safe in the future. Answering the questions can be confronting, and while it is your choice to answer the questions, honest answers will help make sure you get the best advice and care.
To help prepare you, some of the questions might be:
- when was the last time you had sex and was this with a casual or regular partner?
- if regular, how long have you been in the relationship?
- was this a male or female partner and what type of sex was it: oral, vaginal, anal?
- how many partners have you had over the past 12 months and were they male, female or both?
- did you use condoms always, sometimes or never?
- when was your last sexual health check-up;
- have you ever had an STI?
The test
Checking for STIs is easy. It usually involves either a urine test or, for women, a self-collected vaginal swab if they are checking for an STI like chlamydia and gonorrhoea. However you may also have a simple blood test for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B.
At the end of the check-up you should know which STIs you have been tested for and why. You should also be clear about how you will receive any test results.
Understand your health professional won’t be shocked
Health professionals are trained to help make you feel at ease regardless of your background, age, gender or sexual identity. Nothing you share will surprise or shock. You will never be judged and always remember you are in control of the direction of the consultation.
Of course it can feel overwhelming to try to fit everything into a single consultation. So, if you want you can book a long consultation to give you a chance to discuss all your concerns. You can always come back again if there is more ground to cover.
Be assured it’s all confidential
All health professionals are bound by privacy and confidentiality laws. So, everything that occurs during the consultation will be kept confidential and not shared with anyone without your consent. The only exception to this would be if whoever you see has serious concerns about your or someone else’s safety.
You can take a friend along
Though some people prefer to ‘go it alone’, many enlist a friend to come with them and give emotional support and help them remember the questions they wanted to ask. There are no rules about who you can bring along. It can be anyone who makes you feel safe and can provide you with emotional support like a partner, an older sibling, or a good friend.
Just be aware that you will be seen alone for part of the consultation to make sure you are able to speak freely and are not being forced by anyone.
You don’t need to be ‘groomed’ down there
A common fear is about not being perfectly ‘groomed’ down there before a sexual health check-up. There’s no need to apologise for being unshaved, unwaxed or not freshly showered. Even if a physical examination needs to be performed, no one will think any less of you if you may have had to dash in during a busy work day.
Just as you will never be judged for what you tell your health professional, you will never be judged for how you present. They will simply appreciate that you have taken the time out to take care of your sexual health.
Click here to find your local testing service across Australia.
