Guide

STI testing guide

Why test for STIs?

Getting tested regularly is one of the best ways to look after your sexual health. STIs are common and they don’t always have symptoms, or it can take a little while for symptoms to show up.

Finding out you have an STI means you can get the treatment you need – it’s the infections we don’t know about that generally cause the most harm! Routine STI testing is a way of taking control of your sexual health and wellbeing.

When should you test for STIs?

How often to test depends on many factors, but as a basic guide, if you’re sexually active, consider testing:

at least once a year (and as often as every three months for men, cis and trans, who have sex with men, sex workers, trans & gender diverse people, and people on PrEP, who have sex with multiple partners within that period), PLUS
any time you have unexplained symptoms in body areas you use for sex (e.g. mouth, genitals, anus), OR
when you have a new sexual partner, OR
if a sexual partner tells you they’ve been diagnosed with an STI.

There’s no one-size-fits-all testing rule because our bodies, partners and sexual practices are all diverse!

For personalised advice about testing, talk to your doctor. If you live in NSW, you can call the Sexual Health Infolink on 1800 451 624 to speak with a nurse for free.

What’s in an STI test?

A routine STI screening includes tests for:

chlamydia
gonorrhoea
HIV
syphilis
hepatitis B if you haven’t been vaccinated.

If you have symptoms, the clinician will usually take the sample with a swab of any discharge you may experience. They will offer a genital examination, which would help identify the issue more accurately, but you can say no or ask for a second person present in the room if that makes you feel more comfortable.

If you don’t have any symptoms, they will perform a blood test, help you with the throat swab (it is tricky to do yourself) and ask you to collect a urine sample and/or vaginal/front hole swab, and anal swab. Keep in mind that there are many STIs that aren’t detected in a routine STI screening. If you have symptoms, or suspect you may have an infection not listed above, talk to your healthcare provider.

For specific info about the tests for different STIs – including those not covered in a routine check – read our STI explainers:

Where do you test for STIs?

Routine testing is simple, and there’s more than one way to do it:

General practitioners (GPs) and nurses
Most STI testing happens as part of your usual health care with a GP or nurse.

If you have Medicare and your GP bulk bills, the appointment and testing will be free of charge. Otherwise, there will be a co-payment.

If you don’t have Medicare, a GP appointment may be expensive. You might be able to get free – or more affordable – testing through your local sexual health clinic, student health centre or by using private health insurance.

Sexual health clinics

Sexual health clinics across Australia provide free or low-cost STI testing, treatment and related care through public sexual health services and community organisations. Many centres offer free care for priority groups or people without a Medicare card, but exact eligibility and services vary by state and territory.

NSW

Public sexual health clinics provide free HIV/STI testing, treatment and counselling and clinical services are free (no Medicare or insurance required at publicly funded clinics). Visit the NSW Health website or call NSW Sexual Health Infolink (SHIL) on 1800 451 624 (9:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday) to find your nearest sexual health clinic and book an appointment.

VIC

Melbourne Sexual Health Centre offers free STI testing and treatment (no Medicare required). Other options include Sexual Health Victoria’s clinics (fee for service), and EACH’s virtual women’s health clinic (free phone/video appointments).

QLD

Queensland Health lists publicly funded sexual health clinics and community organisations offering free or low-cost testing and targeted walk-in rapid testing services.

Get the Facts lists sexual health and related services as well as Blood Born Virus (BBV) services in metropolitan Perth. You can also take the quiz at HealthySexual to see if you are eligible for a free chlamydia and gonorrhoea test.

Adelaide Sexual Health Centre offers free and confidential testing, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (including HIV) by appointment only. ShineSA also provides free STI and BBV testing if you are under 30 and have a Medicare card. You can call their Sexual Health Line for sexual health advice and more information.

TAS

Tasmania has 4 free state-wide sexual health centres, and TasCahrd has other referral pathways on their website.

Clinic 34 and other NT sexual health services provide free, confidential sexual health testing and treatment and do not require a Medicare card.

ACT

Canberra Sexual Health Centre, Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT (SHFPT) and partner clinics offer free or low-cost STI testing (including youth and LGBTIQA+ walk-in programs).

Priority populations for STI testing

As public clinics vary in capacity, each centre has their own triage process. Usually, priority groups include:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
people living with HIV, and their partners
men who have sex with men (trans and cis), and their sexual partners
anyone doing sex work
pregnant people
trans and gender diverse people
young people (often defined as ‘people under 25’)
anyone who injects drugs
anyone without Medicare
anyone who has been recently diagnosed with an STI
People who are a sexual contact of someone who has been diagnosed with an STI (especially HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhoea)
people in urgent need of STI-related care.

Contact your local clinic to find out if their services are right for you.

Specialised primary health services

Specialised primary health services are clinics with a specific focus, and are staffed by GPs and other healthcare providers who can offer STI testing. These services include:

family planning clinics
Aboriginal community controlled health organisations
women’s health centres
student health clinics at your university or college

Home or self-testing kits

You can’t test for all STIs at home, but there are some self-testing kits available.

The Atomo HIV self-test is the only at-home HIV kit in Australia approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). You can order one for free at HIVtest.au, at a MyTest vending machine (NSW) or purchase one online, as well as at some pharmacies.
The dried blood spot (DBS) test provides HIV and hepatitis C testing through a mail-in test pack. If you are in NSW, it is provided for free to anyone considered to be at risk of HIV.

No matter where you get tested, your health information will always be kept private, except in specific situations in which there is a public health risk. You can read more about privacy and other healthcare rights here.