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Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are often asymptomatic—this means that you could have an STI but might not feel or see any symptoms, like pain, discharge or rash. For this reason, getting tested regularly for STIs is important, even if you feel OK. The San Francisco Department of Public Health recommends STI testing based on your age, gender, and the gender of your sex partners.

These guidelines will help you determine what tests you need if you don’t have any STI symptoms. Our experienced staff can help you with this too. Depending on your situation, we may recommend that you get tested for other infections or that you get tested more frequently.

If you are 25 years or younger and are having sex, you should be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea once each year and for HIV at least once in your life.

If you are older than 25 years, you should be tested for HIV at least once in your life.

If you are pregnant, you should be tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV in the first trimester of your pregnancy, and again in the third trimester if you are at higher risk of STIs.  In addition, you should be tested for syphilis at least twice during pregnancy: once at your first visit (ideally during the first trimester) and again during the third trimester (ideally between 28-32 weeks).

If you are HIV positive, you should also be tested for trichomoniasis (trich) once each year.

You should be tested for HIV at least once in your life. Testing for other STIs, like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis is recommended only in certain situations, for instance, if you’ve had one of those infections in the past, have a partner with an STI, or you live in an area where your chances of getting an STI are high.

Your blood should be tested for syphilis and HIV every three months. You should also get urine, oral swab, and rectal swab tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea every three months.