What to Know About At-Home S.T.I. Tests

Getting tested for sexually transmitted infections isn’t always easy.

It requires a trip to a doctor’s office or clinic — a challenge if you don’t have convenient options close by. Social stigma also remains a barrier for many, experts say.

The good news? It is getting even easier to test yourself for S.T.I.s.

The Food and Drug Administration recently authorized the first diagnostic test for chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis that will be available without a prescription and can be performed entirely at home. The test is only for women, and can deliver results in about 30 minutes.

The Visby Medical Women’s Sexual Health Test is the latest advancement in home testing for S.T.I.s, coming on the heels of the authorization of the first at-home syphilis test in 2024. Experts expressed optimism that these tests could be an useful tool in the fight against S.T.I.s, which are often asymptomatic, but can cause devastating health complications.

“No one test is going to be the magic bullet,” said Dr. Aniruddha Hazra, medical director for the UChicago Medicine Sexual Wellness Clinic. “But the more tests we have — the more options we have for patients — all goes toward reducing the obstacles or barriers that folks face in terms of taking care of their sexual health.”

Home testing has its advantages.

Rates of S.T.I.s have surged in the United States for years. And while there is some evidence rates may be leveling off, there were more than 2.4 million new syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia infections diagnosed in 2023.

Despite the fact that testing is available for little to no cost at doctors’ offices around the country, people may not go because it is inconvenient, because they do not believe they are at risk or because they do not feel comfortable.

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