Full STI screen (comprehensive sexually transmitted infection screen)

What is a full STI screen?

A full STI screen is a set of tests for the common sexually transmitted infections. In the UK a thorough screen usually covers HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are tested from a urine sample or self-taken swabs; HIV and syphilis are tested from blood.

'Full' does not mean every infection. A standard screen does not routinely test for herpes or genital warts (these are usually diagnosed from symptoms), and trichomonas, hepatitis B, hepatitis C or mycoplasma may only be added for certain people or risks. Always ask exactly what is included.

A screen is most useful when you have no symptoms and want reassurance or a routine check. If you do have symptoms, you usually need a consultation and examination rather than a screen alone.

A screen is only as reliable as its timing. Each infection has a 'window period' — the gap between catching it and it showing on a test. A test done too soon can be falsely negative, so you may need to test again later.

Free, confidential STI screening is available to everyone on the NHS. You should never feel you have to pay to check your sexual health, though some people choose a private screen for speed or convenience.

Types, options & approaches

There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.

What a 'full' screen usually does and does not include

Always confirm the exact list before you assume you have been 'fully' checked.

Preparing for your test

• Check what infections the screen includes and whether throat or rectal samples are offered.
• Avoid passing urine for about 1–2 hours beforehand if a urine sample is needed.
• Know roughly when you last had sex, as timing decides whether the screen is reliable yet.
• Tell the service about any symptoms — you may need a consultation rather than just a screen.
• Decide how you want your results and whether you want to use a chosen name.
• If using a postal kit, read the instructions carefully so samples are taken correctly.
• If you might have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, seek urgent advice about prevention (PEP) rather than waiting to test.

What happens

For chlamydia and gonorrhoea you give a urine sample or take a swab yourself (for example a vaginal swab, or a throat or rectal swab if relevant). For HIV and syphilis a small blood sample is taken, usually from the arm, or as a finger-prick in some home kits.

At a clinic, samples are taken in private and you can ask questions. With a postal kit, you take the samples at home and post them to the laboratory in the packaging provided.

Some tests, such as a rapid HIV test, can give a result within minutes. Most laboratory results come back within a few days to about two weeks, by text, phone, app or your chosen method. If anything is positive, the service will contact you to arrange treatment and advice.

Is this test right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

The biggest pitfall is timing and scope. A normal result only covers the infections tested and only if enough time has passed since exposure. Ask which infections are included, whether throat or rectal samples are needed for you, and when you should retest after a recent risk.

Published figures to discuss

A screen carries no meaningful procedural risk; the key uncertainties are test accuracy and timing. Modern chlamydia and gonorrhoea (NAAT) tests are highly sensitive once past the window period, and HIV and syphilis blood tests are very accurate after enough time. But a test taken too early can be falsely negative, and very rarely a screening test is falsely positive and needs a confirmatory test. Exact figures depend on the specific test and infection, so timing advice matters more than any single number.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

What happens afterwards

There is no physical recovery from a screen. 'Afterwards' is about getting your results, retesting if you tested early, and arranging treatment if needed.

• A small bruise from a blood test, or mild soreness from a swab.
• Waiting a week or two for results.
• Being asked to retest if you tested inside the window period.
• No physical after-effects.

Aftercare

• Get your results in the way you agreed and chase them up if you do not hear back.
• If positive, start treatment promptly and complete the full course.
• Avoid sex, or use condoms, for the advised time after treatment.
• Tell recent partners if asked — the clinic can do this anonymously for you.
• Note when to retest if you tested early after a possible exposure.
• Consider hepatitis B vaccination or HIV prevention (PrEP) if relevant.
• Contact a clinic if you develop symptoms while waiting for results.

• Confirm which infections the screen covers
• Avoid urinating for 1–2 hours before a urine sample
• Note your last sexual contact date
• Decide how to receive results
• Read postal-kit instructions carefully if using one
• Plan a retest date if testing early after a risk
• Save the clinic's contact details

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Unusual discharge, genital sores, lumps, or a rash while waiting for results.
• Pain or burning when passing urine, or pelvic or testicular pain.
• Fever or feeling generally unwell after a possible infection.
• Heavy or unusual bleeding, or new pain during sex.
• A possible HIV exposure in the last 72 hours — seek urgent advice about prevention (PEP).
• A severe reaction to any treatment, such as swelling or breathing difficulty — call 999.

Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your specialist gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

A clear (negative) screen means none of the infections tested for were detected, at the time of testing. It does not rule out an infection caught very recently, and it does not cover infections that were not part of the screen — so check exactly what was included.

If an infection is found, most common STIs are very treatable, often with a short course of medicine. The service will explain treatment, when you can have sex again, whether a test-of-cure is needed, and how partners can be told confidentially.

A screen only reflects your sexual health up to the date of testing and the window periods involved. New partners or new risks mean you may need to test again. People who change partners are often advised to screen every few months; people in a stable, mutually exclusive relationship need testing far less often.

Related tests, treatments or support

A full screen is often combined with a consultation, hepatitis B vaccination, cervical screening reminders, and contraception or HIV-prevention advice. Throat and rectal swabs may be added depending on the kinds of sex you have.

Follow-up & long-term care

If everything is clear you may simply be told so. If you tested early, you may be asked to retest after a window period. If anything is positive, you will be offered treatment, a possible test-of-cure, and confidential partner notification, or referred for specialist care.

• Repeat screening at intervals if you have new or multiple partners.
• Complete any hepatitis B vaccination course started.
• Ongoing HIV-prevention medicine (PrEP) with its monitoring if you take it.

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• Tests taken inside the window period routinely need repeating — this is expected, not a failure.
• Inadequate or unclear samples sometimes need retaking.
• A positive screening result may need a confirmatory test before treatment.
• New partners or symptoms mean repeat screening over time is normal.

Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.

What good aftercare looks like

• A clear, named route to get results and ask questions.
• Honest window-period advice and a retest plan where needed.
• Prompt treatment and a test-of-cure where appropriate.
• Confidential, supportive partner notification.
• Signposting to free NHS services, vaccination and HIV prevention.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• Whether you use a free NHS service or pay for a private screen.
• Which infections are included, and any extra tests such as hepatitis or extra-genital swabs.
• Whether results are rapid same-day or standard laboratory tests.
• Whether a consultation or examination is included.
• Treatment, confirmatory tests or a test-of-cure if anything is positive.
• Postage and laboratory fees for home kits.

• The exact list of infections tested for.
• Laboratory and sample-handling fees.
• Whether a consultation, examination or advice is included.
• What a positive result triggers, and at what cost (treatment, confirmatory test).
• Cost of repeat or window-period retesting.
• Cost of any vaccination or prevention medicine.
• A reminder that the same screening is free on the NHS.

On the NHS? Full STI screening is free and confidential on the NHS for everyone; a private screen may be chosen for speed or convenience, but you never have to pay to look after your sexual health.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a specialist safely

• Check the specialist is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
• You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the specialist who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good specialist will welcome every one of these.

• Exactly which infections does this screen include, and which does it not?
• Given when I last had sex, is it too early to test — and when should I retest?
• Do I need throat or rectal swabs as well as urine or genital samples?
• How and when will I get my results, and what happens if one is positive?
• If something is positive, can you tell my partners without naming me?
• Should I also consider hepatitis B vaccination or HIV prevention?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the specialist who carries out my test, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this test not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified specialist for full sti screen

Every consultant is GMC-checked and independently reviewed. Search by postcode and distance, or switch to a map. Ordered by rating, relevance and recency — never by who pays.

How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Visiting a sexual health clinic BASHH — Summary guidance on STI testing (2023) Terrence Higgins Trust — Testing for HIV NHS — Find STI testing and treatment NHS — Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.