Sexual health (GUM) consultation (genitourinary medicine consultation)

What is a sexual health (GUM) consultation?

A sexual health consultation is an appointment with a genitourinary medicine (GUM) service. You talk privately to a doctor, nurse or trained health adviser about any symptoms, recent sex, or worries. They help you work out which tests you need, talk through your options, and arrange any treatment, contraception or HIV-prevention medicine.

The appointment is not the same as a test on its own. It is a chance to be examined if needed, to ask questions, and to get a plan that fits you. The team can also help you tell recent partners they may need a check (this is called partner notification, and it can be done without naming you).

It is important to know that NHS sexual health (GUM) clinics are free and confidential for everyone, whatever your age, gender or background. You should never feel you have to pay to look after your sexual health. A private appointment may suit some people for speed or convenience, but the same care is free on the NHS.

The whole point is to make this easy and judgement-free. You can usually give a chosen name, your GP is not told without your permission, and the service stays confidential even if you are under 16.

Types, options & approaches

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

Clinic consultation versus a home test kit

If you have symptoms, a clinic consultation is usually the safer choice. Home kits suit routine checks when you feel well.

Preparing for your appointment

• You do not need to do much to prepare — you can usually just attend, but check whether your local clinic is walk-in or by appointment.
• Try not to pass urine for about 1–2 hours before the appointment if you might need a urine sample.
• Bring a list of any medicines, allergies and your contraception if relevant.
• It helps to know roughly when your last sexual contact was, as timing affects which tests are useful and when.
• Think about whether you want results by text, phone or in person, and a chosen name if you prefer.
• You can bring someone with you, and you can ask for a male or female clinician where possible.
• If you might have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, contact a clinic or A&E urgently to ask about emergency prevention (PEP).

What happens

You will talk privately with a clinician or health adviser. They will ask about your symptoms (if any), recent sex, contraception, and your general and sexual health. These questions can feel personal, but they help the team choose the right tests — staff do this every day and will not judge you.

If you have symptoms, you may be examined. This can include looking at the genital area, mouth or skin, and taking swabs. For many people, samples can be self-taken in private (for example a vaginal swab or a urine sample). Blood tests are used for HIV and syphilis.

Some rapid tests give a result the same day; others are sent to a laboratory and take a week or two. The clinician will explain when and how you will get your results, what any treatment involves, and whether recent partners should be checked. You will agree a plan together before you leave.

Is this appointment 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 main thing to understand is timing. Tests done too soon after sex can miss an early infection, so a normal result is only fully reassuring once enough time has passed (the 'window period'). Ask the clinician when you should test or retest, and never assume a single early test rules everything out.

Published figures to discuss

A consultation itself carries no meaningful procedural risk. The most important 'numbers' relate to test reliability: a test taken too early can be falsely negative, and a normal result only reflects the infections tested and the time elapsed since exposure. Exact figures vary by test and infection, so the clinic's 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 consultation. 'Afterwards' is mainly about getting your results, completing any treatment, and telling partners if needed.

• Mild soreness from a swab or a small bruise from a blood test.
• Feeling relieved, or anxious while waiting for results — both are normal.
• Being asked to retest if the first test was inside the window period.
• No physical after-effects from the appointment itself.

Aftercare

• Collect any prescribed treatment and finish the full course, even if symptoms settle.
• Avoid sex, or use condoms, for the time your clinician advises after treatment.
• Let recent partners know if asked — the clinic can do this anonymously on your behalf.
• Make a note of when to retest if you tested early after a risk.
• Get your results in the way you agreed, and contact the clinic if you do not hear back.
• Use the clinic's advice line if you develop new or worsening symptoms.
• Consider talking about ongoing contraception or HIV prevention (PrEP) if relevant.

• Decide how you want to receive results (text, call or in person)
• Note your last sexual contact date for the clinician
• Bring your medicines and contraception details
• Think about which partners may need telling
• Save the clinic's contact or advice-line number
• Plan whether you want a chosen name for confidentiality
• Know the date to retest if you are testing early after a risk

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Severe lower abdominal or pelvic pain, especially with fever.
• Painful, spreading sores, a severe rash, or swelling of the genitals.
• Testicular pain and swelling, or being unable to pass urine.
• Feeling generally unwell with fever after a possible infection.
• Heavy or unusual bleeding, or pain during or after sex that is new.
• A possible HIV exposure in the last 72 hours — seek urgent advice about prevention (PEP).
• Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction after any treatment (swelling, 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 normal set of results means no infection was detected in the tests done, at the time they were done. It does not rule out an infection caught very recently, and it does not test for every possible infection — so ask exactly what you were and were not tested for.

If an infection is found, most common ones are straightforward to treat, often with a short course of medicine. The clinician will explain the treatment, when you can have sex again, whether partners need checking, and whether a follow-up or test-of-cure is needed.

Results only reflect your sexual health up to the date of testing and the window periods involved. If you have new partners or new risks, you may need to test again. Many people who change partners are advised to have a check every few months; people in a stable relationship who do not change partners need testing far less often.

Related tests, treatments or support

A consultation often happens alongside a full STI screen, HIV and syphilis blood tests, cervical screening reminders, hepatitis B vaccination, and contraception or HIV-prevention advice. The team can usually deal with several of these in one visit.

Follow-up & long-term care

Follow-up depends on what is found. You may simply be told your results are clear, asked to retest after a window period, given treatment with a possible test-of-cure, or referred for specialist care. Partner notification, where needed, is arranged with your agreement and kept confidential.

• Regular checks if you change partners, with timing advised by the clinic.
• Ongoing contraception reviews if relevant.
• HIV-prevention medicine (PrEP) reviews and monitoring if you take it.
• Hepatitis B vaccination course completion if started.

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• Tests taken inside the window period often need repeating, which is routine, not a failure.
• Some results come back unclear and need a repeat sample.
• If symptoms persist after treatment, you may need re-examination or a test-of-cure.
• Plans change as new partners or symptoms appear, so further visits are 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 way to get your results and ask questions.
• Honest advice on window periods and when to retest.
• Confidential, supportive help with partner notification when needed.
• A plan for treatment, test-of-cure and any onward referral.
• Signposting to free NHS services, contraception 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 clinic or pay for a private appointment.
• Appointment length and whether an examination is included.
• Which tests are run, and whether any are rapid same-day tests.
• Whether treatment, vaccination or prevention medicine is provided.
• Follow-up appointments, repeat tests or a test-of-cure.
• Health-adviser support and partner-notification help.

• The clinician or service fee for the appointment.
• Which infections are tested for, and any laboratory fees.
• Whether treatment and prescriptions are included.
• Cost of any vaccinations or prevention medicine.
• Follow-up appointments and repeat or confirmatory tests.
• What happens, and what it costs, if a result is positive or unclear.
• A reminder that the same care is available free on the NHS.

On the NHS? Sexual health (GUM) consultations are free and confidential on the NHS for everyone; some people choose a private appointment 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.

• Which infections are you testing me for, and which are not included?
• Given when I last had sex, is it too early to test — and when should I retest?
• How and when will I get my results, and what happens if something is positive?
• If I need to tell partners, can the clinic do this without naming me?
• Would HIV-prevention medicine (PrEP) be suitable for me?
• Do I need any vaccinations, such as hepatitis B?
• 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 appointment, 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 appointment 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 sexual health (gum) consultation

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 NHS — Find sexual health services Terrence Higgins Trust — Testing for HIV BASHH — Summary guidance on STI testing (2023) 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.