You’re a little concerned. You recently had sex, and we’re relieved when you started your period. But now you’ve noticed an itch, or maybe you’re just worried your partner might have passed on a little something more than you bargained for. You heard from a friend that Collage is now offering STD testing and treatment for both men and women, but you’re not sure what to expect and you’re hesitant to make an appointment. Well, we hope this post answer some of your concerns and let you know we would love to help you.

Do I need a STD Testing?

If you’re active sexually, the answer is yes. STDs are so common that it is estimated that 1 in 2 sexually active young people will have a STD by age 25. So if you’ve been sexually active you are at risk. This includes oral sex, vaginal sex or anal sex. One of the reasons so many young people have STDs is that many don’t show any symptoms and go undetected. This allows someone to be infected and not know it, passing on the STD to new partners. And if you have a STD and don’t get treated, you are putting yourself and others at risk for additional health issues that affect both men and women. Some of these risks can include infertility, an increased risk of cancer, as well as a higher chance of getting additional STDs, including HIV.

You should also know that most doctors don’t include STD testing in your annual exam unless you specifically ask for it. And there isn’t one test you can run to detect all STDs. They need to be tested for separately.

How Does Collage do STD testing?

Collage offers testing and treatment for two of the most common STDs – Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. We try to make the testing appointment as easy as possible for you. We know this isn’t something you’re looking forward to and we want to make you as comfortable as possible. You will need to bring a photo ID and there will be a little paperwork you will need to fill out, but since all of our services are complimentary we won’t have to deal with insurance forms. That paperwork will help us serve you more effectively and will also inform you of our privacy and confidentiality policies. Once you’re done with that, we’ll get you right in to see one of our medical professionals. We’ll get a little medical history from you and have you provide a urine sample for the STD test. Then you’ll have a chance to share with the staff member how you are feeling and ask any questions you may have about STD or other sexual health issues.

How soon will I know?

It typically takes us 5-7 days to get your results back. Before you leave Collage we’ll schedule a follow-up appointment for you to come back in and get your results. We are not able to give these out over the phone.

 What if I’m positive?

When you come back in for your follow-up appointment we will go over your results with you. If they are positive, we will begin treatment with an antibiotic right then and there. The treatment will depend on whether you are positive for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea or both. Once we administer the treatment we’ll ask you to stay for a while to make sure you don’t have a reaction to the medication. We will also ask you to abstain from sex for 7 days from the date or treatment to prevent infecting anyone else.

It is also recommended that you encourage the person you think you got the STD from to come in to get tested as well as anyone else you’ve had sexual contact with during that period. Once you have received treatment and waited the 7 days you should be Chlamydia and Gonorrhea free. However, you can get these STDs again if you have contact with another infected person.

 Contact Us

If you need to get tested or have any questions about our testing and treatment, please contact us (link) at either our Kearney or Grand Island locations.