Should I be getting any other tests?
Short answer: probably yes.
HIV is one of several sexually transmitted infections going around Melbourne, and it isn’t the most common by a long way. If you’re coming in worried enough to test for HIV, it usually makes sense to check the rest at the same visit.
Here’s the part that catches people out
Most STIs give you nothing at all. No discharge, no sore, no symptom.
That’s especially true in the throat and the arse. You won’t feel gonorrhoea in your throat. You can still pass it on.
So “I feel fine” isn’t information. The only way to know is to look.
What a full screen actually includes
A proper sexual health screen isn’t one test. It’s a set:
Swabs for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, taken from every site you use. Throat, anus, and the front. This is the bit that gets skipped most often, and it’s the bit that matters most.
Urine for chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
Blood for HIV and syphilis, plus hepatitis A, B and C depending on your history and what you’re already vaccinated against.
One site isn’t a screen. If you’ve only ever handed over a urine sample and been told you’re clear, most of the picture was never looked at. That’s the single most common gap I see.
What we’ll actually check
Which tests you need depends on what sex you’re having and where, not on who you are. We’ll work that out in the appointment rather than running a generic panel and hoping.
If something comes back positive, treatment is generally quick and we’ll sort it out. Nothing on this list is a catastrophe.
Vaccines are worth asking about
Hepatitis A and B are vaccine-preventable, and so are HPV and mpox. If you’re not covered, that’s worth five minutes of the appointment.
How it works here
The screening is done at Collins Street Medical Centre and it’s usually a swab, a urine sample and a blood test.
Dorevitch Pathology takes the samples here on site. Results come through by SMS as soon as they’re available, usually the next day.
Booking
Phone 03 8575 6900 and ask for an appointment with Dr George Forgan-Smith for an HIV test and a sexual health screen.
If it’s been less than 72 hours since an exposure you’re worried about, PEP is the time-critical thing. Go to a sexual health clinic or an emergency department today, or ring 1800 PEP NOW (1800 737 669).
There’s a fuller rundown of what STI tests to actually ask for if you want the detail before you come in.
This information is general in nature and not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Speak to your doctor about your specific situation.
Dr George Forgan-Smith, GP, practising in Sydney and Melbourne. AHPRA MED0001197864.