Home STI Test Kits

You can check if you have an STI:

• at home using a home test kit, like those on this page
• at a sexual health (GUM) clinic
• at your GP surgery

What does STI testing involve?

STI tests require either:

• a small blood sample using a finger prick device
• a urine sample (men only)
• a swab of the patient’s genitals, rectum or throat

This depends on which STI you might have been exposed to and are checking for. If you’re taking an extensive, full screen test which checks for multiple STIs, you might have to provide more than one or all of these samples.

Read more about our home kits and the samples required, below.

Order a home test kit through our online doctor service to check if you have an STI. You will need to log in or create a ZAVA account to order.

1. Select the test kit you think is right for you
2. Complete a short online medical assessment
3. Choose a delivery method and submit your details to pay (you will be billed straightaway)
4. Once your kit arrives (typically within 1 to 2 days of placing your order), collect your sample by following the kit instructions — read more about the different swab tests below
5. Post your sample to the lab using the prepaid envelope included with your kit

Your results will arrive in your ZAVA account within 2 to 3 days of our lab receiving your sample. We will email you to say you have a message waiting in your account. Note, we never include sensitive information in emails we send to you (such as order details or test results). You will need to log in to your account to view your results securely.

Is online testing the same as getting tested in person?

There are some differences between completing a home test kit that you’ve ordered online and getting tested at a clinic or surgery.

There are several advantages to carrying out a home test. For example:

• you don’t need to book or attend an appointment
• you don’t need to discuss your sexual health or sexual history with anyone face to face
• you can collect your sample in the comfort and privacy of your home
• you can contact our team if you have any questions or need help

You can collect your sample yourself for all our home test kits before sending this off to our lab.

Test kits available and sample/s required

• Chlamydia test kit: urine sample (men only) or vaginal swab (women only)
• Chlamydia and gonorrhoea test kit: multiple kits available requiring either an anal swab, oral swab, or aurine sample (men only) or vaginal swab (women only)
• Extended STI test kit: urine sample (men only) or vaginal swab (women only)
• HIV test kit: blood sample
• HPV test kit: urine sample (men only) or vaginal swab (women only)
• Genital herpes test kit: genital swab (both men and women)
• Syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C test kit: blood sample
• Syphilis test kit: blood sample

We also offer test kits that check for multiple STIs:

• female test kit
• men who have sex with men test kit*

These require a blood sample, a rectal and throat swab sample, and either a urine sample (men only) or a vaginal swab sample (women only). Basic and full screen versions are available for each test.

*Men who only have sex with women can use this test kit too. They do not need to collect an anal swab sample.

How to collect your sample

All test kits come with detailed instructions that explain how to collect the required sample/s for that particular test. Here’s a brief explanation of what collecting each sample involves.

Blood samples

Use the lancet (device for pricking your skin) to create a pin prick on the tip of your finger. Place your finger over the sample tube so the blood drips into it. Do this until you fill the tube up to the marked fill line, then seal this.

Urine samples

Use the urine collection box to collect the first catch of urine when you begin to urinate. This is roughly the first 20ml of your urine stream. You can collect this at any time of day. Transfer the urine from the collection box to the sample tube, then seal it.

Swab samples

Open the swab bottle and remove the swab. Read the instructions to collect your swab sample correctly. Once you’ve done this, put the swab back into the bottle.

Also, when using a home test kit, remember to:

• fill out the labels provided, then attach these to your samples
• put all samples into the clear specimen bags provided, then put these in the prepaid envelope to post
• read through the checklist provided to ensure you’ve not missed any steps to complete your test

If you need help completing your test, you can call our Customer Support team. They can give advice and tips to help you do this properly.

Symptoms in men include:

• itching or burning feelings around your genitals
• pain when you urinate
• any lumps, spots, sore, or blisters around your genitals or anus
• irritation or pain in your urethra (inside your penis)
• discharge (unusual liquid) coming from your penis

Symptoms in women include:

• itching or burning feelings around your genitals
• pain when you urinate
• any lumps, spots, sores, or blisters around your genitals or anus
• painful sex
• strong smelling, yellow, or green discharge coming from your vagina
• pain around your lower stomach
• irregular bleeding from your vagina (excluding any normal period bleeding)

If you’re not sure which STI you’ve been exposed to, you can order our extended test kit to check for a wider range of STIs.

Read more about STIs and their symptoms.

When do symptoms usually show up?

Symptoms can often develop as quickly as 1 to 2 weeks after you have unprotected sex, or it may take months, or even years, for this to happen. Some people find they don’t experience any symptoms at all, particularly men.

It’s important to test regularly regardless of whether you have symptoms or not. Getting tested is the only reliable way to know if you have an STI.

When to test for an STI

If you think you could have caught an STI, you should get tested as soon as possible. This way you can start treatment right away if your result is positive.

Different STIs can take different lengths of time to show up on tests. If you test soon after catching an STI, the test may miss this and your result will come back negative. So it’s important to test at the right time (or even repeat a test) to get an accurate result for a particular STI.

When to test after unprotected sexual intercourse

• Chlamydia: 2 weeks
• Gonorrhoea: 2 weeks
• Mycoplasma genitalium: 2 weeks
• Ureaplasma urelayticum: 2 weeks
• Trichomonas vaginalis: 2 weeks
• Gardnerella vaginalis: 2 weeks
• Syphilis: 3 to 6 weeks, then retest at 3 months
• HIV*: 45 days, retest at 3 months
• Hepatitis B: 3 months
• Hepatitis C: 3 months
• Herpes Type I & II: 2 weeks for swab test
• HPV: at any time

* If you think you’ve been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, visit your local sexual health clinic or A&E department as soon as possible. You may be able to take PEP (post exposure prophylaxis) which can reduce your chance of contracting the virus.

STIs are normally passed between people by unprotected sexual contact. This can include activities such as mutual masturbation with a partner and oral sex as well as sharing sex toys and penetrative sex.

Some STIs, such as HIV and hepatitis, can be passed through blood to blood transmission (for example, needle-stick injuries or sharing needles).

How to tell if you're at risk of getting an STI

Your chances of getting an STI can increase if you:

• don’t use protection during sex
• share needles or sex toys
• don’t know the STI status of your sexual partner/s

When should you use protection?

Always use protection during sex unless you are in a monogamous relationship and are both regularly testing for STIs, or you are trying to get pregnant.