STI & STD Testing - Free With Medicare, Australia-Wide

STIs and STDs Explained

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) — also called sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) — are infections passed on through sexual contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex, and sometimes close skin-to-skin contact. The terms STI and STD mean essentially the same thing; “STI” is the more accurate and now more widely used term, because you can carry an infection without it ever causing disease or symptoms. You’ll see both used interchangeably, and this guide covers testing, treatment and symptoms for the common ones.

STIs are extremely common and nothing to be ashamed of. Some are caused by bacteria and are completely curable; others are caused by viruses and are managed rather than cured. What they overwhelmingly share is that they frequently cause no symptoms at all — which is the single most important thing to understand about them.

STI Symptoms in Men and Women

Most people with an STI have no symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they tend to fall into a handful of patterns: unusual discharge, pain or burning passing urine, sores, blisters, lumps or rashes in the genital area, itching or irritation, unusual bleeding, and pain during sex or in the lower abdomen. Because different STIs cause overlapping symptoms — and because many cause none — symptoms alone can never tell you which infection you have, or even whether you have one. Only testing can.

STI symptoms in men

Many men with an STI notice nothing at all. When symptoms in men do occur, they commonly include:

• Discharge from the penis — clear, cloudy, white, yellow or green depending on the infection
• Burning or pain when passing urine
• Irritation or discomfort inside the penis
• Sores, blisters or ulcers on the penis, scrotum or around the anus
• Lumps or growths — such as genital warts
• Itching, redness or a rash in the genital area
• Pain or swelling in the testicles — less common, and a reason to seek care promptly
• A rash elsewhere on the body — for example on the palms or soles, which can be a sign of syphilis

Symptoms at the throat or rectum (from oral or anal sex) are usually absent, which is why testing those sites when relevant matters. Any new discharge, sore or lump is worth getting checked — but so is testing when you feel completely well, because that’s when most STIs are silently present.

STI symptoms in women

STIs are especially likely to be silent in women, which is part of why untreated infections can quietly cause harm. When symptoms in women do occur, they commonly include:

• Unusual vaginal discharge — a change in colour, consistency or smell
• Pain or burning when passing urine
• Bleeding between periods or after sex
• Pain during sex
• Lower abdominal or pelvic pain
• Sores, blisters or ulcers around the vulva or anus
• Lumps or growths — such as genital warts
• Itching, redness or irritation of the genital area
• A rash elsewhere on the body — which can be a sign of syphilis

Because these symptoms overlap with everyday conditions like thrush, bacterial vaginosis and urine infections, and because so many STIs cause no symptoms, testing is the only reliable way to know. Untreated STIs in women can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which can affect fertility — a key reason routine testing matters even without symptoms.

Common STIs at a Glance

Here’s how the most common STIs compare — what they can cause, and whether they’re curable or managed. Each links to its own detailed guide covering symptoms, testing and treatment.

STI & STD Testing

An STI test — also called an STI check, STD test, or sexual health screen — is quick, simple and mostly painless, and you can arrange it online with a Specialist GP. The samples used depend on what’s being tested and where you may have been exposed:

• A urine sample — a first-catch urine test, commonly used for chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
• Swabs — a vaginal swab (often self-collected), and throat or anal swabs where relevant, which can also often be self-collected. A swab is also taken directly from any sore.
• A blood test — for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B.

A standard STI screen for someone without symptoms typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV. If you’ve had oral or anal sex, make sure testing includes throat and anal swabs, as a urine sample alone can miss infections at those sites. Most results are available within 2-3 days, though some take up to 5-7 days over weekends or for certain tests.

When and who should get tested?

Consider an STI test if you have any symptoms, if a partner has been diagnosed, after unprotected sex or with a new partner, or simply as part of routine sexual health care. As a general guide, anyone who is sexually active benefits from a yearly check, and more often with new or multiple partners. Because most STIs are silent, testing when you feel well is the main way they’re caught — so routine testing isn’t a sign anything is wrong, it’s simply good sexual health care.

How testing works with Clinic365

A Specialist GP arranges your test over a quick phone call, reviews your symptoms and any exposure, and sends your pathology referral by SMS. You then walk into any pathology lab Australia-wide — no appointment needed — and results come back by SMS, most within 2-3 days. If anything is found, the Specialist GP calls you to arrange treatment and follow-up. The whole process is by telehealth, so you never need to sit in a waiting room.

Order your STI or STD test online

You can order your STI or STD test — or a full sexual health screen — entirely online. The Specialist GP consult is $0 with Medicare, your referral arrives by SMS, and you get checked at any lab near you. Prefer to test at home? A self-collect at-home STI test kit can be posted to your door.

STI Treatment, Partners and Prevention

How an STI is treated depends on whether it’s bacterial or viral — a distinction worth understanding:

• Bacterial STIs — chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, Mycoplasma genitalium — and the parasitic infection trichomoniasis are curable with antibiotics. Treatment is usually short and highly effective, sometimes a single course or injection.
• Viral STIs — herpes, HIV and hepatitis B — can’t be cured, but are very effectively managed with treatment, so people live full, healthy lives. HIV treatment, for example, is now so effective that people on it can’t pass the virus on sexually.
• Genital warts (HPV) — the visible warts can be treated, and the virus often clears on its own over time.

The key point is that STI treatment is effective and STIs are treatable, and finding one is the start of resolving it — not a catastrophe. Whatever the infection, the sooner it’s found, the simpler it is to treat and the less chance of complications or of passing it on.

Partners and retesting

For most STIs, recent sexual partners need to be tested and treated too, whether or not they have symptoms — this prevents reinfection and stops the infection spreading. Partner notification can be handled confidentially and, where preferred, anonymously. For several STIs, a repeat test a few months after treatment is recommended, because reinfection from an untreated partner is common. Having had an STI gives you no immunity, so you can catch it again on re-exposure.

Preventing STIs

You can reduce your risk of STIs while still having a healthy sex life: condoms reduce the risk of most STIs (though not entirely for those spread by skin contact, like herpes and warts); regular testing for you and partners catches infections early; vaccination protects against hepatitis B and HPV; for HIV, PrEP (before exposure) and PEP (after a possible exposure) are highly effective; and open conversations with partners about testing and sexual health help too.

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