8 Test Panel

What is the chlamydia test?

The chlamydia test is called the Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT). It's the "gold standard" for chlamydia testing with superior sensitivity and specificity. Best of all, the NAAT has made it possible to test for chlamydia on a urine sample. So, there's no need for a pelvic exam or urethral swab.

Will I give blood or urine?

This test looks for signs of chlamydia in urine. At the lab, you'll give the technician a urine sample. You will not be asked to get undressed or have any uncomfortable genital swabbing.

Do I have to prep?

There's no need to fast for this test. For accuracy, please do not urinate for at least 1 hour before you go to the lab.

Tell me about the test results.

You'll learn if you are either positive or negative for chlamydia. A positive result means there is an infection. A negative means the test did not find any sign of chlamydia. Getting tested too early after a possible exposure could result in a "false negative" result. Please wait to get tested for at least 7-10 days after an encounter for the most accurate test result.

Can chlamydia be cured?

Yes, chlamydia can be cured with medication. It's possible to become re-infected with chlamydia, so it's important to take the medication as prescribed, practice safe sex and have your partner get tested and treated as well. The CDC recommends a repeat test three months after treatment to confirm that there is no re-infection.

Learn more about the Chlamydia Test

What is the gonorrhea test?

The gonorrhea test is called the Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT). It's the "gold standard" for gonorrhea testing with superior sensitivity and specificity. Best of all, the NAAT has made it possible to test for gonorrhea on a urine sample. So, there's no need for a pelvic exam or urethral swab.

Will I give blood or urine?

This test looks for signs of gonorrhea in urine. At the lab, you'll give the technician a urine sample. You will not be asked to get undressed or have any uncomfortable genital swabbing.

Do I have to prep?

There's no need to fast for this test. For accuracy, please do not urinate for at least 1 hour before you go to the lab.

Tell me about the test results.

You'll learn if you are either positive or negative for gonorrhea. A positive result means there is an infection. A negative means the test did not find any sign of gonorrhea. Getting tested too early after a possible exposure could result in a "false negative" result. Please wait to get tested for at least 7-10 days after an encounter for the most accurate test result.

Can gonorrhea be cured?

Yes, gonorrhea can be cured with medication. It's possible to become re-infected with gonorrhea, so it's important to take the medication as prescribed, practice safe sex and have your partner get tested and treated as well. The CDC recommends a repeat test three months after treatment to confirm that there is no re-infection.

Learn more about the Gonorrhea Test

What is the hepatitis B test?

Our doctors have chosen the Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) Test. This blood test looks for antigens on the surface of the hepatitis B virus. This test looks for early signs of a new or existing hepatitis B infection...in fact, the test is so sensitive that it can detect signs of infection before symptoms appear.

Will I give blood or urine?

The hepatitis B test is a blood test. At the lab, the technician will draw a blood sample. You'll will not be asked to get undressed or have any uncomfortable genital swabbing.

Do I have to prep?

No. There's no need to fast or prepare for the hepatitis B test.

Will the hepatitis B vaccine interfere with my results?

Probably not. If you were vaccinated against hepatitis B in childhood and received all three vaccinations before becoming sexually active, you are unlikely to acquire hepatitis B. If you aren't sure if you were vaccinated or were vaccinated after becoming sexually active, no need to worry, the vaccine doesn't affect the results. The Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Test is still accurate even after vaccination. However, if you had a very recent exposure to hepatitis B and were vaccinated related to that exposure, it could take a bit longer for your test to turn positive, so repeating the hepatitis B test again 3 months later will provide the most accurate results.

Tell me about the test results.

Hepatitis B test results are either positive or negative. Positive means that the test found hepatitis B. Negative means you did not show any signs of hepatitis B. Sometimes a person has a positive test for hepatitis B, but has negative confirmatory testing. If the confirmation test is negative, then you do not have hepatitis B.

Can hepatitis B be cured?

Caught early, hepatitis B can go away with bed rest and fluids. However, chronic hepatitis B can lead to serious complications, including liver disease. Should you test positive for the hepatitis B virus, you will speak with one of our doctors, who can answer your questions and refer you to a liver specialist in your area.

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What is the hepatitis C test?

Our doctors have chosen the Hepatitis C Antibody Test (Anti-HVC) for hepatitis C screening. This blood test looks for antibodies that a person creates to fight the hepatitis C virus.

Will I give blood or urine?

The hepatitis C test is a blood test. At the lab, the technician will draw a blood sample. You'll will not be asked to get undressed or have any uncomfortable genital swabbing.

Do I have to prep?

No. There's no need to fast or prepare for the hepatitis C test.

Tell me about the test results.

Hepatitis C test results are either positive or negative. Positive means that the test found evidence of hepatitis C. Negative means you did not show any signs of hepatitis C.

1 out of 10 positive results turn out to be "false positives," meaning antibodies were detected although the disease is not present. Why would this happen? The test could pick up an old infection that resolved. Up to 30% of the time, the body cures itself of hepatitis C. If you do test positive, our experts recommend additional testing to determine and confirm the results.

Can hepatitis C be cured?

Caught early, hepatitis C is curable, often without any specific treatment. Depending on the symptoms, no treatment is necessary and most people don't typically recognize that they are sick with hepatitis C, as it can feel like a bad flu or food poisoning.

Acute (new) hepatitis C is best managed through simple care...eating healthful foods, drinking fluids and getting plenty of rest. Also, a liver specialist called a hepatologist should monitor you for any changes.

If left untreated, chronic or long term hepatitis C can lead to liver failure. At that stage it is not necessarily curable, but there are treatment options that can help stop the virus from getting worse. Finding out you have hepatitis C before it gets to an advanced stage increases your chance of completely suppressing the virus with medication.

Learn more about the Hepatitis C Test

Will I give blood or urine?

The HIV test is a blood test. At the lab, the technician will draw a blood sample. You will not be asked to get undressed or have any uncomfortable genital swabbing.

Do I have to prep?

No. There's no need to fast or prepare for the HIV test.

Who Should Be Tested for HIV?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines recommend universal HIV testing on an annual basis for sexually active individuals between ages 13 - 64. If you have had unprotected sex and have not been tested this year, consider getting an HIV test.

Many different kinds of people are affected by HIV regardless of age, gender, race or sexual orientation.In fact, the highest numbers of new HIV cases are in middle aged adults ages 35 to 44.

Tell me about the test results.

This test will either be reactive (positive) or non-reactive (negative). Positive means there are signs of HIV. Negative means no signs of HIV were detected. A confirmatory test is always run before making a positive HIV diagnosis.

The lab automatically runs a western blot test for confirmation of any positive HIV antibody result. Experts agree that another test should be run on a new blood sample before making a formal diagnosis of HIV, and we believe all physicians should follow this recommendation.

A positive HIV results does not mean that you have AIDS. If your test is positive, one of our physicians will talk with you about your results and arrange for you to see a doctor in your area who can guide you regarding additional testing, treatment and next steps.

Is HIV curable?

While there is no cure for HIV today, much progress has been made to treat HIV. It is now considered a chronic disease and can be managed successfully. We talk about living with HIV, not dying from it.

Learn more about the HIV Antibody Test

Tell me about syphilis testing.

The Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) with Reflex to Quantitative RPR and TP-PA Confirmation is the most commonly used syphilis test in the United States. It looks for antibodies that the body produces to fight a syphilis infection.

If you get tested before the body makes antibodies against syphilis, you may get a "false negative" result. While it's likely that antibodies are detectable as early as 3 weeks after being exposed to the virus, we recommend a repeat test at 12 weeks to be absolutely certain that an earlier test didn't miss a possible syphilis infection.

Will I give blood or urine?

The syphilis test is a blood test. At the lab, the technician will draw a blood sample. You will not be asked to get undressed or have any uncomfortable genital swabbing.

Do I have to prep?

No. There's no need to fast or prepare for the syphilis test.

Tell me about the test results.

A negative syphilis test result means that there is no evidence of the infection at the time of the test. A positive test result indicates the syphilis bacteria is present. A confirmatory test is run to confirm the result since an RPR can occasionally be positive in the absence of syphilis. After treatment, it's important to do follow up monitoring and to practice safe sex to avoid reinfection.

Can syphilis be cured?

Yes, syphilis can be cured with treatment, especially when caught early. Syphilis is treated with an injection of antibiotics. If your test is positive, our physicians will connect you with a local doctor for additional testing and treatment ,as well as follow up monitoring to confirm that you are cured.

Learn more about the Syphilis Test