Private MD News

At-home STD testing offers many advantages

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

STD testing plays an important role in maintaining sexual health, but many people feel embarrassed walking into their doctor's office or health clinic and asking for testing. This is why at-home testing is becoming so common.

Gay Calhoun, the director of the STD Prevention Unit at the Alameda County Public Health Department, told the San Francisco Chronicle that this this type of testing speeds up the process and delivers results to people rapidly. It also helps many people who otherwise would not have sought STD testing get themselves screened.

"You can send for your test and get your results back in the same amount of time it takes to make an appointment and go to a clinic," Calhoun told the news source. "And you can do it any time during the day, without having to use stirrups."

Any efforts to encourage more people to get tested could help control the spread of infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that STD testing is one of the best ways to prevent the transmission of diseases throughout society.