Hey Dr Sue — Where Is Free STI Testing Available? How Often Should You Get Tested?

Free STI testing is often available through your local county health department, so you might want to start there. But make sure to check their hours specifically for testing. A lot of places scaled back their times during COVID and have not yet gone back to their original hours.

Also check to see if they do walk-ins or if you need an appointment

Some pharmacies are doing STI testing as well, and these might be covered by your insurance. You can find those, and other sites close to you, by using this website https://gettested.cdc.gov/

I know the question was about free testing, but one of things that started happening during COVID was that a lot of people were looking for ways to get tested for lots of things without necessarily having to go a doctor or lab, and that included STI testing.

These tests aren’t free, though some these may be covered by FSA/HSA. There are tests for a few STIs including HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Some of these tests require you to take a sample at home and then mail the sample(s) in. That sample may be urine, or blood, or both. Once you send in the samples, then you have to wait a few days for results.