Making the Diagnosis
If you have some of the symptoms described in this article, or think you may have a particular STI, you'll need a medical exam to diagnose and determine the best treatment for the specific infection.
Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and perform a physical exam. To help diagnose STI, your doctor may order blood tests or urine tests, or may take a swab from the genital area, which will be sent to a laboratory for evaluation.
Sexually active individuals, particularly those with multiple partners, are recommended to have regular checkups with a family doctor. In some cases, there are no obvious symptoms and the infections that cause STIs can only be identified through regular STI screening tests.