How To Test Yourself For STDs At Home
Even if you’re super sexually woke, you probably don’t get tested as much as you should. Maybe you don’t live nearby a clinic, maybe you can’t find the time to make an appointment, or maybe you just assume an STD will “never happen to you.”
Whatever your reason is, we’re not trying to shame you, but we are trying to show you another option that could make getting tested way easier and more convenient. After all, you already order your going-out tops and your hangover food online, so why not your STD test?
GetTested mails your STD test right to you, which is pretty dope. And yes, you can do everything yourself. The test is also mailed in an unmarked package to ensure privacy, in case you’ve got a cute neighbor or whatever.
“GetTested kits utilize FDA-approved materials, including a blood collection card and either a vaginal swab collection kit for women or a urine collection kit for men,” explains GetTested to Galore. “Samples can be collected in under 15 minutes.”
Crazy right? You can legit test yourself for STDs in the time it takes you to make a frozen pizza or do your makeup.
But wait, how easy is it to test yourself? I mean, you’re no doctor. Get Tested explains that all tests come with instructions, and even tests that require a blood sample look surprisingly easy, assuming you’re not creeped out by blood and needles like I am.
Unfortunately, GetTested’s innovative design doesn’t mean that your results will be instant, especially since you don’t have a lab in your home.
Once you finish the test, you can use a prepaid shipping label to send the samples back, then you should receive your results within two business days.
Honestly, the “Uber” approach to getting tested is pretty legit. But unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks.
The first is that GetTested doesn’t test users for HPV, Herpes 1 (the kind on your mouth), or Hepatitis A and B. The second major drawback is that as of now GetTested is not covered by insurance. So whereas you’d normally get tested for free at your doctor, GetTested costs about $200.
If you can’t put up that cash in the mean time while GetTested works to be covered by insurance, try to make an effort to actually get tested every time you have sex with a new partner, especially if you don’t use protection (which you really should be using).
In the mean time, let’s hope that GetTested gets covered by insurance sooner rather than later so that us broke bitches can stay on top of our sexual health all without leaving our apartment.
