How Does STD Home Testing Work?

If you are an individual of reproductive age or are sexually active, it may be wise to do a sexually transmitted disease (STD) test. After all, many of these diseases may not present with any obvious signs. Even those that do may present with nonspecific symptoms common to other conditions. For example, a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes are signs of STDs like syphilis, herpes, and gonorrhea. However, they are also caused by the common flu. As such, you may have an STD without knowing it. Only a medical diagnosis can confirm this. Visiting your physician helps to resolve this. However, you don’t have to see your doctor confirm an STD diagnosis. You can get a complete kit for at-home STD testing from HealthyMD, Inc to know your status. This helps you avoid the unnecessary costs of seeing a doctor if you’re STD-free. If you test negative, it ensures that you don’t waste time delaying the necessary treatments.

What is an STD Home Testing Kit?

This is an array of diagnostic instruments you can use to tell if you have a venereal disease. They are specifically designed to ensure that you can do this within the confines and privacy of your residence. While STDs are medical issues that need prompt medical attention, many people still fear the stigma and judgment associated with testing for them (never mind being found to have one). This possible stigma makes many people apprehensive about seeing a doctor discuss STDs. At-home testing kits solve part of this problem. These instruments let you know your status relatively quickly; you collect the sample by yourself and send it to a designated lab. They’ll let you know your test results in as little as two or three days.

 Usually, each kit is designed to detect the presence of one type of STD. For example, there are at-home kits specifically for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Others can detect gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, or hepatitis.

How Do They Work?

The at-home STD test kits work similarly to how a healthcare professional would test for venereal disease. Once you order the kit, you can take the test at your convenience.

Depending on the type of kit, you may need different samples. These kits usually come with instructions sheets to enable easy use. For example, an at-home test kit for chlamydia will have different components like a cassette, a dropper, a sealed cotton swab, a small tube, and vials of buffer solutions.

To take a sample, open the first vial and draw about 6 to 8 drops of the solution using the dropper. Deposit these drops into the small tube. Take the cotton swab and gently insert it into the penile or vaginal opening. Ensure not to touch any external surfaces as you insert the cotton swab. Leave it in place for at least 30 seconds. Gently pull it out while brushing against the side of the penile or vaginal opening. This is to ensure that you collect some epithelial cells. Once removed, ensure that the swab doesn’t touch any other surface. 

Put the swab into the small tube containing the solution from the first vial. Soak it in there for a few minutes. Then take out the swab and draw about 8 drops of solution from the second vial. Deposit these drops into the small tube and gently shake. Leave the mix for about 10 minutes. 

After that, draw about drops of the mixture from the small tube. Put 4 drops on the cassette. The instruction guide should indicate this clearly. If it shows a double line, then there is confirmation of chlamydia infection. A single line means a negative test.

Other at-home STD tests follow a similar set of instructions. In addition to vaginal and penile samples, you may also need to take a urine sample, a rectal swab, a throat swab, or a drop of blood from the tip of the finger.

Many of these at-home test kits for females also come equipped with a pregnancy test. After the fertilization of a female egg (ovum) due to intercourse, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) shows up in the urine of the woman for about 12 days. The presence of hCG in urine is the first sign of pregnancy. This is what at-home pregnancy test kits look for.

It’s always advisable to read the instruction leaflet that comes with any at-home test kid before attempting to take any samples. This ensures that all instructions are followed promptly, and the samples are not tainted.

Ultimately, the at-home STD test kit makes it very convenient to know your STD status.