Let’s Talk about HIV & STI Testing

I’m Dr. David. I’m not embarrassed to talk about HIV and STIs and neither should you.

When you go into a doctor’s office, and especially when it concerns sexual health, you want to get an HIV test in whatever form that comes in, whether it’s a blood draw, whether it’s a rapid test, through an oral swab or a finger stick, you can do that.

And particularly if you are a sexual minority man or a man who has sex with other men, you’re looking at gonorrhea, chlamydia as well.

A lot of people do not know that you can get gonorrhea in your throat, you can get gonorrhea in your rectum, you can get chlamydia in your throat, you can get chlamydia in your rectum.

So, when you come in, you wanna make sure that you’re being swabbed in all three areas.

If you’re uncomfortable, you can also do the rectal swab yourself and the, and the clinician can step out of the room. Or, if you feel more comfortable having the provider do it, have the provider do it.

This video is a joint production of KFF’s GREATER THAN HIV and CDC’s LET’S STOP HIV TOGETHER. This information is shared for educational purposes and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. The views expressed are those of the featured medical professional and reflect information available to that professional at the time of filming.

Always consult a healthcare provider for any personal health decisions. The marks “CDC” and “Let’s Stop HIV Together” are owned by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services and are used with permission. Use of these logos is not an endorsement by HHS or CDC of any particular product, service, or enterprise.