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Sexual health screening in Essex

Sexual health screening

We provide confidential STI / STD testing through our discreet sexual health screening service here at Essex Private Doctors, with a rapid turnaround of results.

Whatever your concern, you will have plenty of time to properly discuss your sexual health concerns with our highly experienced GPs. You can do this in complete confidence, and we won’t correspond with your GP unless you want us to.

STI Tests

We can test for a wide range of sexually transmitted infections, and we turn around testing quickly.

Many sexually transmitted diseases don’t have obvious symptoms, so if you think you may have been exposed to an STI, we can give you peace of mind and provide rapid treatment if you have acquired an infection.

Additionally, if you’ve had previous treatment, but are concerned that something doesn’t seem right, we’re here to help.

As part of the full sexual health screen, we can provide:

  • blood testing for HIV and Hepatitis B and C

  • Urine and swab analysis for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomonas, herpes and bacterial vaginosis (gardnerella)

Whether you’ve been experiencing urinary symptoms, discharge, a rash, or lumps and bumps, we can help.

During your consultation, you’ll be asked how you would like to receive your results (e.g. by phone call, email, or text), and results are typically available in 2-3 days.

We can provide rapid treatment for STIs, so if you have had unprotected sex or are concerned, book an appointment today.

Most people who have chlamydia are unaware that they have it, but symptoms can include pain when passing urine, discharge which can be from the vagina, penis or anus, and pain or bleeding after sex.

Chlamydia is passed between partners through unprotected sex and can be successfully treated with a short course of antibiotics. Left untreated, however, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, fertility problems and even ectopic pregnancy. In men it can cause testicular pain and swelling.

A urine or swab test is all that’s needed to screen for chlamydia, and it can be treated with antibiotic tablets.

Around half of people who have a trichomonas infection don’t have any symptoms. It’s very easy to pass on the infection without realising it. In women, it can cause a frothy vaginal discharge with a fishy odour, vulval irritation, and pain passing urine. Men may experience pain when they pee, soreness around the foreskin, or discharge from the penis.

Trichomonas testing involves a urine sample or swab test being sent for analysis and it’s readily treatable with a short course of antibiotics.

Gonorrhoea is caused by a bacterium that can infect the cervix, the urine, the rectum and sometimes the throat. It can cause blindness in new-born babies, if left untreated during pregnancy, as well as infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease in women. Many people don’t have any symptoms at all, but we can test for it with a simple swab or urine test. Gonorrhoea is usually treated with a single antibiotic injection.

Syphilis is a bacterial infection that can cause very severe long-term problems if it’s not identified and treated, including heart disease and nervous system damage. It can also cause severe harm to unborn babies.

Unfortunately, Syphilis is on the rise in the UK, but thankfully it’s very treatable in the early stages.

Syphilis causes painless sores called chancres, that may appear on the penis, vulva, or anus, and swelling of the glands in the groin or armpits. It can then progress to a blotchy rash and a flu-like illness. A swab or blood test can determine if you have syphilis, and the treatment is usually antibiotics given via a single injection or a short course of tablets.

Hepatitis is a liver infection caused by a virus that can be spread through blood (e.g. needle sharing) and sometimes through sex.

Hepatitis B infection and can make you feel very unwell, with a high temperature, jaundice – (which is yellowing of the skin and eyes) and itching. Many people have no symptoms at all or only very mild, flu-like symptoms. Chronic infection with hepatitis B can cause cirrhosis, and even liver cancer.

Hepatitis B can be screened with a simple blood test and its symptoms can be settled with antiviral medication.

Most cases of hepatitis C arise because of infection through the bloodstream (e.g. through needle sharing), and very occasionally it may be transmitted through sex. Screening for Hepatitis C is through a simple blood test, and 90% of cases can be cured with antiviral tablets.

Bacterial vaginosis isn’t a sexually transmitted infection, but it may mimic an STI because it can cause vaginal discharge. It’s caused by an imbalance of naturally occurring bacteria that live in the vagina, and tends to cause a greyish, watery discharge with a fishy odour.

A simple swab or urine test can determine if you have BV, and we can get it under control with a course of antibiotic pills, gels or creams.

Herpes is a viral disease, caused by the cold sore virus. There isn’t a permanent cure for herpes, but antiviral medications can limit an outbreak and help keep it suppressed. We can detect a herpes infection through swab and blood testing.

If you’re worried about a sexually transmitted infection, and would like peace of mind, please book an appointment today.