Can The Emergency Room Test For Stds

Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening in united states emergency departments.

Can the emergency room test for stds.

The emergency room will test for stds if someone has a symptom that may be caused by one. Clearly emergency departments need to rethink the way they test for both of these types of infections. People sometimes visit the emergency room when they have symptoms they suspect are related to an std but this is a huge mistake. Even if you aren t insured urgent care centers are generally more affordable than other medical facilities especially emergency rooms.

Other than testing the oral fluid human immunodeficiency virus hiv can be tested through a blood test. The good news is that you can be treated for stds at the er. Here is a bit more information that you should know about std testing in the er. Examples are painful urination genital abscess severe pelvic or abdominal pain or genital lesions.

Jenkins wd zahnd w kovach r kissinger p. For the most part visits to address stis can wait for an appointment with a primary care physician or ob gyn. Urgent care is a much more effective and affordable option for std testing. Department of health and human services 2015.

Left untreated chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease pid which can permanently damage a woman s reproductive organs. They progress slowly show symptoms slowly if at all and in general are not an emergency situation. Additionally many stds will not test positive until some time after you get them known as an incubation period. But for now if you think you ve got a uti but aren t sure what can you do.

Sexually transmitted disease surveillance 2014. The emergency room blood tests std detect the presence of antigens and antibodies in your blood. The journal of emergency medicine. Chlamydia a bacterial std is the number one cause of preventable infertility in the u s.

These antigens and antibodies are responsible for the introduction of infection in the body. In the past a visual observation was usually enough for a diagnosis. However they also now require stringent tests.