Private Trichomoniasis Testing Near You

What trichomoniasis is

Trichomoniasis – trich – is caused by a tiny parasite passed during vaginal sex, and it is the most common curable STD in the United States: the CDC estimates that more than two million people in the United States have it at any one time. It is also one of the most under-diagnosed, because about seven in ten people who have it, and the large majority of men, have no symptoms at all and never get tested for it. It is not included in many standard STD panels, so people who have been “tested for everything” often have not been tested for this.

When women have symptoms they usually notice unusual discharge, itching or burning, discomfort when urinating, or pain during sex. Men occasionally have irritation inside the penis, mild discharge or burning after urinating. Symptoms can come and go, which makes them easy to dismiss.

Why it is worth finding

Untreated trich makes it easier to catch or pass on HIV and other STDs, can cause complications in pregnancy, and simply keeps passing between partners for years. Prompt treatment reduces the risk of complications, and trich is treated with a short course of medication that clears it in the great majority of people. Because it so often has no symptoms, the only way to know is a test.

How the test works

Our trich test is a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), which is far more accurate than the microscope examination that was standard for decades and which misses a large share of infections. It needs only a small urine sample – no swab, no exam. Sign in at the kiosk with your name and date of birth, give the sample in a private restroom, and you are done in about five minutes.

Before you go: The only preparation: don’t urinate for about an hour before you go in. The test uses the first part of the stream, and a gap of an hour or more gives it the most to work with. Nothing else to do – no fasting, no swab, no undressing. Every test we offer is FDA-cleared and run in a CLIA-certified laboratory, the same tests a hospital or doctor’s office would order.

When to test

If you have symptoms, test now. If you had an exposure and feel fine, the timing is on our When to Get Tested page, or call (866) 872-1888, tell a care advisor what happened and when, and they will tell you which day to go in.

After a positive result: treatment and partners

Trich is curable, and the next step is simply treatment. The urine NAAT we use is validated for both women and men; if you have persistent symptoms after a negative result, see a clinician, because other infections cause the same signs. A member of our care team calls you, explains the result, and arranges a consultation with a physician who sends a prescription to the pharmacy you choose – a course of antibiotic tablets, taken for a week for women and as a single dose for men under current CDC guidance. Avoid sex until you have completed treatment and any symptoms have resolved, and partners must also have been treated or the infection simply passes back.

Because re-infection is common, the CDC recommends that women test again about three months after treatment. When it is time, call and we will set it up.

Getting tested privately

We do not bill your insurance. Your testing information is handled confidentially by the physicians and laboratories providing your care. Your lab visit does not announce why you are there: our partner labs collect samples for many different kinds of testing, and to other people in the waiting room you are simply another person having a routine lab visit. The charge on your card shows as RSC Health, and your result goes only to your private online account. Order online, or call (866) 872-1888 and a care advisor will place the order with you and find a lab near you.