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At-Home STD Tests: How They Work and Which to Choose

By Richard D. Porter, Patient Advocate Updated

Quick answer

There are two kinds of at-home STD test. A self-test gives results in minutes from a swab or finger-prick, and the CDC says FDA-approved ones exist for HIV and syphilis, plus a vaginal-swab test for gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis. A self-collection kit has you take a sample at home and mail it to a lab, which the CDC says can take a few days. Neither replaces follow-up care: a positive result needs confirming, and a negative result can be wrong if you test too early.

The test you need

Test
At-home self-test or mailed self-collection kit
Sample
Depends on the kit: vaginal swab, urine, finger-prick blood, or oral fluid (HIV self-test)
When
Depends on the infection. For HIV, the CDC says antibody tests can usually detect HIV 23 to 90 days after exposure.
Results
Self-tests: within minutes (the CDC says an HIV self-test gives results within 20 minutes). Mailed kits: the CDC says this can take a few days.

Which at-home route might suit you?

The first three suit a self-test. The fourth suits a mailed kit or an online order with a lab visit. The last two point to a clinic. This is not medical advice or a diagnosis.

“At-home STD test” covers a few different products, and they work differently. Knowing which is which makes it easier to pick one, and to know what to do with the result.

How do at-home STD tests work?

The CDC separates them into two types.

  • Self-test. You collect a swab or your own blood from a finger-prick and test it with a device that gives results within minutes. The CDC says FDA-approved self-tests exist for HIV and syphilis, and that you can use an FDA-approved self-test for gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis by swabbing your vagina.
  • Self-collection kit. You collect a vaginal swab, urine or blood with a kit and mail it to a lab. The CDC says this can take a few days, and that FDA-approved self-collection options exist for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea.

The CDC’s Get Tested site lists self-collection options as well as clinics.

What has the FDA authorized?

Two examples from the FDA show how this works in practice.

  • A home test for chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis that can be bought without a prescription and done entirely at home. The FDA says it is intended for females with or without symptoms and gives results in about 30 minutes. The FDA says anyone with a positive result for any of the three infections should seek medical care.
  • A kit for chlamydia and gonorrhea where you collect the sample at home and send it to a lab. The FDA says it is for adults aged 18 and over, needs no prescription, and delivers results online with follow-up from a health care provider for positive or invalid results.

The FDA names the main risk for home tests: false positive and false negative results.

Are at-home STD tests accurate?

They can be, with two conditions: you must use the kit as instructed, and you must test at the right time.

For lab-based kits, the CDC’s guidance for chlamydia says patient-collected vaginal swabs perform equivalently to clinician-collected ones, and its gonorrhea guidance calls patient-collected specimens a reasonable alternative to provider-collected swabs.

Timing is the bigger risk. Testing too soon can miss an infection that is still too new to detect. The CDC’s HIV windows show the range: 10 to 33 days for a nucleic acid test, 18 to 45 days for a lab antigen/antibody test, and 23 to 90 days for an antibody test. Most rapid tests and self-tests are antibody tests. Use the window-period calculator to plan.

What can’t an at-home test do?

  • It can’t confirm a positive. For HIV the CDC says any positive antibody test needs a follow-up test. The FDA says people with positive home results should seek medical care.
  • It may not cover every infection or body site. Check what each kit includes. CDC gonorrhea guidance points to testing the anatomic sites of exposure, and the kits above collect a vaginal swab, urine, a finger-prick or blood.
  • It can’t replace a clinician when you have symptoms or a possible HIV exposure.

Should I order online and use a lab instead?

It is a middle route. You buy the test online, then give a sample at a lab, so you skip the clinic visit without collecting the sample yourself.

  • Labcorp OnDemand lists tests you can buy online, with a visit to a Labcorp location or an at-home collection kit. It lists an at-home syphilis test among its options.
  • STDCheck, our test link partner, says you order online or by phone and go to one of its 4,500 testing centers with no appointment. It says most results arrive in 1 to 2 business days. Its FAQ says it does not perform swab or saliva testing.

Prices and availability change, so check each service before you buy. See online STD testing for how this route works.

What should I do with my results?

Read the instructions that came with the kit, and treat a negative as conclusive only if you tested after the window period. The CDC advises talking with your healthcare provider about your sexual history and testing even if you have results from a self-test or self-collection kit.

If a result is positive, or you are unsure what it means, contact a clinician. For HIV, the CDC says the lab runs the follow-up test, usually on the same blood sample as the first test.

If you think you were exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, skip the kit. HIV.gov says to contact a provider or go to an emergency room or urgent care clinic right away for PEP.

Get care now if

  • You may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours: go to an emergency room or urgent care clinic right away and ask about PEP
  • You have a positive result from a home test: see a healthcare provider for confirmation and next steps
  • You have severe pain in your belly, pelvis or testicles, or a fever with genital symptoms: get care today instead of waiting for a kit
  • You are pregnant and think you may have been exposed: tell your prenatal clinician now

Call 911 for a medical emergency. Otherwise, an urgent care clinic, sexual health clinic or your doctor can see you.

When to test

  1. If a possible HIV exposure was in the last 72 hoursDo not wait for a kit to arrive. Go to an emergency room or urgent care clinic right away and ask about PEP.
  2. After the window period for the infectionA test can miss a recent infection. For HIV the CDC says nucleic acid tests can usually detect HIV 10 to 33 days after exposure, lab antigen/antibody tests 18 to 45 days, and antibody tests (which include self-tests) 23 to 90 days. Use the window-period calculator for other infections.
  3. After a negative result taken earlyThe CDC says to get tested again after the window period for the test you took.
  4. After any positive resultContact a clinician for follow-up testing. For HIV the CDC says any positive antibody test needs a follow-up test to confirm it.

Common questions

Are at-home STD tests accurate?

They can be reliable when you use them correctly and at the right time, but they are not perfect. The FDA says the main risk with home tests is false positive and false negative results. The CDC says a vaginal swab collected by the patient is equivalent in sensitivity and specificity to one collected by a clinician for chlamydia testing by NAAT.

Can I test for HIV at home?

Yes. The CDC describes an HIV self-test as an antibody test that uses a swab of your gums, with results within 20 minutes. If it is positive you need a follow-up test to confirm it. If it is negative after a possible exposure, the CDC says to test again after the window period.

Do I need a prescription?

Not for the FDA-authorized home tests described here. The FDA says its authorized tests for chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis can be bought without a prescription, and the same is said for a chlamydia and gonorrhea kit with home sample collection.

Can a home kit test my throat or rectum?

It depends on the kit. CDC gonorrhea guidance points to testing the body sites where exposure happened, and the kits it describes collect a vaginal swab, urine, a finger-prick or blood. If you had oral or anal sex, check what sites a kit covers or ask a clinic.

Next: At-home self-test or mailed self-collection kit.

Depends on the kit: vaginal swab, urine, finger-prick blood, or oral fluid (HIV self-test). Depends on the infection. For HIV, the CDC says antibody tests can usually detect HIV 23 to 90 days after exposure.

Read next

Sources

This guide is general information written by a patient advocate using public health sources. It is not a diagnosis. Only a clinician or a lab test can tell you whether you have an infection. Read how we write and check our guides.