When to test
Window periods, testing after sex, and how often to test.
- HIV Test Window Period: How Soon Can a Test Detect HIV?CDC window periods for each HIV test type, when a negative result can be trusted, when to retest, and why a possible exposure in the last 72 hours means PEP first.
- How Long After Sex Should You Get Tested for STDs?No single answer: HIV, herpes, hepatitis and other STDs each have their own window. A timeline of when to test after sex, plus what to do in the first 72 hours.
- How Often Should You Get Tested for STDs?How often to get an STD test depends on your age, partners and anatomy. CDC and USPSTF screening advice by group, from one-time tests to every 3 to 6 months.
- STD Window Periods by Infection (Chart)A chart of STD window periods for HIV, hepatitis B and C, herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, trich and syphilis, using CDC figures, plus when to retest after a negative.
- Tested Too Early? What a Negative Result MeansTested for an STD soon after sex? A negative can come too early to trust. See how long to wait for HIV, syphilis, herpes and more, and when to retest.
- The Condom Broke: When and What to TestA condom broke or slipped: what to do in the first 72 hours (PEP, emergency contraception), then which STD tests to take and when, using CDC timing.