infections
Overview of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Diagnosis of STIs
A doctor's evaluation Examination of a sample of blood, urine, or discharge Doctors often suspect an STI based on symptoms or a history of sexual contact with an infected partner. To identify the organism involved and thus confirm the diagnosis, doctors may take a sample of blood, urine, or discharge from the vagina, cervix, or penis and examine it. The sample is usually sent to a laboratory for the organisms to be detected and identified; some tests for STIs can be done in the clinic. Some tests for STIs are designed to identify the organism’s unique genetic material (DNA or RNA). Other tests check for the presence of antibodies that are produced by the immune system in response to the specific organism that is causing the infection. Doctors choose the type of test based on the most likely infection(s). If a person has one STI, such as Gonorrhea , doctors also do tests for other STIs, such as 