What to Know About At-Home STI Tests: Pros, Cons, and Recommendations (2026)

If you're the benignant of idiosyncratic who gets tense oregon squeamish astatine the doctor's office, you mightiness find that collecting your ain samples doesn't freak you retired arsenic overmuch arsenic idiosyncratic successful a achromatic overgarment doing it.

Depending connected wherever you unrecorded and your proscription situation, at-home STD tests mightiness beryllium much accessible than visiting a session oregon making a doctor's appointment. And you tin wage for them retired of pocket, which mightiness beryllium a amended enactment based connected your wellness insurance.

Finally, and unfortunately, sexually transmitted infections person a stigma attached to them. You shouldn't consciousness ashamed of checking up connected your intersexual health—far from it, successful fact—but at-home tests mightiness beryllium a amended enactment if you're acrophobic astir what others whitethorn think.

The Cons of At-Home STI Tests

At-home STI tests are expensive. Depending connected your circumstantial wellness attraction situation, they mightiness beryllium much affordable, and galore of them are FSA- and HSA-eligible oregon whitethorn beryllium covered by insurance. But if you unrecorded successful an country wherever there's escaped investigating done your metropolis oregon authorities wellness departments, oregon a third-party session similar Planned Parenthood, those options are apt going to beryllium overmuch cheaper than investigating astatine home.

There's besides the hazard of you collecting your samples incorrectly, which tin pb to mendacious negatives. Depending connected the trial you choose, if you bash get affirmative results for a sexually transmitted infection, you mightiness inactive extremity up having to spell sojourn a doc successful idiosyncratic to get it treated. While galore tests are reputable, it's inactive important to guarantee that the laboratory analyzing your results is well-regulated (and that the trial itself comes from a reputable company). “It’s important to travel the kit instructions precisely and cod the illustration decently portion avoiding contamination. You should besides travel the warnings and debar factors that tin interfere with results, including incorrect kit retention oregon usage of definite products successful the past 48 hours,” says Dr. Gary Schoolnik, Chief Medical Officer astatine Visby Medical.

Your idiosyncratic wellness and timing tin interaction the accuracy of at-home tests, too. For example, if you're connected your play oregon person precocious utilized antibiotics, those variables mightiness impact the prime of the samples you tin collect. A wellness attraction supplier tin instrumentality these things into relationship and set your investigating protocol accordingly.

If the concern is urgent—for example, if you're experiencing carnal symptoms that raised concerns, oregon you're immunocompromised, oregon you're pregnant, oregon you cognize you were exposed to an STI—it's important to really sojourn a wellness attraction supplier alternatively than trying to dainty your information astatine home. “I inactive urge radical who’re having symptoms oregon cognize they’ve been with idiosyncratic that has an STI to question nonrecreational intersexual wellness attraction to beryllium wholly sure, arsenic a mendacious effect from a do-it-at-home-kit tin marque you deliberation you’re good and truthful disregard oregon place symptoms,” says Roos.

If privateness is simply a concern, it mightiness really beryllium much beneficial for you to spell to a regular doctor's assignment alternatively than having the packaging for an STD trial successful the trash. And if you deliberation you mightiness trial affirmative for something, it mightiness beryllium beneficial for you to perceive that quality from a wellness attraction supplier alternatively than uncovering retired portion opening the message successful your kitchen. It's thing that's important to deliberation done earlier you determine to spell with investigating astatine home.