How To Get an STD Test Over the Festive Season
The festive season is full of fun – office parties, heading back home for a few weeks, and generally lots of drinks! It’s no surprise that, often, one thing leads to another, and you may end up sleeping with someone only to experience symptoms of an STD weeks later! To prevent health complications, and spreading it further, you must get tested. But, where can you get an STD test over the festive season?
A lot of sexual health clinics are closed on bank holidays, but some private sexual health clinics will remain open at reduced hours during Christmas and New Year’s. You could also order an at-home STD testing kit if your local clinic is closed over the festive season.
Read on for a breakdown of your options for staying on top of your sexual health this Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and during bank holidays.
Where To Get an STD Test Over Christmas/ New Year’s Eve/Bank Holidays
Finding a reliable STD testing option can be tricky with clinics operating on reduced hours at the end of the year, or even visits back home over the festive season. Whether you need a test during Christmas, New Year’s, or another bank holiday, it’s important to know your options so you can still get peace of mind. We explore in more detail below:
Postal Test Kit
If you can’t visit a clinic for whatever reason – you’re staying with family, or your nearest clinic is closed, for example – then a postal test kit will likely be the most convenient option for you. We’ll send a sample collection kit to your door along with a prepaid envelope to send it back to the laboratory. As long as postal services are not seeing an overload, you should receive your kit in just a few working days.
At Your Sexual Health, our dedicated laboratory continues to run as usual over the festive season, apart from the Bank Holidays (which include Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day), so you should still get your results in just a few days of us receiving your samples!
A Private Sexual Health Clinic
It may come as a surprise, but a lot of private sexual health clinics remain open for the Christmas period, with almost all of them open for that middle period between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Granted, some may operate with slightly fewer appointments or reduced opening hours, but they are generally quieter at this time of the year, so this likely won’t be an issue.
However, if your nearest provider of sexual health tests is based out of an aesthetic clinic, they’re likely to be closed for the entirety of the festive period.
Can You Wait? Only If You Avoid Sexual Contact
Most STDs won’t harm you if you have to wait a few extra days to get tested, which is particularly helpful over the busy Christmas period. But, this doesn’t mean you should wait to book a test. Most online services will allow you to book an appointment in advance, ready for when clinics are back open.
Simply visit our Clinics page, and book the nearest appointment available at a clinic near you. This doesn’t have to be near your permanent home, for example, if you’re staying with a friend or parents’ house – it can be any clinic that is most convenient for you!
NHS 111 / Out-Of-Hours Services
If you are really struggling with symptoms (such as a concerningly high fever, or extreme pain in your genital region), you may be able to get help from an NHS out-of-hours service. You can do this by ringing NHS’ 111, which is a free service in England that provides medical advice and treatment when it is not an emergency.
111 will not be able to give you an STD diagnosis, but they will direct you to the best place to get help for your symptoms. This may include:
- Visiting an out-of-hours GP clinic
- Getting a callback from a nurse
- Receiving medication from your nearest pharmacy
- Advice on how to treat symptoms, and the next steps to take (most likely booking a sexual health test, which they may also be able to help with!)
Can I Get an STD Test When Away From Home?
Yes! You don’t need to be at your usual address in order to get tested for sexually transmitted infections. Whilst many GP and NHS clinics won’t accept patients from different areas, with Your Sexual Health, you can choose from any of the 150+ clinics located up and down the UK for your test. For an even more convenient option, you can even order an at-home STD testing kit to any UK address that is convenient for you—whether you’re staying with family, friends, or travelling.
To learn more about protecting your sexual health when you’re away from home, read our helpful blog: Where to Access STD Testing When Travelling
How Long Should You Wait To Get Tested For an STD?
If you’ve slept with someone at a Christmas party, work do, or simply rekindled a romance from back home, you might not even need to get tested for an STD straight away! In fact, testing for an STD too early can result in false negative results. At a minimum, we’d recommend waiting at least 2 weeks (14 days) after your sexual encounter before completing an STD test. For some STDs (such as HIV or syphilis), you may need to wait around a month (28 days) before getting an accurate result.
To find out when exactly you should test for an STD after a festive romp, read one of our helpful guides: How Long After Sex Should You Test For STDs?
Get Tested at Christmas Time With Your Sexual Health
Whether you’re at home, travelling, or dealing with bank holiday clinic closures, you can still stay on top of your sexual health this festive season. At Your Sexual Health, we offer flexible options including at-home postal testing kits and in-clinic testing, ensuring you can get tested promptly and more importantly, discreetly.
Get in touch with our friendly team today for more information, or if you need advice on which test is right for you.
