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You can print off the checklist provided below (under Additional Resources) and bring it with you on your next visit to your health care provider. Call ahead if you have questions about: If you need to bring ID, such as BC driver’s...

What is anonymous HIV testing? In British Columbia, there are a number of ways that you can get an HIV test.  With anonymous HIV testing your name is not attached to your result and your contact information is never collected. You are...

How does it work? The INSTI® HIV Self-Test is an HIV antibody test which detects antibodies produced in response to HIV. Antibodies to HIV can take time to develop after an exposure. It can take 3 to 12 weeks for this test to detect...

The INSTI test kit is the only rapid HIV test that is licenced for use in Canada. The test uses a few drops of blood, which are taken from a finger poke. People who test negative will know their result within a few minutes. If the test is...

The goal of HIV treatment is to reach an “undetectable” viral load. This means that HIV is suppressed to such a low level that the viral load test is not able to detect any virus in the blood. “Undetectable” does not mean that there is no...

Window periods are based on averages or statistics from studies. Different HIV tests have different window periods. As HIV testing technology improves, window periods may become more specific or even get shorter. HIV tests used in British...

If you have a reportable STI, a health care provider will ask you about your sexual partners, and sometimes the people you share drug-equipment with. If you want, a public health nurse can work with you to plan how you will talk to...

Home pregnancy tests can be bought at a drug store. You can also go to your health care provider or a clinic to get a pregnancy test. If you are pregnant and not sure what to do, it can help to talk to someone about your options. What is...

When you are diagnosed with a reportable STI, anyone you have had sexual contact with or shared drug equipment with needs to be notified that they have been exposed to a communicable infection.  This is sometimes called ‘contact...

It is important to consider the window period when getting tested. Tests done too early may not be accurate. The time will vary from a few days to six months depending on the infection and the test. You can pass on an STI during the window...

A Pap test is often done at the same time as sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. Cells from the cervix are spread on a glass slide and sent to the Cervical Cancer Screening Laboratory (CCSL) in Vancouver. It generally takes...

Causes DGI occurs in up to 3 percent of people who have untreated gonorrhea. It affects people with vaginas/internal genitals four times more often than people with penises/external genitals. Symptoms Early symptoms are often...

Causes NGU is often caused by a bacterial infection (like chlamydia), but it can also be caused by a virus or protozoa. Bacterial infections can be treated and cured with antibiotics. To find out if you have NGU, you need to be examined by...

Causes It is not clear what causes the imbalance of bacteria, but there are some things make you more likely to get it. The chances of having BV are higher if you: have sex with new or multiple sexual partners have another sexually...

Safer Sex Being trans can sometimes mean there is already a lot to talk about with new sexual partners without adding on safer sex.  But talking about protection and STI testing is an important way to lower your chances of STIs. With...

Safer Sex STIs are usually less common among women who have sex with women*.  *Here women refers to individuals with vaginas or internal genitals, including trans men and non-binary individuals. The chances of getting an STI...

If urethritis is not caused by gonorrhea, then it is called non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). If urethritis is treated and the symptoms still continue, then it is called recurrent urethritis. Urethritis can often be cured with antibiotics....

Atrophic vaginitis is an irritation of the vagina/internal genitals caused by thinning tissues and less moisture in the vaginal walls. This often occurs in menopause because lower amounts of the hormone estrogen are produced by the body....

Causes Epididymitis is most often caused by STIs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, which are passed through vaginal, oral, and anal sexual contact. This includes both penetrative sex and sexual activates where there is an exchange of body...

Causes Cervicitis is most often caused by STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes simplex virus, and trichomonas, which are passed through vaginal and oral sexual contact.  This includes both penetrative sex and sexual activities...