What Does a "Full STD Panel" Actually Test For?

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What is on the panel, and what sample does each target need?
| Target | Method | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia trachomatis | PCR (NAAT) | Urine · vaginal/cervical · throat · rectal swab |
| Neisseria gonorrhoeae | PCR (NAAT) | Urine · vaginal/cervical · throat · rectal swab |
| Treponema pallidum (syphilis) | Serology (two-step) | Blood |
| Trichomonas vaginalis | PCR | Urine · vaginal swab |
| HSV-1 / HSV-2 | PCR from a lesion | Lesion swab (best while the sore is fresh) |
| Mycoplasma genitalium | PCR | Urine · vaginal swab |
| M. hominis · Ureaplasma spp. · Gardnerella | PCR | Urine · vaginal swab |
| HIV 1 & 2 | 4th-generation antibody + p24 antigen | Blood |
A urine sample tells you nothing about your throat or your rectum. If exposure was oral or anal, chlamydia and gonorrhea at those sites are missed by a urine-only test — and they are frequently asymptomatic.
For walk-in hours, same-day results and what happens if you test positive, see how a visit to our Houston lab works.
Why the extra organisms matter — and why they also mislead
Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma and Gardnerella are not on a basic clinic panel, which is exactly why they get missed in people with persistent symptoms after "everything came back negative." But detection is not the same as disease: these organisms are frequently part of normal flora. A positive is a data point for a physician, not an automatic prescription. See why a positive is not always a disease.
FAQ
- Is this the same as the panel at an urgent care?
- Usually not. Most urgent-care panels are chlamydia and gonorrhea on urine, sent out to a reference lab, with results in two to five days. Ours is 12 targets, run in-house, with results the same day at 5:00 PM.
- Do I need to fast or prepare?
- No fasting. For a urine sample, try not to urinate for about one hour beforehand. Walk in Monday to Friday; no appointment and no insurance are required.
- Can I choose only some markers?
- Yes. Text us what happened and we will tell you which targets and which collection sites are actually indicated, so you are not paying for tests that cannot answer your question.
- Does a full panel include HPV?
- No. HPV screening is done through cervical cytology and HPV co-testing in a gynecology setting, not through this panel. We will tell you that rather than sell you something that does not exist.
📱 Text (713) 832-8892 📞 Call (713) 266-0808
References
- CDC — STI Treatment Guidelines, 2021
- CDC — Laboratory Recommendations for STD Testing
- Our CLIA #45D2048957 and CAP #8722734 credentials — verify them yourself
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