Newbie - FAQ

STD Testing - Hobbyists & Providers Input Please
ZZTOP6969 56 Reviews 2674 reads
posted

I am a new hobbyist and would like to get tested periodically and confidentially. Can you please advise on accurate, reliable and confidential facilities? I have seen some on the wed, but who knows.

Cutebrat90342094 reads

I know AIM (adult industry medical or some for of abbreviation) will do it its a little expensive about 300 or 400 for a full panel but its what the porn industry uses as a standard for its model

I've used the county public health department and tSTD.org.

tSTD is much more expensive but does have complete anonymity at the testing site which is just the standard medial testing lab (so you might meet a neighbor there).  You can pay via PayPal to the company so it can give you anonymity with the company as well.

Overall I've decided to stick with the public health dept because it is less costly.  

Now, if you do test positive things may get more complicated because of reporting requirements.  In that front tSTD may be less hassle because they can't report if they don't know who you are.  The health dept will require personal details before testing so if it is positive they may ask uncomfortable questions.

STD testing is not some big mystery.  It's done thousands of time a day at labs all over the country and there's no reason to overpay.  Ten years ago the "best" tests were difficult to obtain.  No longer.  Today they're all pretty routine.

Keep in mind that as a non-porn performer you can't actually do business with AIM, but you can arrange for testing through their "civilian arm" known as SXcheck.  (http://www.sxcheck.com)  They offer testing at their own locations in Sherman Oaks and Granada Hills, but will also arrange for testing at thousands of other labs around the country.

Most of the testing services you find advertised on the web do the same thing.  They just arrange for testing at a local lab, then report the results back to you.  Many of them use the exact same labs.

So long as they're all specifying the same tests (from what I've seen, they are), then there's not likely to be any qualitative advantage of one over the other, it's a matter of convenience, privacy and environment.  Some labs are nicer than others.  Some services charge more of a markup than others.

I have found that the cheapest way to get this done is to have my own doctor arrange for testing.  His tech draws blood and he sends it out to the same labs everybody else uses.  He's aware that I'm single and sexually active and therefore want to be tested a couple of times a year, so it's not a problem.  He says it's pretty common and he recommends it to his sexually active patients.

Also, by doing it through my doctor, I am able to get one test a year partially covered through insurance as part of my normal physical.  Additional tests can be paid for from my Health Savings Account.

This may or may not be appropriate to everybody, especially if you're married and perhaps don't want to have to explain to your doctor why you're being tested, but keep it in mind.

Thanks for the input everyone. I checked the AIM web site and you can actually make arrangements on and pay on the web site, but they want all your personal information and driver's license number. They charge $300 for a full panel. I was hoping to find someplace to do this without giving out personal information. I prefer that there was no "record" of my visit.

I absolutely agree. STD testing is for everyone, not just hobbyists. If you go to a bar and pick up a girl for a one-night-stand, you run the same risk of catching something. Or if you are married and your partner has been fooling around, its the same.

Register Now!