Washington DC

How often do you guys in the hobby get tested?
citizenkane 1023 reads
posted

And do you know of any good places to get checked out? Thanks.

My recommendation would be Planned Parenthood. There is an office in DC on 16th St. NW and one in Falls Church, also locations in Maryland.  They accept health insurance and if you don't/can't use that, you can get comprehensive STD testing for between $95 and $225.  You can walk in or make an appointment for STD testing.  You will be tested for everything (if you want), they are experienced, discreet, confidential, and non-judgmental and they see plenty of guys, as well as women.  You can ask them anything.  They also provide counseling on safe sex, etc.  

Good luck! :)

I do a full panel every 3 months.  I travel internationally for my job and they require that I complete all the testing and immunization. It's easiest to just stay current. I have a regularly scheduled appointment and its that simple.

I am a provider that takes the time to get tested once a month as a ritual. I am not ashame to say this cause I want to be 100% safe and feel safe too. I think it's the best thing to get tested every month or when you feel the need to. Don't be afraid to get tested for std cause this is your life you are playing with.  
  I get tested at the local health department with only a co-pay of 10-30 depending on the city your in. Make an appointment and you get in the next week. I like this subject being talked about because there are a lot of clients and providers that don't realize this is there life that is in jeopardy. They actually want to just brush this subject off and think that this doesn't exist. Or they are just afraid but don't be afraid about your well being everything! All the providers and clients out here be safe and take care of yourself..you will last so much longer in life🔆
Pixyx

Because I never want to not know my status and I want to make sure I can represent that I'm clean. I use the Whitman-Walker clinic in DC - http://www.whitman-walker.org/ because it's very simple. Now it might not be for everyone as the STI/HIV testing is done in the evenings and it's a first come, first serve. I have had more than a few of the gay guys in there joke around with me about being straight, but at the end of the day the clinic was created to combat the AIDS epidemic in the DC area and thrives on helping anyone willing to be aware of their status regardless of gender or sexual preference.  

If you would rather keep it all completely anonymous AND not have it go through your insurance you can use a service like this - http://requestatest.com/standard-std-panel-testing which has a number of locations in the DMV area to step in and get samples drawn from. This service is a little over 200.00 for the testing and is super simple to step through the process.    

I get a full panel HIV test every 3 months since it's far more conclusive than the rapid HIV tests and being expensive isn't something you need to do as often unless you feel that you were exposed. If that was the case then you most CERTAINLY need to get a full panel immediately as the rapid test isn't accurate for immediate infection exposure and generally won't sound a true positive or negative for up to 45 days after exposure/infection. We as a society have this giant stigmata about getting tested for some reason and I have no idea why. It kills me when guys say they get tested every 6 months or yearly which is just such a bad idea if you are active in the hobby unless you only play once a year. In this era of sex being so much more mainstream both men and women are getting some action outside of their marriage for you married folks. Guys if you are stepping out on the wife to get some tail don't think for a SECOND that she isn't as well. That introduces such a hidden second layer of exposure that it's just not worth it not to get tested often if you play.  

Get tested, get tested often and be able to play safe out there!

quarterly is good, no less than 2x per year though.  

usually the normal rounds of testing only includes Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and HIV.
you need to also ask for Syphilis and Hepatitis testing. After Syphilis had all but completely gone away, a lot of doctors stopped checking for it....but it is on the rise again, so make sure to get tested for that too.  

If you practice good self-care and hygiene, you'll be quicker to identify anything out of the norm.
It's not just about your health, it's about the health of your sexual partners...be a conscientious lover.  
Just stay regular with testing, make it part of your usual health routine....don't make it a situation where you only get tested if you're concerned after a particular encounter.  

FOREMOST make safe-sex practices the standard in all your sexual interactions...not just with sex workers (who BTW: statistically are some of the safest individuals to have sexual relations with, we protect our livelihoods!) :-)

-- Modified on 8/24/2013 2:31:34 PM

It's http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/std/ which will provide you all four tests, HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Chlamydia for FREE.  Tell the clinic that you have started a new relationship and want to be careful with your new friend.  It takes two weeks to get the results, and you must return for the results.

I have used the Whitman-Walker on 14th street in DC - http://www.whitman-walker.org/ because it's very simple.  It’s first-come, first-serve.  You can make a donation of your choice to the clinic for the test.  I have used Walker-Whitman only for HIV.  I assume they provide the other tests.

I get all four tests every year and an HIV about every six months, and I stress that you get all four tests

.....I'm tested thoroughly and quarterly (every 3 months)

Isn't it such a weight off, to have a doctor who knows? My doctors know also, and are nothing but supportive.  
We are all protected by confidentiality laws, and besides....they're job is about health and harm reduction (health term), they just want to see us be smart with our bodies.  

YAY for supportive thorough docs!

...... and it's awesome because I've never "hearted" a doctor before but she's pretty much perfect lol.   It took a little trust building even though she's a professional of a different kind....I actually just hipped her to things my appt 3 months before my most recent visit with her a few days ago. She's been my doctor for about 18 months now though.

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