I'd like to know how men get tested for STD's besides just getting a blood test.?

Question

I was told that not all std's show up in the blood and that's why my gyno also does a pap and physical exam on me to fully check for all std's. I was also told that the only way a test for herpes will come out positive is if the person is having an outbreak at that time! My boyfriend told me that he went to his family Dr. and had a blood test to check for std's. I geuss that means he didn't get checked for everything. If a woman goes to a gynocologist then what is the doctor called that specializes in male reproductive health? What do men have to get done to get tested for EVERYTHING???

Answer 1

Men can be tested for every STD out there except HPV. HPV is usually detect by an abnormal pap smear, which obviously, only women can get.

All other STDs can be tested by either a blood sample, urine sample, a physical examination or by a swab test.

A blood test can detect syphilis, herpes, HIV, and hepatitis.

A urine test can detect chlamydia and gonorrhea.

A physical examination can detect herpes, syphilis, and HPV (genital warts).

A swab test can detect chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis.

Genital herpes is usually diagnosed by a physical exam. Blood tests can sometimes be inaccurate.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/default.htm

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

It bears mention that NOBODY is tested for EVERYTHING. Period. Although with enough time an effort, you might be able to test one person for everything, usually people only get tests that are significant and easy.

One kind of disease that can be hard to test for with any amount of equipment is a retrovirus. These viruses will add stuff to your DNA and are completely incurable. Some of them will then just lurk in the background much of the time and then jump out all at once in an outbreak. Since you still have the DNA, you are infected, but since the DNA isn't being used when you're not having an outbreak, you generally don't show up on tests and can't infect other people. Such viruses include some of the many kinds of herpes (as you mention) and some of the dozens of kinds of Human Papillomavirus (or HPV).

It's that latter one that a pap smear is intended to detect. When a male has HPV he won't show symptoms even when he does have an 'outbreak' most of the time. Many women are likewise mostly asymptomatic... but in their case HPV often leads to cervical cancer. Pap smears detect HPV indirectly by looking for cancer instead of looking for the virus (which isn't there much of the time). Since men don't generally get cancer from HPV you obviously can't do the same thing.

It is common for men to have their testicles examined by a doctor to look for irregularities, though. Part of that test often involves volutarily coughing, and for some reason almost every doctor uses almost identical words, "turn your head to the left and cough". You may even see jokes around that expression if you watch the right kind of comedies...

Answer 4

Well, my friend is a carrier for herpes, but she has never had an outbreak, never knew she had it. She found out through a blood test. And, actually, there is a new blood test for certain types of HPV that a pap smear wouldn't show. Also, I had a boyfriend that got tested for clhymidia by having a scraping of the cells in his urethra (ouch!). Full STD screenings are usually not covered by insurance and are expensive.

Answer 5

Herpes or HSV will show up in a blood test with or without an active out break. When we do STD workups on a man we stick a small swabs into their penis and collect a sample to test for GC. They also get blood work. Since I have swabbed men and I have had paps done it seems to me that men get put through more pain on this one.

Answer 6

They cant. There is also NO test for HPV in men so they can pass that on w/out knowing they have it and you wont know until your pap smear comes back abnormal. They test men with a blood test because the hole in the tip of the penis is small and it is painful so unless they are showing symptoms of chlamydia or something else most men dont want to go through that. Men are big babies.

Answer 7

in general, there are three basic ways to find something in or on a patient:
1-lab tests (blood, urine, tissue, cell swab, etc)
2-physical exam
3-advanced imaging technology
this is because STD's are caused by organisms like bacteria or by viruses. not all of these things go into your blood. some hide out in various places in or on your body. many are really hard to find and many have no cure. that is why STD's are a big problem, they are really hard to deal with. luckily, the most basic ones have pretty reliable tests to find/detect/identify them.

diagnosing someone w/STD means that the physical exam and medical history/recent history definitely points to the STD as well as confirmed lab results (and there are hundreds of kinds of lab tests out there, just know which ones your doctor wants to do for you).

Answer 8

Blood test is about everything . The only thing that doesnt show up is herpes. This you have to test for. Also theres a urine test and a swab test, but these are more limited.

Answer 9

well.......the doc could check for herpes in blood tests,IgG,and IgM.....then he could do blood for hepatitis B, syphllis,hep C ,and hiv.....culture for gonorrhea and chlamydia are done thru swab test on woman,or urine can be used..........a man generally goes to a GP,family doc,unless he has a urological problem,then referred to urologist.........man could have same tests as women by family doc....good luck....

Answer 10

Male's see urologists.
They stick a swab up the opening in the penis.