Testing Your Ass Might Get Easier — and Less Awkward
Stigma keeps people out of clinics. Self-collected specimens are a real option for testing the body parts you actually use.
Some people avoid STI testing because clinics feel judgmental. Others cannot get time off work, live far from queer-competent care, or simply do not enjoy explaining their sex life to a stranger wearing a name badge.
A 2024 study examined HIV and STI self-collection among gay, bisexual, and other sexually minoritized men in the United States. The researchers found that sexual-behavior stigma was connected to testing experiences and interest in collecting specimens outside a traditional clinical encounter.
Self-collection can include taking your own throat, rectal, genital, or blood specimen and returning it for laboratory testing.
This matters because urine testing alone can miss infections in the throat or rectum. Your penis does not need to be the main character in every medical appointment. Testing should match the body parts you actually use during sex.
I am very pro-clinic, but I am even more pro-access. A self-swab is not less responsible than having somebody in scrubs do it. For many people, privacy makes regular testing more realistic.
The catch is that home collection needs reliable laboratory processing, clear follow-up instructions, treatment access, and testing appropriate to the timing of an exposure. Convenience without follow-up is just a box of swabs sitting beside your lube.
Original research
Sexual behavior stigma and HIV/STI biospecimen self-collection among cisgender gay, bisexual, and other sexually minoritized men in the United States
BMC Infectious Diseases
Read the studyShare
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Medical disclaimer
This article shares sexual-health education, research summaries, and personal commentary. It does not provide individual medical diagnosis or treatment. Research findings and public-health recommendations may change as new evidence becomes available. Talk with a qualified healthcare professional about symptoms, testing, medications, prevention options, and decisions affecting your health.
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