Should be screened if at increased risk for infection1

Recognizing high-risk behaviors in your female patients—and screening accordingly.

Know which patients are considered high-risk

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea in sexually active women ages 25 and older if at increased risk for infection.1,3 Trichomonas screening should also be considered.

USPSTF identifies risk factors as3:

  • Inconsistent condom use among patients not in mutually monogamous relationships
  • Multiple sex partners
  • Previous or coexisting STI
  • A new sex partner
  • A sex partner with concurrent partners
  • Exchanging sex for money or drugs

Asking the right questions to better assess risk

1.

Do you use condoms: never, sometimes, or always?

 

2.

In the past 12 months, how many partners have you had sex with?

3.

Have you ever had an STI?

Has a partner had an STI?
 

Access insights to help you integrate opt-out:

 

This webinar by Dr. Stephanie Taylor offers tips on how to take a good sexual history

 

Listen to the webinar

Ordering the right test at the right time

Screening for STIs is recommended for women at all stages of their lives. The intuitive tables below can help guide your discussions for patient-focused testing recommendations.
 

a People with increased risk are women who have had a history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), exchange sex for payment, or use injection drugs; and men and women with a new sex partner, more than 1 sex partner, a sex partner with concurrent partners, or a sex partner who has a sexually transmitted infection.

b When highly sensitive testing (eg, nucleic acid amplification test [NAAT]) is not feasible, a testing algorithm (eg, wet mount first, followed by NAAT if negative) can improve diagnostic sensitivity.

c The use of chlamydial NAATs at <3 weeks after completion of therapy is not recommended because the continued presence of nonviable organisms can lead to false-positive results.2

These helpful resources can provide additional information and guidelines:


​References:

  1. CDC. Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021. Accessed March 14, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/STI-Guidelines-2021.pdf
  2. CDC. CDC fact sheet: information for teens and young adults: staying healthy and preventing STDs. Accessed March 14, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/std/life-stages-populations/stdfact-teens.htm
  3. Davidson KW, Barry MJ, Mangione CM, et al; US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2021;326(10):949-956. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.14081

 

Test codes may vary by location. Please contact your local laboratory for more information.


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Assessing high-risk patients

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