How do I get STI screening?

How to get STI screening online in Australia

To get STI screening online in Australia, book a discreet telehealth consult with an Abby GP or Nurse Practitioner. They will ask about your symptoms or screening goals, write an electronic pathology referral, and you can attend any approved collection centre to provide the sample. Routine STI tests come back to your clinician within 2 to 4 working days. If anything is positive, your clinician will discuss treatment in a follow-up consult — no waiting room conversation.

Why people choose telehealth for STI testing

Sexual health is private, and the friction of being seen in a clinic — the receptionist, the waiting room, the carpark — is often what stops people from screening as often as they should. Telehealth removes that friction without removing the clinical depth. The conversation is the same, the tests are the same, and the privacy is, in many ways, better.

Abby is built for the people who often slip through the cracks — busy professionals, parents, rural and remote Australians, and anyone who has put off testing because life has been louder than usual. Read more in Abby for busy professionals and Abby for rural and remote Australians.

What does the consult cover?

The consult is a clinical conversation, not a checklist. Your clinician will ask about any symptoms, your sexual history (when last, with whom, what kinds of activity), the timing relative to any concern, and what you would like to be screened for. Abby AI, our medical decision-support tool, surfaces relevant prior visits and any previous testing before the consult begins, so the clinician arrives in context.

Based on that conversation, your clinician will recommend the right combination of tests. The decision belongs to the clinician — there is no automated test menu — and they will explain the trade-offs (window periods, swab vs urine vs blood) before they finalise the referral.

What's tested in a routine STI screen?

An Australian routine STI screen typically covers:

• Chlamydia and gonorrhoea (urine sample, or self-collected swab from relevant sites)
• HIV (blood)
• Syphilis (blood)
• Hepatitis B and C (blood)
• Trichomoniasis where appropriate
• Herpes simplex virus, when symptoms suggest it (swab of an active lesion)

Mycoplasma genitalium and HPV-related tests are added when clinically relevant. Your clinician will explain the window period for each — the shortest time after exposure at which a test reliably detects an infection — so you know when to retest if it is too early. The Department of Health publishes patient-facing sexual health guidance at health.gov.au and Healthdirect at healthdirect.gov.au.

Where do I go for the sample?

Abby's pathology referrals are accepted at every approved Australian pathology collection centre, including the major networks (Australian Clinical Labs, Healius, Sonic Healthcare). Most are walk-in, with hundreds of locations across the country. You bring the referral (delivered by email after the consult), and the collection centre handles the rest. Some swab tests can be self-collected at the collection centre or, in some cases, at home — your clinician will confirm what is appropriate.

For more on the broader pathology pathway, see telehealth pathology tests explained and how to get a same-day pathology referral online in Australia.

How long do STI test results take?

Routine STI nucleic acid tests (chlamydia, gonorrhoea) typically come back within 2 to 4 working days. HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis serology are usually similar. Your clinician receives the result first, reviews it, and contacts you to discuss what it means — for privacy reasons, raw lab values are not sent by SMS or email until the clinician has had a chance to review them. The privacy framework is set out by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

For a fuller breakdown by test type, see how long does it take for results to come back.

What happens if something comes back positive?

If anything is positive, your Abby clinician will book a brief follow-up consult to talk you through what it means and what the standard treatment looks like. Most common bacterial STIs are treated with a short course of medication; the prescription is sent as an e-script directly to the pharmacy of your choice. Confidential partner notification options will be discussed, and your clinician will help you think through who needs to be told.

Around 71% of Abby patients book back with the same clinician next time (Abby Health internal data, Q1 2026), which matters in sexual health more than almost anywhere — the second consult is shorter and warmer because the clinician already knows your story.

How Abby can help

If you have been putting off screening because the friction was too high, an Abby clinician can usually see you in minutes through the First Available queue. Our clinicians are AHPRA-registered, listed on the public AHPRA register. Start at abbyhealth.app/services/pathology. Abby appointments are bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card.