Ask The Sexpert

Dear Sexpert,

How do I get tested for STIs at Princeton, and how much does it cost? I'm also worried about other people finding out that I got tested or about my sexual orientation. Does McCosh keep this information confidential?

— Testy

Dear Testy,

Getting tested at Princeton is actually remarkably easy. Just call University Health Services (UHS) at (609) 258-5036 and ask to make an appointment with Women's and Men's Health. You'll be asked why you're making the appointment, but this is only to decide whether you should be meeting with a nurse or a gynecologist, as well as to determine the urgency of your situation. You don't need to explain your whole life story, just say you want to get tested for STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections, the new term for what used to be called Sexually Transmitted Diseases).

When you see a doctor, you'll be asked a few questions about your sex life, including whether you engage in sexual activity with women, men or both. None of these questions are meant to judge you in any way — the doctor is just doing his or her job, since having this information allows for a more thorough evaluation of your health. The doctor might also perform a physical examination, recommend several tests and explain how they work.

Getting tested for STIs doesn't mean that the doctor administers every test in the book, since several STIs can be spotted visually (and/or verified by testing a small scraping from a lesion). The doctors at McCosh will always suggest an HIV test if you are sexually active, but will usually only recommend some of the other tests if you display particular symptoms.

Test results take about a week to process, and almost all tests are free if you're on the Student Health Plan. That's right: getting tested for STIs at Princeton costs next to nothing, so if you're sexually active, you have no good excuse to not get tested every six months.

Even if you're not on the Student Health Plan, tests are still relatively inexpensive: $31 for an HPV test, $45 for Gonorrhea/Chlamydia culture, $121 for Gonorrhea/Chlamydia urine test (for men only), $34 for an HIV test (free if sent to the State) and $72 for a Herpes test. If you have private insurance, your plan might also cover these tests. You should be aware that, if you are on a private insurance plan, there is a possibility that your insurance provider might inform your parents of what tests were administered — the results, however, will be kept confidential.

If you test positive for any STI, you'll be asked to inform any sexual partners you have had since you were last tested. Since you would have either picked it up from or passed it on to any of them, it is important that they know so they can get tested as well. Aside from this, your results (as well as other facts that you might have shared with UHS professionals, such as your sexual orientation) are kept absolutely confidential. This confidentiality will only be breached if you are a danger to yourself or other people. So as long as you don't seriously threaten to kill the person who got you infected, you should be perfectly fine!

You can pay your bill using cash, a credit card or by charging it to your student account. If you do choose to pay the bill using your student account, it won't show up as "HPV test — $31," but as a bill from Health Services, which you can always tell your parents was for cough syrup.

— The Sexpert

"Sexpert" is written by a team of peer sexual health educators and fact-checked by University health professionals. You can submit questions, to be published anonymously every Thursday, to sexpert@dailyprincetonian.com. Don't be shy!