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It would vary depending on the condition that is being tested. STDs behave differently due to the varying pathogenicity of each STD’s causative organism. In some instances, you can get accurately tested as early as two weeks following exposure, while some are intermittently inaccurate due to its recurrence (much like in the case of herpes infections). To avoid this, be sure to discuss the intricacies of the test with your physician to understand whether a particular test could provide you with a conclusive diagnosis or if it still needs another confirmatory test to establish its premise.

Pap screening is performed to examine the cellular structure of the cervical tissues, identifying whether there are specific changes that may be either malignant or benign growths within the area. Sexually active women with HPV infections are prone to cervical cancer due to the tendency of HPV to cause mutations and develop malignant changes in the area. Testing routinely for such will help physicians to identify any suspicious growths before it even develops into a malignant condition that could be more debilitating for the patient in the long run.

It would essentially depend on the STD that you have contracted. Although it can be argued that certain STDs cause very evident symptomatic manifestations such as ulcerations, discharge, and bleeding, some are relatively subtle for you even to consider having yourself tested for any STD at all. Not knowing whether you have an STD is ultimately dependent on your tendency to have yourself tested, especially considering that self-diagnoses are often counterintuitive and inaccurate to a certain degree.

Trichomoniasis is a relatively distinct STD because it is caused by neither a bacterial nor a viral infection. Trichomoniasis is an infection caused by a protozoan parasite known as Trichomonas vaginalis.