According to the recent estimate from the Oregon Health Authority, the three reportable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, comprise two-thirds of all reported diseases in Oregon, and the numbers are constantly rising.
Board Approved
Medically reviewed by one or more members of the editorial boardWhy Testing Matters?
Physicians recommend that all sexually active individuals must get tested for STDs at least once a year, and those with multiple partners should seek screening every three months. STDs are passed to one person from another through oral, vagina, and anal sex. Mostly, infected individuals don't observe any signs or symptoms of STD, and the only way to detect them is through testing.
Some STDs, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, are curable if diagnosed early. Other STDs are although not curable but are definitely manageable with treatment. Believe it or not, untreated STDs can have serious health consequences, and some can even be passed to a baby if a pregnant woman is infected with an STD.
The most at-risk individuals are those not in a monogamous relationship and those who are sexually active. Therefore, they must get tested regularly to remain aware of their sexual health status. Since STDs are either asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms, which is why it is almost impossible to detect the infection at the right time unless the individual undergoes STD testing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just 10% of males and up to 30% of females who test positive for chlamydia in the USA actually had symptoms while the rest didn't notice any. Furthermore, syphilis and gonorrhea have sporadic symptoms. So, you must make sure that STDs testing is a part of your routine health checkup every year and undergo screening before starting a new relationship.
Find a Lab
9555 Sw Barnes Rd Suite 220, Portland, Oregon 97225
Tel: 5032975036
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
115 South West Pine Avenue, Canyonville, Oregon 97417
Tel: 5418396702
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
2351 Nw Westover Rd Suite R250, Portland, Oregon 97210
Tel: 5032226188
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
10373 Ne Hancock St, Suite 122, Portland, Oregon 97220
Tel: 5032550655
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
645 Nw 4th St, Suite B, Redmond, Oregon 97756
Tel: 5415483627
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
All adults ages 18 to senior citizen. Ages 15 through 17 (no guardian required). Ages 13 through 14 (with guardian).
8800 SE 80th Ave, Portland, Oregon 97206
Tel: (503) 535-3860
Appointment Required: Yes
140 S Holly St, Medford, Oregon 97501
Tel: (541) 774-8209
Appointment Required: Yes
Free HIV self-testing kits available for Oregon residents who have not been tested for HIV in the past. Please visit website for additional information.
800 NE Oregon St, Ste 1105, Portland, Oregon 97232
Tel: (971) 673-0144
Tel: (971) 673-0178
Appointment Required: Yes
Rapid HIV testing by appointment or walk-in. Syphilis testing for gay/queer/and bi men. Call 503-278-3879 to make an appointment or for testing information. Donation requested, but no one is turned away. Other services: Insurance enrollment and navigation. PrEP navigation services.
520 NW Davis St, Ste 215, Portland, Oregon 97209
Tel: (503) 223-5907
Tel: (503) 223-6437
Appointment Required: Yes
Please register as a patient to receive services.
2725 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Ste 200, Beaverton, Oregon 97005
Tel: (503) 352-6000
Appointment Required: Yes
Use our confidential STD symptom checker to get an idea of what STDs/STIs your symptoms align with and what STD tests are recommended to you.
Start Symptom CheckerWhich Method of STD Testing is Suitable for Me?
Every sexually active individual must protect their sexual health. Regular STD testing is the only way to care for your sexual health. However, sometimes it becomes confusing to select the right testing method as there are so many options available. For your convenience, we have gathered information about all available STD testing methods in Oregon. Check them out to find out which option is suitable for you.
This is one of the most popular ways to get tested for STDs today. These tests combine the best of both worlds for convenience and accuracy. You will order the test online at home, but you can walk into a professional lab testing center to get tested.
Another option is to simply visit your regular clinic and talk to your doctor.
If you do not want to visit a testing center, then a great alternative is an at-home test kit. You don’t even need to leave your house to get tested for STDs this way, which makes it the most discreet option. Everything is done through email and snail mail.
One last option for STD testing is a trip to a free clinic. If you go to a public STD-testing clinic, then you may get a free or discounted test, depending on your financial situation.
Learn more in our ultimate guide to STD testing.
It can be, but it does not necessarily have to be. What many people need to understand is that laboratory tests would most often than not be relatively pricey due to the technology that is being utilized behind these diagnostic techniques. However, opting for specific laboratories that offer more convenient testing procedures and discounted prices for diagnostic tests would help ensure that the price will not be much of an issue in providing you with the conclusive diagnosis of your condition. It might take some independent scanning to find the right testing center for you in the most acceptable price range, but it is not as impossible as many people make it out to be.
Considering that a wide variety of testing kits and laboratory procedures can be performed to determine conclusively whether you have a particular STD or not, the time that it will take for your results to return will also be subject to the same inconsistency. Although there are specific laboratories that could produce your results even by the end of the day (albeit, it is extremely rare for institutions to do so unless necessary), most would often take a few days to a week before the results are either delivered or posted online through your secure personal profile (in the case of online transactions). In addition to that, the capability of the laboratory performing the test may also contribute to the overall timeframe of result delivery – causing delays in cases where there are several requests or understaffed to provide expedited results.
For more information, skip to the FAQs section on this page.
Test Advisor
Know all about STD testing options, and the costs of different STD tests.
Oregon STD Data
Chlamydia has been the state's most reported overall disease for the past five years. According to the state's health department, there's a sudden and drastic increase in syphilis cases. In 2007, the state reported 30 syphilis cases, and in 2015, the state had 537 cases. A similar situation is observed regarding gonorrhea incidence as the number of cases has risen from 1,400 in 2006 to 3,200 in 2015. A majority of STDs reported in Oregon in 2018-2019 were among people aged 15-24, indicating that young people are at a higher risk of contracting STDs.
In Oregon state, chlamydia cases have been rising steadily. In 2007, the state had 9,869 cases, whereas, in 2016, the total number of diagnoses was 17,600. Hence, chlamydia was dubbed Oregon's most common STD.
Between 2006 and 2016, females accounted for 93,200 of all cases, while males reported 42,000 out of all cases reported in the state.
Gonorrhea is the 2nd most widely prevalent STD in Oregon, and the number of cases has tripled in the past ten years, from 1,70 in 2010 to 4,360 in 2020. What's even worse is that the bacteria have mutated and become treatment resistant. Around half of the specimens tested in the state for antibiotic resistance were found to be immune to the best go-to medication to treat gonorrhea, ciprofloxacin. Public health officials are concerned that gonorrhea may not even be treatable in the near future. Gender-wide, males accounted for 60% of all cases in the past ten years, whereas females recorded 40% gonorrhea diagnoses.
In Oregon state, syphilis cases have increased dramatically. The state reported 26 cases in 2007, while in 2020, there were 570 cases. Most syphilis cases were diagnosed in males, particularly men who have sex with men (MSM).
Between 1981 and 2018, Oregon state reported 10,566 new HIV infections, and until 2018, around 4,613 Oregon people living with HIV have died. Approximately 7,622 people were living with HIV in this state in 2018, but statistics suggest that over 1,241 persons might be infected but are yet undiagnosed.
HIV is the most prevalent of all STIs in Oregon. At the end of 2016, the total number of people living with HIV (PLWH) in Oregon was 7,250, according to the data shared by the Oregon Public Health Division. However, there has been a drop noted in the number of yearly diagnoses as the state recorded more than 700 new cases in 2007, while in 2015, this number dropped to 530. In contrast, there were over 7,050 PLWH in Oregon at the end of 2018, and 229 new HIV cases were diagnosed in the state, as per AIDSVu's report.
According to 2019 HIV statistics for Oregon, around 3,068 males were living with HIV (without AIDS), and 3,745 had HIV/AIDS. Similarly, 415 females were living with HIV, and 503 had HIV and AIDS. The leading risk factor in the spread of HIV in Oregon is men who have sex with men as they accounted for 73% or over 5000 cases overall, while injection drug usage led to 6% or 408 of all cases. Sex with men as well as injection drug usage accounted for 11% or 722 cases, and unprotected heterosexual contact was responsible for 194 of 3% of all HIV diagnoses in the state.
Multnomah County is regarded as the epicenter of HIV outbreaks, and the state is seeing its largest infection rates in the past three years. According to public health officials, 42 people were diagnosed with HIV in this county in the latter half of 2018, and all of these are new cases. This number is twice as high as the number of patients identified in 2016-2017, when only 25 cases were reported in Multnomah County.
STDs do not have any gender bias and infect males and females both. However, as mentioned above, in Oregon state, females have reported a higher number of STDs cases, particularly in chlamydia and gonorrhea. On the other hand, syphilis is more common among males.
Between 2007 and 2016, 14764 chlamydia cases were reported among 20-24-year-old males, and 38,545 cases were reported among 20-24-year-old females. The 25-34 age group reported 1,459 chlamydia cases among males and 21,829 cases among females. Hence, these two were the most affected age groups regarding chlamydia. Whites accounted for 71,771 cases, Black 7,780 cases, Native American/Alaska Native reported 2,402 cases, Asian, Pacific Islander had 2,837 cases, and Hispanic had 19,588 of all cases. Whites, as evident, reported 53% of all cases, followed by Hispanics with over 14% of cases, and Blacks accounted for 5.8% of all cases.
Regarding gonorrhea, 25-34-year-old males reported more cases with 4772, whereas females from the same age group reported 2,478 cases overall. The second most impacted age group was 20-24 years old as it reported 2451 gonorrhea cases among males and 2210 cases among females. The third highly impacted group was 35-44 years old. The males reported 2421 cases, and females reported 879 overall cases. The infection rate was highest among whites with 11,747 cases or 61% of all reported cases, followed by Hispanics with 2187 cases and blacks with 2487 cases.
An alarming shift noted by Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is the dramatic spike in congenital syphilis cases. In 2013, the OHA reported zero cases of congenital syphilis, whereas, in 2020, the state recorded 19 cases. In 2019, the state had the 11th highest rate of congenital syphilis cases, with 43 cases per 100,000 live births.
The rate of early syphilis, which includes primary/secondary syphilis and early non-primary and early non-secondary, has also increased. Reportedly, a staggering 900% rise is noted among pregnant females reporting syphilis at birth. The situation wasn't as drastic in 2013 when just one case was identified per 100,000 population, and in 2020, 10 cases per 100,000 people were reported. The rate of syphilis among pregnant females has increased as well, with 18 cases/100,000 live births in 2013 to over 129/100,000 live births in 2020.
Between 2014 and 2020, out of the 248 pregnant females infected with syphilis, at least 28% or 69 of them had an infant with congenital syphilis. The proportion of pregnant females delivering an infant with congenital syphilis in 2014 was 2 out of 15 or 13%, whereas in 2020, this was increased to 19 out of 54 or 35%. During the same period, 18-44-year-old females reported the highest number of cases, with the median age being 27 years. 80% of these cases were detected in five counties, namely Multnomah with 36%, Marion with 14%, Jackson with 13%, Lane with 9%, and Washington with 7% of all reported cases.
Males accounted for over 6,810 overall HIV cases in Oregon at the rate of 331.9 cases/ 100,000 male population. In contrast, females reported 918 cases with 43.9/100,000 females, according to OHA's quarterly HIV surveillance report for April 2019.
Ethnicity-wise, Hispanics accounted for more than 1,000 cases with 199.8 cases identified per 100,000 people, and whites reported the highest number of cases with 5,567 and a rate of 180.2 cases/100,000 population. African Americans comprised 584 cases, while 76 American Indian/Alaskan Native were diagnosed with HIV.
Regarding age groups, the 50-59-year-olds reported the highest share of HIV infections in Oregon with a whopping 2,489 cases out of the overall 7,731 reported cases, followed by 40-49 years old people who reported 1,769 of all cases and the third most impacted age group was those above 60 years of age as they had 1,666 cases. The 30-39 age group reported 1,313 cases and quickly became one of the top three most affected age groups in Oregon.
The Oregon Heal Authority's STD Program works with local community medical services providers and health departments to identify and treat STIs/STDs. Through this program, newly infected contacts of infected individuals are identified, examined, and treated. Moreover, based on individual risk factors and disease prevalence, people are screened for STDs at different intervals. The STD Program of Oregon also offers technical assistance, subsidized lab testing facilities, clinical consultation, STD medications, and public health surveillance data evaluation to help the department achieve its STD-related goals.
The Oregon Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan 2017 – 2021 was devised as a joint effort to engage people at higher risk of HIV, including those with STDs, as they are highly vulnerable to developing HIV/AIDS. Moreover, the prevention and care plan aims to set forth the state's commitment to efficiency, collaboration, and innovation to ensure a coordinated response to the HIV/STD epidemic.
It collaborated with people living with HIV, community stakeholders, and service delivery providers to establish the blueprint for achieving HIV/STD prevention, care, and treatment goals. Through the Oregon Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan, new partnerships, methods and venues are provided to culturally competent testing and education opportunities to targeted populations, including partners of people living with HIV, MSM, and communities of color, particularly African Americans, Latinos, and American Indians/Alaska Natives.
End HIV Oregon was launched on Dec. 1, on World AIDS Day. It was launched by the OHA and its public health/community partners to mark Oregon's five-year strategy to reduce new HIV infections. The program involves contributions from community members and private and public agencies and offers various services, from syringe exchange programs to prevention education and quality care and treatment.
Oregon's Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan 2017-2021 is developed to engage people at higher risk of contracting HIV, PLWH, community stakeholders, and service delivery providers. It entails those strategies and plans through which the OHA intends to address the HIV outbreak in the state and establishes how the agency intends to achieve HIV care, treatment, and prevention goals. This program uses the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) as its primary organizing framework. It aims at achieving three key goals- reducing new HIV infections, expanding access to care and better health outcomes for PLWH, and reducing HIV-related health inequalities and disparities. These strategies, goals, and activities are developed by Oregon's statewide operating HIV planning group called the IPG.
HIV
Alliance is another important initiative that offers a
standard of care for PLWH without any biases regarding sexual orientation,
race, ethnicity, gender, or social status. The program offers appropriate
resources to community members of Oregon. HIV Alliance has partnered with the
Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire and the Imperial Sovereign Court
of the Willamette Empire, two of the leading charitable non-profit
organizations working for LGBTQIA+ communities. The organization continuously
works with LGBTQIA+ individuals/community organizations to offer HIV screening,
treatment, and care support. TransPonder, the Regional Pride committees, the
Eugene Bears (MSM social group), and middle school and high school GSAs are
some of its recent partners.
How Does it Work?
Most people experience feelings of hesitation when going to get tested for STD, despite knowing they might have contracted one. EasySTD was created to change that.
Visit your nearest lab or clinic, order your home testing kit online, and follow the given instructions from an STD testing provider.
After ordering your STD test, visit the testing center to get tested or take a self sample including urine, cotton swab, or finger prick with the home testing kit and mail it back.
Receive the lab-certified results of your STD test from your test provider via mail or phone within 2 to 3 days. If the test comes positive, consult your doctor immediately.
Cities Nearby
A nucleic acid amplification test is a laboratory procedure that professionals often perform to make detecting a particular nucleic acid or gene being targeted easier and more convenient while still ensuring that the sample being collected is relatively minimal. Nucleic acid amplification tests, or NAATs, are usually the mainstay diagnostic test for most STDs due to their ability to detect the presence of pathogenic nucleic acids and genes in the patient sample with utmost accuracy and speed. NAATs depends on their ability to replicate the target RNA and DNA to create numerous copies – resulting in an increased convenience in the detection of the desired molecules instead of trying to either blindly look for one strand in a minuscule sample or collecting a large sample that could make the patient uncomfortable throughout the process. Although NAATs are often preferred for a more conclusive diagnosis of STDs, certain exceptions such as the availability of resources and instances of intermittent viral shedding could make NAATs less desirable than other tests. Fret not, however, as your physician is knowledgeable regarding these instances and would often request the best diagnostic procedure for your instances.
Yes. Certain companies offer at-home testing kits wherein you are the one that will collect the specimens necessary for the test at the comfort of your own home. Sure, it might sometimes be subject to errors due to the potential contamination of the sample from collection to transportation, but it does offer a great deal of privacy and convenience for patients who would prefer to have their identities hidden in fear that their community will judge them.
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.
Depending on the test being performed and the testing physician's targeted diseases, various types of samples can be requested from you. In some instances, a minuscule blood sample of a few milliliters will be collected, some might ask for a urine sample, and others may opt for a genital swab. Again, the sample being collected will depend on the test being conducted and the outcome that is being targeted for this particular procedure.
Similar to what was previously mentioned, herpes infections are known for their recurring tendencies – causing outbreaks now and then and thus causing an intermittent spike in the patient’s viral load for specific instances. In addition to that, other STDs also take time to proliferate and produce a sufficient viral load that could warrant a positive and, more importantly, accurate diagnosis and detection from the tests being administered. As such, detecting an STD a few days following exposure is often complex and unpredictable – leading physicians to follow a certain timeframe instead for testing STDs instead of blindly testing immediately following exposure. Physical exams, however, may supplement inaccurate laboratory diagnoses, especially in cases where the test is prone to false results.
Help stop the spread of STDs by knowing your status. Get tested today!
