Compare STD testing services and options.

Although NAATs are well-known for their accuracy and sensitivity in detecting most STDs, it is also subject to certain inconsistencies, especially in the case of herpes infections. In Herpes, outbreaks often result in a relative increase in the patient’s viral load – leading to a timeline that usually has specific peaks at certain intervals instead of a consistent rise in viral load throughout. As such, sensitive tests such as NAATs are still unable to accurately diagnose herpes conditions, especially in cases where the patient has recently become asymptomatic and is currently between outbreaks. Other tests such as culture testing and type-specific virologic tests are often employed instead as a confirmatory diagnosis for the patient’s condition.

Upon the infant's passage during labor through the vaginal area, the baby may come into contact with the infected surfaces – resulting in the transmission of the causative microorganisms from the genitalia to the baby’s body. Certain infections may also pass through the placental barrier to cause infections even while the fetus is still inside the mother’s womb.

Gonorrhea is known for its tendency to mainly target the mucosal membranes of the body – leading to its manifestations primarily being observed in areas where discharge is evident, i.e., mucosal areas. Gonorrhea is caused by the microorganism known as Neisseria gonorrhoeae or N. gonorrhoeae.

A vaginal yeast infection is yet another odd or distinctive STD from the pool of common STD infections found in the population. A vaginal yeast infection is also known as vaginal candidiasis and is caused by the Candida fungal species.