STI testing for gay, bi and other men who have sex with men
The guidelines recommend STI testing every 3 months for men who’ve had any sex with a man in the last 3 months, with samples from three sites and blood tests for HIV and syphilis. Here’s what that check includes, why each part matters, and which parts you can do at home.
Key facts
- Any sex with a man in the last 3 months
- Every 3 months
- Not currently sexually active, or monogamous
- At least once a year
- Sites tested
- Throat, anus and urine
- Blood tests
- HIV and syphilis each time
- Also recommended
- Hepatitis A and B vaccination, and PrEP if eligible
- Prickly covers
- Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and an HIV self-test
Why every 3 months
The Australian STI Management Guidelines (opens in new tab) note that most STIs in men who have sex with men cause no symptoms, so regular testing is how they get found. They recommend testing every 3 months for all men who have had any type of sex with another man in the previous 3 months, and at least once a year for those who aren’t currently sexually active or are in a monogamous relationship.
Gonorrhoea and syphilis diagnosis rates in Australia have both risen by more than half over the last 10 years, and men account for 7 in 10 gonorrhoea and 8 in 10 syphilis diagnoses. Testing every 3 months finds infections sooner, so they’re treated before they pass on.
What a full check includes
| Infection | Sample | With Prickly? |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia and gonorrhoea | Throat swab, anal swab and first-pass urine | Yes |
| HIV (unless you’re living with HIV) | Blood: a lab test, or a fingerprick self-test | Self-test, optional |
| Syphilis | Blood from a vein, each time you test for HIV | No |
| Hepatitis A and B | Blood, to check immunity, then vaccination if you’re not immune | No |
| Hepatitis C | Blood, yearly if you’re on PrEP, living with HIV or have injected drugs | No |
Prickly doesn’t test for syphilis or hepatitis, because they need blood from a vein. If you test with Prickly every 3 months, ask a sexual health clinic (opens in new tab) or GP clinic (opens in new tab) for syphilis testing each time too, as the guidelines recommend.
All three sites, every time
The guidelines recommend a throat swab, an anal swab and a first-pass urine sample for every man who has sex with men, even without symptoms and whatever sex you’ve had lately. Throat and anal infections usually cause no symptoms and are only found when those sites are tested. All three samples can be collected yourself. See which STI sample you need and oral sex and STIs.
HIV, PrEP and U=U
The guidelines recommend offering PrEP to everyone eligible for it. If you’re on PrEP, you’ll already be testing every 3 months as part of your prescription. Testing is also how people living with HIV get onto treatment, and someone on effective treatment with an undetectable viral load doesn’t pass HIV on through sex (undetectable equals untransmittable, or U=U).
An HIV self-test can miss HIV caught in the last 3 months; a lab blood test picks it up sooner. See HIV testing at home.
If you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours and you’re not taking PrEP as prescribed, don’t wait to test. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can prevent HIV, but it has to start as soon as possible. Visit www.getpep.info (opens in new tab) or go to a sexual health clinic (opens in new tab) or emergency department (opens in new tab) now.
What isn’t routinely tested
Without symptoms, the guidelines don’t recommend testing for Mycoplasma genitalium, trichomonas, herpes, HPV or lymphogranuloma venereum. If you have symptoms, see a clinic in person. Guidance on doxycycline after sex (doxy-PEP) is being written and is due in 2027; ask a sexual health clinic if you’re interested in it.
How at-home testing works with Prickly
Prickly is an Australian at-home STI testing service for people without symptoms. You can request testing every 3 months, and a doctor confirms it suits you before anything is sent.
- Request online. Complete a five-minute online request, or book a short call with a doctor – bulk billed with Medicare. Either way, a doctor confirms that at-home STI testing is suitable for you.
- Receive your equipment. Collection equipment tailored to your exposures ships the same or next business day in an unmarked mailer box with Australia Post tracking.
- Collect at home. Follow the included STI testing self-collection guide – swabs and urine for the lab, and, if you’ve added HIV testing, a fingerprick HIV self-test you read at home in 15 minutes.
- Post to the lab. Post your lab samples back the same day using the included prepaid return label – at any Australia Post Office, red street posting box or Parcel Locker.
- Get your results. A doctor reviews every lab test result and emails you privately. Telehealth follow-up included – with help accessing treatment and telling partners, if needed.
The same steps are on the home page under How it works, and fees are under Pricing.
When at-home testing isn’t right
See someone in person at a sexual health clinic (opens in new tab), GP clinic (opens in new tab) or urgent care clinic (opens in new tab) instead if you have symptoms or if you’re under 16. And if you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, don’t wait for a test – visit www.getpep.info (opens in new tab) or go to a sexual health clinic (opens in new tab) or emergency department (opens in new tab) as soon as you can. If something happened without your consent, 1800RESPECT (opens in new tab) is also available 24/7 for free, confidential support.
Sources
- Australian STI Management Guidelines – Men who have sex with men (opens in new tab), ASHM.
- Australian STI Management Guidelines for use in primary care – Standard asymptomatic check-up (opens in new tab), ASHM.
- Australian STI Management Guidelines – Gonorrhoea (opens in new tab), ASHM.
- Australian STI Management Guidelines – Chlamydia (opens in new tab), ASHM.
- STI rates remain high in Australia’s latest sexual health data (opens in new tab), Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, 15 September 2026.
- Get PEP (opens in new tab).