Full STD panel or individual tests: which should you buy?

"Full panel" sounds like the safe choice. Sometimes it is. But CDC doesn't recommend the same tests for everyone, and no standard defines what a full panel contains. The cheapest good answer is usually the set of tests CDC recommends for your situation, bought in whatever form costs least.

Key points

• CDC bases its testing advice on your age, your anatomy and the kind of sex you have.
• No rule defines a "full panel." Compare the infections each provider lists, not the label.
• Panels often leave out HPV, Mycoplasma genitalium and throat or rectal swabs. CDC's advice explains why.
• CDC and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend against routine herpes blood tests for people without symptoms.
• Once you need three or four tests, check whether a panel from the same provider costs less.

What CDC recommends, by situation

These are CDC's routine screening recommendations for people without symptoms. They are a starting point, not a limit.

• Everyone aged 13 to 64: an HIV test at least once.
• All adults 18 and older: a hepatitis C test at least once, and a hepatitis B test at least once using a three-part blood test that CDC calls the triple panel.
• Sexually active women under 25: chlamydia and gonorrhea every year. Women 25 and older should test if they are at increased risk, for example with a new partner or more than one partner.
• Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: at least once a year, test for syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea at every site used for sex, plus HIV. CDC suggests every 3 to 6 months for men at increased risk.
• People with HIV: STI tests at the first HIV visit and at least once a year after that.
• Transgender and gender diverse people: tests based on anatomy. For example, CDC says the yearly chlamydia advice for young women also applies to transgender men and gender diverse people with a cervix.
• Heterosexual men at low risk: CDC says there isn't enough evidence to recommend routine chlamydia screening.
• Syphilis: CDC's consumer page says most sexually active adults should test for syphilis based on where they live, because rates differ by area.

After a specific exposure, the question changes. Test for what that partner could have passed on, and test at the right time. Our window periods guide covers timing.

What a "full panel" usually includes

On this site, the common 4 means chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV. A full panel adds some mix of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, herpes and trichomoniasis. Each provider builds its own panels, so two "complete" panels can differ by several infections. The What's included column in our tables lists every test in each panel.

What panels often leave out

HPV

CDC says HPV tests are not recommended to screen men, adolescents or women under 30. There is also no test for a person's general "HPV status," and no approved test for HPV in the mouth or throat. For people with a cervix, HPV testing is part of cervical cancer screening. The current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advice, from 2018, includes an HPV test every 5 years as one option for ages 30 to 65. That happens with a clinician, not through an STD panel.

Mycoplasma genitalium

CDC recommends this test for men with urethritis that keeps coming back and for women with recurring cervicitis, and says to consider it for pelvic inflammatory disease. It says screening people without symptoms is not recommended. If you have ongoing symptoms after treatment, ask a clinician about it.

Throat and rectal swabs

A urine test checks the urethra. It does not check the throat or rectum. CDC recommends rectal tests for men who had receptive anal sex and throat tests for men who had receptive oral sex in the past year. It notes that about 70% of gonorrhea and chlamydia infections in men who have sex with men might be missed with urine-only testing. If those sites apply to you, pick a provider that offers swabs for them.

A note on herpes blood tests

Some full panels include a herpes blood test. CDC says screening the general population for HSV-2 is not recommended. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gives routine herpes blood screening a "D" grade, which means it recommends against it for people without symptoms.

The reasons are practical:

• CDC says the most common HSV-2 blood test is often falsely positive at low index values, between 1.1 and 3.0. Those results need a second, different test to confirm.
• An HSV-1 result can't tell whether the infection is oral or genital.
• CDC says IgM herpes tests are not useful, so there's no reason to pay for one.

A herpes blood test can still help in some cases. Examples include a partner who has genital herpes, or symptoms that come and go while swab tests stay negative. If you have a sore now, a swab of the sore is the better test. Our herpes test page has more detail.

When a panel costs less than single tests

Prices change, so here is the method rather than a number:

1. List the tests CDC suggests for you, plus anything tied to a recent exposure.
2. Add up the single-test prices at one provider.
3. Compare that total with the panels from the same provider that cover your list.

Once you need three or four tests, a panel can come out cheaper. The common 4 is a good match for many routine checks. If a full panel costs only a little more and includes hepatitis C, which CDC says every adult should test for once, it may be worth it. A panel that adds tests you don't need, like a herpes blood test with no symptoms, is not a better deal at any price.

A simple way to decide

• Routine check, no symptoms: start with the common 4. Add hepatitis B and C if you've never had them, as CDC suggests for all adults.
• Specific exposure: test for the infections in question, at the right time after the exposure.
• Symptoms: see a clinician, who can examine you and test the right site.