Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing & Treatment

At Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) our efforts to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are agency-wide.

All three of our health centers offer STI testing and treatment. To find the PPNYC health centers nearest to you, type you zip code in the "Find a Health Center" box at the top of the page. To make an appointment, call (212) 965-7000 or (800) 230-PLAN.

PPNYC also conducts free workshops about STI prevention for schools and community organizations throughout New York City. Through Project Street Beat, our street outreach program, we provide condoms as well as testing and treatment for STIs from our mobile medical unit to those living and working on the street.

Testing and Treatment of STIs in PPNYC Health Centers

• During all routine pelvic exams, patients are tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea, two of the most common STIs. Additionally, a syphilis screening may be done if a patient's medical or sexual history indicates that this test is needed.
  
  
• A Pap test, which detects changes to the cervix that might indicate exposure to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), may be a part of a pelvic exam if indicated. If a Pap test indicates possible exposure, a follow-up test called a colposcopy may be performed to confirm the presence of HPV.
  
  
• If a patient tests positive for an STI (other than HIV the virus that leads to AIDS), she'll be contacted and informed of her test result and the need to come in for treatment. At this follow-up visit, she'll be encouraged to tell any partners about the infection so that they can also be treated.
  

Currently, PPNYC offers treatment for male partners of patients testing positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis. In addition, boys and men can themselves get STI tests at PPNYC's three health centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, as part of the special services for males we offer at all of our centers.

• Contraceptive counseling at PPNYC emphasizes a dual-method approach -- the need to use a condom even when another form of birth control is used, to prevent contracting or spreading STIs and HIV.
  
  
• A new weapon against STIs may soon be available -- microbicides.  A microbicide is any substance that would  reduce transmission of STIs, including HIV, when applied to the vagina or rectum. Like today’s spermicides, a microbicide could be produced in many forms, such as a gel, cream, film, sponge, suppository, or vaginal ring. Microbicides would offer additional protection when used with condoms, but most importantly, they would be a women-controlled method of disease prevention and would give those who can't insist that their partners use condoms a way of protecting themselves.
  

Microbicides are not available yet, but scientists are currently testing many substances to see whether they help to protect against HIV and other STIs. More than 20 substances have been proven safe and effective in animals and are now being tested in people. With sufficient investment, a microbicide could be available within five years.