STI Testing for gbMSM
Rapid HIV & STI Testing
In partnership with Alberta Health Services’ Safeworks, we are happy to offer rapid HIV and STI testing for Two Spirit, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) at the Centre for Sexuality. Our services are open to cisgender guys and gender diverse folks.
In addition to standard STI testing, we also offer rapid HIV tests, so guys can know their status in less than a minute. Guys can also get vaccinations for things like Hepatitis A & B, MPox, and the HPV vaccine for guys 26 and under. Best of all, our services are all free!
When: Wednesday and Thursdays from 3:30 to 7:30 pm and Fridays from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
Where: Centre for Sexuality: 700 – 1509 Centre Street South
If you have any questions about the services offered at the clinics, please contact our Gay Men’s Health Specialist, Nolan Hill at nhill@centreforsexuality.ca.
At-Home STI Testing Study
In partnership with researchers from the University of Calgary, we are conducting a study about at-home STI testing. If you are interested in completing your STI testing from the comfort of your own home while providing information about your experience, visit the study website to get started.
Book an Appointment
Our clinic is by appointment only. You can book an appointment using the system below.
Our appointments open exactly one week in advance from when they occur. For example, the appointment for Wednesday at 5:40 pm will become available for booking at exactly 5:40 pm the Wednesday before (exactly 7 days in advance). Our appointments fill up quickly, so we encourage folks to check in on the booking system one week in advance of their desired appointment for the best availability.
You can indicate in your appointment booking which service you are looking for, whether that is routine testing, a vaccination, or you can add in additional comments for the nurse to review.
If no appointments are available with Nurse 1, check Nurse 2. If neither nurse has available appointments, this means the appointments are either full or not available for booking yet (i.e. it is more than one week in advance of the appointment time)
When you book an appointment, you will receive an email confirmation with details about what to expect when you arrive at the clinic. Please review this information carefully to be best prepared for your testing appointment.
More Information about Testing
What is an HIV Test?
An HIV test requires drawing blood from a person in order to look for the presence of HIV antibodies in the blood. If the test discovers HIV antibodies in the blood, then the person is HIV-positive; if the test does not discover antibodies, then the person is HIV-negative. It is important to know that the body of a person infected with HIV can take three weeks to three months to start producing antibodies. During this time, a person’s HIV test may still turn up negative; this is often called the “window period.”
It takes about a week to get the result from a regular lab HIV test, and just a few minutes to get your result from a point-of-care or “rapid” test.
What is an STI Test?
In addition to HIV, men can be tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and hepatitis (A, B, C). Testing for syphilis and hepatitis involves blood being drawn, while testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia requires swabbing of the throat and rectum, as well as a urine test. Like with HIV testing, it will take a week to get the results from your STI test.
How Often Should I Get Tested?
How often you should get tested depends on your sexual activity. Guys who are sexually active should get tested for HIV and STIs every 12 months. Guys who are having anal sex without condoms with multiple and/or anonymous partners, or with someone whose HIV status is either unknown or opposite to their own, should get tested every 3-6 months.