This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether you have an infection. A clinician can, and the testing options on this site are a good place to start.

Walking into a clinic for an STD test can feel uncertain if you have never done it. Most visits are short, private and routine. This guide walks through what an STD test involves from the front desk to the results, with notes on San Antonio clinics along the way.

Nothing here can tell you whether you have an infection. Only a clinician and a lab test can do that. What this guide can do is take the mystery out of the visit.

What you need before you go

You do not need much. A few small things make the visit smoother.

A photo ID. The Metro Health STI Walk-In Clinic requires a current photo ID and does not offer anonymous testing, according to San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health).
A list of your questions. Write them down so you do not forget them in the room.
Medication and allergy information. Bring a list of anything you take, including birth control or PrEP.
Basic dates. Your last test, if you had one, and roughly when any new partners or exposures happened.
Payment details, if needed. Several San Antonio sites are free. Others charge a fee or use a sliding scale, covered below.
Time. Walk-in clinics can fill up. Plan for a wait.

Step 1: Choose where to go

San Antonio has several options, and they work differently. Here is what each organization says on its own pages.

Metro Health STI Walk-In Clinic, 512 E. Highland, Suite 150, San Antonio, TX 78210, phone 210-207-8830. Metro Health lists a $15 office visit administrative fee, and says other fees vary by service. Hours are Monday to Thursday 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (latest check-in 3 p.m.) and Friday 7:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (latest check-in 10:30 a.m.). Metro Health notes that check-in may close early when the clinic is at capacity. It serves residents of San Antonio and Bexar County and people with no other way to get STI services.
San Antonio AIDS Foundation (SAAF), 818 E. Grayson Street, San Antonio, TX 78208, phone (210) 225-4715. SAAF lists free rapid HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia testing with no appointment needed. Its hours vary by day, including Tuesday until 8:00 p.m. and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Alamo Area Resource Center (AARC), 303 N. Frio, San Antonio, TX 78207, phone (210) 625-7200. AARC lists free testing for HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Walk-ins are Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Wednesday until 8 p.m.
Kind Clinic, 730 Isom Road, San Antonio, TX 78216. Kind Clinic lists free walk-in HIV and STI testing. It says walk-in testing hours differ from regular clinic hours, so confirm before you go. Its general support line is 833-937-5463.
CommuniCare Apollo Wellness Clinic, 6511 W Loop 1604 N, Ste. 105, San Antonio, TX 78254, phone (726) 224-3438. CommuniCare lists a sliding fee discount for self-pay patients with family income under 200% of federal poverty guidelines. Hours are Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

BEAT AIDS (210.212.2266) and CentroMed (210-922-7000) also list STI services. Their pages do not say which location handles testing or whether they take walk-ins, so call first.

For a longer comparison of locations, see our list of San Antonio testing locations. The CDC also runs a locator at gettested.cdc.gov.

Language support: none of these pages state which languages staff speak. If you want an interpreter or Spanish-language service, ask when you call.

Step 2: Check in and answer the intake questions

You will fill out a form or talk with a staff member. Expect questions like these:

Do you have any symptoms right now, such as discharge, pain, sores or itching?
When was your last STD test?
What kinds of sex do you have (vaginal, anal, oral)?
Are you using condoms or other barrier methods?
Have you had new partners recently, or a partner who was diagnosed with an infection?
Are you pregnant or planning to be?
What medications do you take, and do you have allergies?

Why they ask. These questions are not about judgment. The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) tell clinicians to take a sexual history so they can pick the right tests. Where a sample is collected depends on the kinds of sex you have. For example, the CDC recommends testing at each site of possible exposure, such as throat, rectum or genitals.

Answer as honestly as you can. Clinicians hear these answers all day, and they use them only to choose tests and give advice. Staff may also ask whether you want HIV or hepatitis C testing added.

If you are under 18. Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003 lets a minor of any age consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious disease, which covers reportable STIs and HIV. Parent or guardian consent is not needed. The same law allows a physician to tell a parent or guardian about the care, so it is fair to ask the clinic about its privacy practices before you are seen.

Step 3: Give your samples

This is the part most people worry about. For most tests it takes a few minutes and involves little discomfort. The type of sample depends on what is being tested and where.

Urine sample

You urinate into a small cup. Clinics may ask you to wait a while after your last time urinating, since the CDC notes that a first-catch sample is often preferred for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. Ask the staff what they want. Urine can be used for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing in both men and women.

Swab sample

A swab is a soft cotton-tipped or flocked stick. A swab may be collected from the throat, rectum, penis or vagina, depending on your history. In some settings you can collect a vaginal or rectal swab yourself in a private room, and the CDC guidelines support self-collected vaginal swabs for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. If a clinician examines you for sores or discharge, they may also swab a sore for herpes testing.

Blood sample

A blood draw from a vein in your arm is used for tests such as syphilis, HIV and hepatitis C. Some sites offer rapid tests that use a fingerstick instead. AARC lists rapid HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C by fingerstick, and SAAF lists rapid HIV testing.

Tip: if needles make you nervous, say so. Look away, breathe slowly, and let the person know. They can help.

Step 4: Understand what an STD panel is and is not

People often ask for a full STD panel. There is no single standard panel. A clinic or lab decides which tests go into the group, and it varies from place to place.

A common panel might include chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV. It may also include hepatitis B or C or trichomoniasis, depending on your history and the clinic. Several things are often not part of a standard panel:

Herpes. The CDC does not recommend routine herpes blood testing for people without symptoms. Testing is usually done on a sore if one is present. Ask your clinician what makes sense for you.
HPV. There is no routine HPV test for men. For women, HPV testing is part of cervical cancer screening, which is a separate test.
Every site. A urine test does not check the throat or rectum. Those need their own swabs.

So, a panel covers what it covers. A negative result applies to the infections tested, at the sites tested, at the time of the sample.

An STD test for men

For men, the usual samples are a urine sample for chlamydia and gonorrhea, plus blood for syphilis and HIV. Throat and rectal swabs may be added based on sexual history. The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) recommend that sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men be screened at least once a year for syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV, with more frequent screening for some people at higher likelihood of exposure. Ask a clinician about your own schedule.

An STD test for women

For women, the usual sample is a vaginal swab or urine for chlamydia and gonorrhea, plus blood for syphilis and HIV. The CDC recommends yearly chlamydia and gonorrhea screening for sexually active women under 25, and for older women with certain risk factors such as a new partner. Trans and nonbinary people should ask which tests fit the body parts they have and the sex they have.

If you are pregnant. Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 81.090 calls for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B tests at the first prenatal visit, syphilis and HIV tests in the third trimester (not earlier than the 28th week), and testing at delivery. A woman may object to the HIV tests but not the syphilis tests. Ask your prenatal provider to explain what is included.

Step 5: Talk with the clinician and ask questions

After samples, many clinics offer a short conversation. This is a good time to ask:

When will I get results, and how will I be contacted?
Is there a test I should repeat later?
Should my partner or partners be tested?
What prevention options might fit me?

Prevention options a clinician can discuss include condoms, vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B and HPV, and HIV PrEP. The CDC's 2024 doxy-PEP guidance describes a clinician-prescribed option for some gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and transgender women, who have had a bacterial STI in the past year. Only a clinician can say whether it fits you.

In San Antonio, Metro Health runs a PrEP Clinic at 512 E. Highland Blvd., Ste. 150 (210-207-7292). It says walk-ins are accepted and an appointment is highly encouraged. SAAF lists PrEP and doxy-PEP. Kind Clinic says doxy-PEP is available to its own patients only.

Step 6: Get your results

How long results take depends on the test and the clinic.

Rapid tests may give results during the visit. SAAF and AARC list rapid HIV testing.
Lab tests take longer. SAAF says gonorrhea and chlamydia results take 7 to 10 days through the state health department (DSHS) lab.
Mailed at-home kits are another option. Texas DSHS runs Test for Texas, which offers free mailed kits for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia to anyone in Texas aged 13 or older, no insurance needed. Results appear in a secure portal seven business days after the sample reaches the lab.

Ask how the clinic will reach you and what number it will call from, so you do not miss it.

What your results may mean

A negative result may mean the test did not find that infection in your sample. It does not always rule out an infection, because tests can miss very recent exposures. This is called the window period.

For HIV, the CDC lists these approximate windows by test type. A nucleic acid test can detect HIV about 10 to 33 days after exposure. An antigen/antibody test done on blood drawn from a vein usually detects it 18 to 45 days after exposure. Antigen/antibody tests using a fingerstick take longer, about 18 to 90 days, and the CDC lists HIV self-tests at about 23 to 90 days. A clinician can tell you whether a repeat test makes sense after a recent exposure.

A positive result means the test found signs of an infection. A clinician will confirm it if needed and explain the next steps.

Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are bacterial infections that are curable with treatment prescribed by a clinician. So is trichomoniasis.
HIV, herpes and HPV are not curable, but they are treatable or manageable with care from a clinician.

Texas requires labs and providers to report some infections to health authorities. According to the Texas DSHS notifiable conditions list for 2026, these include chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV. Reporting is for public health tracking and partner follow-up.

Partners often need care too. Under Texas rules, as described by the CDC, clinicians may in some cases prescribe medicine for the partners of an established patient. Ask your clinician whether this applies to you.

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving too late in the day. Metro Health's latest check-in times are earlier than closing time. Check the hours before you go.
Forgetting ID. Metro Health requires a photo ID.
Assuming a panel covers everything. Ask exactly which infections and which body sites are included.
Skipping the questions. Intake answers decide which tests you get, so incomplete answers can leave out the right ones.
Stopping after one negative result. If exposure was recent, ask whether to repeat the test later.
Not asking about follow-up. Find out how you will get results before you leave.

Why testing matters in Bexar County

According to the Texas DSHS STD Surveillance Report for 2022, Bexar County recorded 5,983 gonorrhea cases, a rate of 290.5 per 100,000 people. The statewide DSHS rate that year was 207.0. Bexar County also recorded 12,305 chlamydia cases and 500 primary and secondary syphilis cases in 2022. For HIV, the CDC reported 373 new diagnoses in Bexar County in 2024.

These numbers count reported cases. They are not a reason for fear. They show that testing is a routine part of health care here, and that regular testing is a reasonable habit for many sexually active adults.

Your next step

Pick a clinic from the list above, check the hours, and call if you have questions about walk-ins or languages. If you would rather start from the CDC, gettested.cdc.gov can help you find a site. Several San Antonio options are free, and others offer a low flat fee or a sliding scale.

What Happens at an STD Test: A Step-by-Step Guide for San Antonio