There are many places we can get tested for STIs (including HIV) and Hep C in British Columbia. STI, HIV and Hep C testing in our province is always free and confidential! Most often, STIs and Hep C do not have any symptoms or signs. Testing is the only way to know whether or not we have an STI.

What options do I have for STI testing?

• Community Health Nurses can provide some STI testing in our communities. We can get information about STI testing in Indigenous communities is by connecting with our community health centre.
• Smart Sex Resource has a clinic finder that allows us to search for a place where we can get tested. This clinic finder is also available on the bottom of this page.
• We can also get an STI test by asking a family doctor to order the test for us. In this process, we will be given a lab requisition form and then have to visit a lab.
• In some parts of BC, we can also use the website GetCheckedOnline to get a lab form without seeing a nurse or doctor. We can then take this form (on our phones or a printed copy) to certain LifeLabs. To make an account, use the promo code youthco.
• Checkyourself.today includes a search option for various sexual health options. This resource is a collaboration between the Community-Based Research Centre and the Health Initiative for Men.

There are different ways testing can happen, depending on what viruses or bacteria we may be coming into contact with. We may be asked to provide a blood sample, pee in a cup, or use a swab for our throat, bum, vagina, or front hole.

For more information about testing, visit Smart Sex Resource, a website created by the BC Centre for Disease Control, which has information about STIs, and what we need to know about each STI test. Content note: this website does not consistently use gender affirming language for our body parts.