How To Get Tested Anonymously

Let’s face it, as careful as we can insist that we are we can never be too sure. Statistics are clear in that the incidence of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease (STD) increases when one engages multiple sex partners. Even blow jobs carry a risk no matter what end of the stick you are on. Check out the STD Risk Chart under the “Files” section of the website. The only way to provide assurance to you and your partners is to get tested regularly.

Screening for things like HIV and syphilis is not something that happens with routine blood tests. So when your doctor runs a test to check your cholesterol level or anything like that, the blood test will not confirm your exposure to any STD. This is one of those things where you need to be specifically looking for it in order to find it. So you need to request an STD test. While single men can be applauded for their attentiveness in getting frequent STD testing, nothing will sound louder alarm bells to expose a married man than his seeking the same substantiation.

There are ways you can get tested anonymously and discreetly. One way I would like to recommend is through a company called TSTD.org. I have used their service in the past and it works perfectly. You should check out their web site ( for full information on how the service works, but I offer some additional pointers here on using the service.

  • First, there is no way to get around the fact that if you want this to be anonymous you can’t use your insurance information. This means you have to pay for the test out of pocket. The full 8 panel test is currently $249 which isn’t bad as lab tests go. (Also a significant drop in price from a year ago.) You could get just the HIV screen for $98 but considering that the CDC continues to report rising incidences of gonorrhea and syphilis infections, is a simple HIV test really going to give you peace of mind?
  • Using the tstd.org website you pay for the test online using a credit card. TSTD does not ask for your name or address – even for credit card processing. What I have done in the past is purchase a debit gift card with cash and used it to order the test online. This eliminates any charge items that may raise suspicion from appearing on my credit card statement. It also further disassociates me from the test – more on that in the final point below.
  • The testing sites for TSTD are all over the place. They work with most of the hospitals and labs in the area so you should not have any problem finding a site close to your home or work. It is a very quick visit, in and out in about 15 minutes. Even with travel time to and from you are talking about one hour tops. It is very easy to do during a lunch break from work. You will have to provide a urine sample and they will draw blood.
  • When you go to the site they are typically going to ask you to sign in, just like you do at any doctor’s office. Don’t panic and remember up to this point your name has not been on any documentation at all. They are not going to ask you for ID or insurance information so you could sign in using any name. (Although using this as the opportunity where you can finally use a name like “Harry Balls” or “Heywood Jablomey” is probably not a good way to avoid attention.)
  • The way TSTD sets this up with the testing site is by calling in what is typically known as a “List Bill.” This means the testing site gets a referral from a doctor for a test but they are not provided with any of the patient’s information. So you are registered at the testing site as something like “Dr. Smith’s Patient #1234.” Don’t think that this set up is going to raise any suspicion at the testing site because this concept of a “List Bill” is a fairly common occurrence and is used by doctors to order all kinds of tests. It is not only done for people getting anonymous testing.
  • The test is completed and results are available 3 days after your visit. You used to be able to just sign into the website to get your test results. But now Pennsylvania has caught up with other states in requiring physician counseling before any test results can be given. (They require this so that they can “talk you down off the ledge” in case the results are not good.) So now you have to call in to TSTD and speak to one of their representatives to get your test results. After the phone conversation you can then log into the website to view or print your results. All of your interaction with TSTD is with a PIN number. They do not have your name oraddress.
  • Pennsylvania requires physicians to report the names and addresses of any patient who test positive for HIV. (Sounds rather Nazi-ish I know. It is supposedly for public safety reasons but itcan be a barrier to making some people get tested.) But again, with TSTD they do not have any of this information to report. Hopefully though this will never be an issue for any of us.

So that’s it. It really is easy and convenient. For $250 and an hour of your time you get a great deal of peace of mind.

For more information on STDs you can check out the CDC website at:

The link for TSTD is:

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