Two of the most commonly spread STIs, chlamydia and gonorrhea, involve a simple, painless test. It requires a urine test for all genders or a swab in the cervix and a swab of the tip of the penis ...

She said the swabs can encourage patients who would not ordinarily attend an STD screening for various reasons, including lack of time, fear, shyness or religious motives, to test themselves.

A swab — potentially requiring some degree of insertion into the vagina or urethra — is an invasive proposition, which, when self-administered, can increase the risk of incorrect test results.

The test consists of a urine sample or vaginal swab, as well as a purportedly painless blood collection test.

To administer the test, women insert a vaginal swab for 10 seconds, seal the swab in a plastic tube and mail it to a testing center. The samples are testable for up to two weeks.

Sacramento County's health department will begin distributing a take-home STD test for women that won't cost users a penny.

Going in for STD testing can feel really scary if you've never done it before, but there's nothing actually scary about getting tested. It is such an important part of maintaining your regular ...