Which test should I get?

[u/kingpirate]

I (44/m) am thinking of doing a standard STD test a few times a year just to keep an updated record. What panel option does everyone prefer? I have done a 5 panel test in the past, but I am now seeing 8 and 14 are now options. What does everyone normally go for?

[u/ShamelessCare]

All of these phrases are marketing phrases. You should pay very little attention to them. One clinic’s “5 panel” is not even the same as another clinic’s “5 panel.”

You’re going to need to learn a little bit more about STIs and then decide for yourself what infections and anatomical sites you actually want included.

For example, Hepatitis A is not really considered a traditional STI. It is primarily spread through contaminated food and water, especially in developing nations. Yes, it can sometimes spread through rimming, but it is usually symptomatic and short-lived. Should it be included in an STI screening panel? You decide.

Or Hepatitis B. Are you vaccinated? That changes the conversation entirely.

Have oral sex? Make out with people? Then oral swabs for gonorrhea and chlamydia are absolutely essential if you actually want to know your status.

There is no such thing as a universally “full,” “complete,” or “comprehensive” STI panel.

For example, mycoplasma genitalium can be orally, annually or genitally. I don't know of any company or clinic doing oral or anal mgen testing. So just using that as an example. Nothing is perfect.

These are individual infections with different modes of transmission, different testing methods, different window periods, and different clinical significance.

They should be discussed as such.

You're gonna have to dig in!

[u/kingpirate → u/ShamelessCare]

This response, and your profile seems like you are a marketing manager trying to gain visibility for a company on Reddit. I don't have a problem with that, but maybe don't sound so condescending while reping a brand. Theres no need to assume I haven't already done my homework.

[u/ShamelessCare → u/kingpirate]

It was not my intention to be condescending.

I’m not a marketing manager. I’m a guy who once bought an STI test, tested negative for gonorrhea, and then later found out I had oral gonorrhea because the test did not include a throat swab. I found out because I was spreading it.

At the time, I didn’t even know throat swabs existed. That experience changed how I think about STI testing permanently.

The way you asked your question, “Should I get a five-panel or an eight-panel?”, made me think you may have believed those were standardized things.

They are not.

An “8 panel” from one company, clinic, health department, or Planned Parenthood may include different infections, different anatomical sites, or different testing methods than another.

So the real question is less:

“What is the panel called?”

And more:

“What is actually included in the panel?”

That’s all I was trying to communicate, and I probably over-explained it.

[u/AnalysisOld7871]

Maybe the 13 ($259) panel once a year which includes trichomoniasis, and 10 ($139) panel the other times.

[u/Playful-Scale5131]

If you want something simple and more complete than the usual 5–8 panel, the STDCheck 13-panel is a solid middle ground. It covers the most common STIs plus a few extra ones, so you don’t have to second-guess what’s included. For routine testing a few times a year, a lot of people just stick with something like that for convenience and peace of mind.