If you are at least 12 years old, you can get your own STD test in California. You don’t need anyone’s permission including your parents or guardians, or your partner. Your visit to the clinic will be confidential which means that the people at the clinic won’t tell anyone you were there unless you say it’s okay. But if you say that you’re hurting yourself, you’re hurting someone else or someone is hurting you, a doctor may have to talk to someone to make sure you get the help you need.
- Learn more about your health care rights as a teen.
- Find a clinic where they test for STD’s near you.
If you have any of the following on or around the penis, vagina, or buttocks (bottom), it might be the sign of an STD:
- Warts, bumps or sores
- Pain or itchiness
- Abnormal discharge (fluid coming out of the penis or vagina that smells or looks different than it normally does)
- Pain while urinating (peeing)
But, some STDs don’t have any of these signs at all and you might not know youhave an STD until you have a test. If you find out you have an STD, you can get treatment (medicine) at the clinic as well. It’s important to get treatment as soon as possible because some STDs can cause very serious health problems unless they are treated.
Learn more about the different STDS, how they are passed from person to person, and how to lower your chances of getting one: