A practical schedule for people with more than one partner. Not medical advice — read it, then take it to a clinician.
How often
- Public health guidance for people with multiple partners generally lands at every 3 to 6 months, and more often if partners change frequently. The US CDC recommends at least annual screening for sexually active adults, with more frequent testing for those with multiple or new partners.
- In organized communities the practical standard is tighter: test before each event season, and bring a recent result to every meetup.
- "Recent" means weeks, not months. A result from last year describes a person who no longer exists.
What a full panel usually covers
- HIV
- Syphilis
- Chlamydia and gonorrhoea — and importantly, at every site of exposure: urine alone misses throat and rectal infections, which are frequently asymptomatic.
- Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C
- Herpes (HSV) and HPV are not part of most standard panels — ask specifically, and understand what a result does and does not tell you.
Ask for a panel, not a single test. Ask for site-specific swabs if you have oral or anal sex. Many clinics default to a urine test only unless you say otherwise.
The window period — the part people get wrong
- Every infection has a gap between exposure and detectability. Test too early and a negative result is meaningless.
- Roughly: HIV antigen/antibody tests detect most infections within a few weeks; syphilis can take longer; chlamydia and gonorrhoea are detectable sooner. Exact windows vary by test type — ask your clinic what window applies to the specific test they ran.
- This is why "I tested last week" and "I am negative today" are different statements, and why communities that take this seriously ask about the date and the exposure since.
Prevention alongside testing
- Barrier use is what testing cannot replace. Testing tells you about the past; barriers act on tonight.
- PrEP prevents HIV specifically. It does nothing for syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, or hepatitis — people on PrEP still need the full panel on schedule.
- Vaccination exists for hepatitis A and B and for HPV. Cheap, one-time, and widely overlooked.
How communities handle results without storing them
- At ZAVOS the sheet is checked at the door and destroyed on the spot. Nothing is photographed, filed, or kept — a health record is the most identifying document most people carry.
- Events are announced with a [risk grade](/guides/group-sex-safety) so nobody negotiates protection under pressure in the room.
- Disclosure is a rule, not a courtesy. Communities that treat a positive result as shameful are the ones where infections spread, because people stop testing.
Where to go next
- [Group sex safety](/guides/group-sex-safety) · [Glossary](/guides/lifestyle-glossary)
- Read the [Manifesto](/manifesto), then apply in your city — or [found one](/apply-leader).
This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a prescription. Bring it to a clinician who knows your situation.