Getting tested for STDs in Indianapolis or anywhere in the country can carry a certain stigma, but it doesn’t need to. If you’re a person at risk and shame and embarrassment are factors currently keeping you from getting started, let us guide you through the process and help to lessen the load. With a team of Care Advisors available to answer questions 7 days a week from 6 AM – 10 PM and a medical team available to answer follow up questions after you get tested, support is the key to feeling confident about STD testing.

Indy citizens should spend more time on what they enjoy, like taking in the city views along the Central Canal, rather than spend any more time waiting to get tested for STDs. Our service offers convenient lab locations with no appointment required, and same-day testing options are often available. Getting tested is not only crucial for personal health, but also for the overall well-being of the Indianapolis and Marion County community at large.

STD Test Statistics in Indianapolis

From 2012 to 2014, the number of reported chlamydia cases in Indianapolis saw a great deal of fluctuation in the city and greater Marion County area. IN 2012, 10,109 cases were reported, compared to 9,282 in 2013, followed by 9,512 new infections in 2014. While the most recent number reflects a decrease from 2012, the continued rise doesn’t speak to a reliable decreasing of the trend. Another sexually transmitted disease in the area on the rise is gonorrhea, which saw reports in 2012 of 3,311 new infections, followed by 3,191 in 2013 and back up to 3,374 in 2014. As seen with chlamydia, this fluctuation in infection numbers doesn’t speak to a reliable decrease.^2-5

Both new infections of HIV and primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis continue to see decreases between the years of 2012 and 2015. First, let’s examine the decline of P&S syphilis cases in Marion County. In 2012, 129 cases of P&S syphilis were reported in 2012, compared to 135 the following year and down to 96 total in 2014. Regarding HIV, 206 new total infections were reported in 2013, compared to 235 in 2014 and 187 in 2015. With sexually transmitted diseases in various states of flux across Indianapolis and Marion County, it’s especially important to get tested, to help bring every infection rate down.^2-5

STD Testing and Sexual Education in Indianapolis

As of March 2016, sexual education Indianapolis Public Schools, both in Marion and across the state is not mandated in public schools by the state of Indiana, according to a report by the Guttmacher Institute. However, HIV and AIDS education is deemed mandatory for instruction of all students attending public school. Currently, if a school district does elect to instruct on sexual education, the emphasis is on an “abstinence-stress” model.⁶

In late 2015, the Indiana State legislature proposed an effort to help elaborate on curriculum by bringing together representatives of the state health department and department of education to draft sexual education curriculum, designed to be medically accurate, age-appropriate, and in alignment with academic standards and goals for students in the service areas around the state. This legislation and drafts of new sexual education curriculum for public schools in Indianapolis, Marion County and the state of Indiana were pending as of May 2016.⁷

It is important to incorporate structure sexual education, as students, adolescents and young adults are age groups highly impacted by the spread of sexually transmitted disease. The CDC reports that of nearly 20 million new sexually transmitted infections reported each year, 10 million fall between the ages of 15-24.⁸ Knowing the risks and getting tested is an important way of stopping the spread of disease within this age group.

STD Testing and Demographics in Indianapolis

The demographic breakdown of the population groups most affected in Indianapolis most often depends on the disease in question. In the case of chlamydia in the state of Indiana, females are diagnosed the disease in far greater numbers than men, with 20,586 new infections reported in women compared to 7,291 in men in 2014. Gonorrhea infections see a more equitable distribution between gender, with 3,819 new cases reported by females compared to 3,465 by males. Men report diagnoses of primary and secondary syphilis much more frequently than women, as evidenced by 93.5% of all cases reported in males compared to in 2014 compared to 6.5% reported in females. Another sexually transmitted disease that affects more men than women is HIV, with 415 new infections attributed to men in 2015, compared to 128 new HIV infections reported by the female population in the state of Indiana. ^9-10

The racial groups in Indiana most affected by sexually transmitted varies by disease diagnosis as well. For instance, 48.6% of all chlamydia cases were reported by Caucasians, followed by African Americans with 37.3%. However, gonorrhea reports reveal that 56.4% of all new infections were attributed to African Americans, compared to 35.3% attributed to the white population. Regarding primary and secondary syphilis cases, 44.6% of cases were reported in members of the Caucasian community, compared with 47% of new infections reported by the African American community. New HIV infections reported showed that African American men account for 56% of all male infections, and African American females account for 20% of all female infections. ^9-10 Getting tested for STDs is the most effective way to gain knowledge of your status, get treated, and slow down the spread of infection in Indianapolis, Marion County and the state of Indiana.

Your Best Indianapolis STD Option

Wouldn’t you rather spend your precious free time dedicated to something you enjoy, like a trip with the whole family to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, than waiting at the doctor’s office or the free clinic for STD testing? STDtest.com offers a service that is fast, confidential, affordable and tailored to your schedule.

To get started, you can go online or call the Care Advisor team to answer a few brief questions to then receive your doctor-recommended panel of tests. After you receive the right tests for you, you’ll be able to go in for brief visit (usually 30 minutes or less) at the local lab nearest you. No appointment is needed and same-day options are available. If available in your area, you can can get tested at home, work or another convenient location with In-Home Collection that same day with only an hour’s notice. 

After your test samples are collected, your results will be available usually within three business days or less. The medical team will be available for any follow up questions and even to prescribe follow up treatment, if medically appropriate and if allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.

References:

1 US Census Bureau Quick Facts – Indianapolis and Marion County, IN
2 Indiana STD Counts and Rates by County – Indiana STD Counts and Rates as of December 31, 2012
3 Indiana STD Counts and Rates by County* Indiana STD Counts and Rates as of December 31, 2013
4 Indiana STD Counts and Rates by County* Indiana STD Counts and Rates as of December 31, 2014
5 Indiana Persons Living with HIV Disease as of December 31, 2013
6 State Policies in Brief: Sexual Education in Brief
7 SB 497
8 CDC Fact Sheet – Incidence, Prevalence, and Cost of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States
9  Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis Morbidity – January – December 2014
10 Semi-Annual HIV/AIDS, STD, and Hepatitis B & C Data; through December 31, 2015