Survey Finds Most Young Adults Prefer At-Home STI Testing Over Clinic Visits

March 16, 2026

A recent survey found that 70% of young people said they would prefer to test for STIs at home rather than visit a doctor's office or clinic, citing convenience, privacy, and comfort as the main reasons, according to the American Sexual Health Association.

The preference comes as CDC surveillance data continues to show young adults carrying a disproportionate share of new infections. Nearly half of all reported chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases — 48.2% — occurred among adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 24, according to CDC data reported by CIDRAP.

The at-home testing market has expanded to meet this demand, with companies including Nurx, TBD Health, Lemonaid, Let's Get Checked, and myLAB Box now offering mail-in and rapid at-home kits for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and other common infections, according to ASHA's reporting.

Public health officials have generally welcomed the shift, noting that lowering the barrier to testing — particularly for people who feel anxious or stigmatized discussing sexual health with a provider in person — can lead to earlier detection and treatment. The FDA's 2025 authorization of the first fully at-home, prescription-free test for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis was widely seen as a step toward making self-testing more mainstream and more trusted.

Because many STIs in this age group are asymptomatic, testing convenience alone doesn't resolve the timing question: a test taken too soon after a new partner or exposure can still return an unreliable early negative regardless of format.

Young adults setting up a testing routine, whether at home or in a clinic, can use the STD Testing Window Period & Panel Calculator to time it around a specific exposure date.

Sources: American Sexual Health Association, CIDRAP.