A blood test, a urine pot and two swabs, one from the throat and one from the rectum. That is the sample list for a full sexual health screen for men who have sex with men at our Harley Street clinic, and the doctor consultation included in every package settles which of them apply to you.
We are open seven days a week at 117a Harley Street (Monday to Friday 09:00 to 18:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 14:00). You can book an MSM package online, from £250, or walk in, and you do not need to give your real name.
"For men who have sex with men, I'd test regularly and include throat and rectal swabs as well as urine. That's where infections get missed."
Dr Mohammad Bakhtiar, Clinical Lead, GMC 4694470
Why each site gets its own sample
Infections can sit in more than one place. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea, for instance, can live in the urethra, the throat or the rectum, and a urine test only looks at the first. So we take samples from each site that applies to you.
What is in the screen, sample by sample
1. Before you arrive. Hold your urine for about 1.5 to 2 hours beforehand, so the sample is a good one.
2. The conversation. A doctor consultation is included in every SHCL package. It is the time to say what you want checked and why, and to tell the doctor as much or as little as you like.
3. Blood. One blood draw covers HIV and syphilis in every package. Gold and Platinum add hepatitis B and C. An HIV test is £75 on its own, plus the £50 blood draw. Our syphilis test and hepatitis B test pages cover the blood side in more detail.
4. Urine. The urine sample checks for chlamydia and gonorrhoea at the urethra.
5. Throat and rectal swabs. These two swabs check chlamydia and gonorrhoea at the throat and rectum, and are often self-taken. The rectal swab matters if you have receptive anal sex, because infections there are often asymptomatic. The throat swab matters if you have given oral sex; our page on oral chlamydia explains why. As a single test, a throat swab is £104 per site.
How soon after sex to test
Chlamydia can be detected from 2 weeks after exposure; an earlier test may miss it. For HIV, a 4th generation blood test picks up infection from about 28 days and gives a conclusive negative at 45 days, while an RNA PCR test can detect it from 10 days. Our early detection HIV test page sets out the difference. For gonorrhoea, syphilis and hepatitis B, the doctor will tell you the right timing at your consultation.
What it costs, and what you get back
The packages on our MSM package page run from Bronze at £250, which covers three-site chlamydia and gonorrhoea (urine, throat, rectal) plus HIV and syphilis, up to Platinum at £625, which adds HPV. Silver at £325 and Gold at £475 widen the swab and blood panel in steps.
Alongside these, we describe two MSM-specific screens. The MSM Full Screen is £550 and includes a doctor consultation. The MSM Screen Extended is £1,225 and adds a wider swab panel. Medical Express Clinic describes the same screens on its own MSM screening page, from the clinic side.
Results the same day
Walk in or book, and you can have every result back in 6 hours. FAST Screen Simple is £350 and covers HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. FAST Screen Complex is £450 and adds hepatitis B and C. Both take a urine or swab sample, and a throat swab added on top also comes back in 6 hours.
When your results arrive
HIV is back in 4 to 24 hours and syphilis in about 24 hours. Urine and swab results take up to 3 working days, and a throat swab is 2 to 3 days. Hepatitis B, herpes swabs, trichomoniasis, Mycoplasma and HPV are all within 3 working days. We pass results on confidentially, and if anything needs treating, a doctor talks you through it.
HPV testing sits in the Platinum package; the HPV test page has the detail.
Book your screen
Pick the package that fits, or walk in at 117a Harley Street and a doctor will help you choose. Book your MSM screening.