A cold sore on a new partner's lip. A first kiss at the end of a good date. A message from an ex saying they have just been diagnosed with something. All three begin with the same question about a kiss.
After a kiss alone, the one test to think about is for the cold sore virus (herpes simplex, usually type 1), because that is the one infection kissing passes on. The other STIs are passed on through sex, so at the clinic Dr Bakhtiar asks what else happened and chooses the tests from that. The three cases below show the questions and the tests, with prices.
If you would rather skip the reading and get checked, walk in for an STI test at 117a Harley Street, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 18:00 and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 14:00. You can be seen as an anonymous patient without giving your real name.
"The infection most often passed on by kissing is the cold sore virus. If you're worried about something in particular, come in and tell me what happened, and we'll choose the tests that fit."
Dr Mohammad Bakhtiar, Clinical Lead, GMC 4694470
Kiss one: a cold sore on the lips
You kissed someone who had a cold sore, or who felt the tingle that comes before one. We would ask when it happened, whether the sore was open, and whether you have had cold sores yourself. Most adults picked up the virus in childhood, so a sore on your own lip is often a virus you already carried.
With no symptoms there is nothing to test on the day. If a blister appears on your lip or genitals in the following days, come in as soon as it shows. A swab from a fresh blister gives the clearest answer, and our herpes swab is £120.63, with the result within 3 working days. If you are unsure what a sore looks like, what herpes looks like shows the common patterns.
Kiss two: a new partner who feels fine
This is the most common question we hear, and the answer depends on what followed the kiss.
If kissing was all, the only infection worth thinking about is herpes. Swabs need a sore to sample, so with nothing to see the choice is a blood test for herpes antibodies. Most adults carry the cold sore virus already, so a positive antibody result after one kiss rarely tells you which kiss it came from. We offer it only where it helps, for example if you want to know whether you carry the virus at all. It costs £103.75 plus the £50 blood draw, the result comes within 3 working days, and it is reliable from 12 weeks after contact.
If the kiss led to oral sex, test the throat. A chlamydia and gonorrhoea throat swab is £104 per site, with results in 2 to 3 days. A urine sample alone would miss a throat infection, which is why we ask about every site involved. If you want everything back on the same day, the FAST Screen (£350 for Simple, £450 for Complex) returns every result in 6 hours, and a throat swab added to it also returns in 6 hours.
Kiss three: a partner who has just been diagnosed
Start by finding out which infection they have, and bring its name if you know it. Then tell us what you did together, because the tests follow that and not the kiss.
If you also had oral, vaginal or anal sex, we test for their infection first and then screen the other sites. Our screening packages start at £250 and every one includes a doctor consultation, with the women's screening packages set out on their own page.
If HIV is on your mind, the test is for any sex that followed the kiss. The HIV test is £75 plus the £50 blood draw (£125 in total), and results come back in 4 to 24 hours. It is most accurate from 28 days after contact, and our 4th generation test can detect HIV from 10 days.
Get tested after a kiss
Tell us what happened and we will choose the tests that fit. You can see all screening packages and their prices before you come.