Sexual health clinics are sometimes known as genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics. They are usually located at a hospital or as part of another health centre and provide a range of sexual health services including:

• contraception and contraception advice
• emergency contraception and emergency contraception advice
• testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhoea, genital warts and genital herpes
• testing and counselling for HIV and AIDS
• help if you have been sexually assaulted
• pregnancy and abortion advice
• help and advice for people who are having problems with their sex life

What is genitourinary medicine?

Genitourinary medicine (GUM) deals with the male and female sexual organs and the urinary system, which produces, stores and removes urine from the body.

As well as testing for and treating STIs, GUM also investigates and treats urinary tract infections (UTIs). Examples of UTIs include:

• cystitis - a bladder infection which can cause pain, burning or stinging when passing urine
• urethritis - inflammation of the urethra (the tube through which urine passes) that is usually caused by an infection; symptoms include pain around the pelvis in women and a frequent need to pass urine in men

Other genital infections that are treated at GUM clinics include:

• thrush (candida) - a fungal infection that can occur in both males and females; it can cause soreness, itching and discomfort in the vulva (the female external sexual organs), and red skin and swelling of the head of the penis in males (see Thrush - men for more information).
• bacterial vaginosis (BV) - is an imbalance in the normal levels of bacteria that are found in a women’s vagina; it can cause an abnormal discharge and an unpleasant odour. 

If you need advice and support with a sexual health matter, or if you have a problem with your urinary system, you can either see your GP or make an appointment to visit your local sexual health clinic.

Referrals and self-referrals

If your GP thinks that you have a genitourinary infection, they may refer you to a genitourinary specialist at a sexual health clinic so that you can be tested.

As well as being referred by your GP, you can also make an appointment to visit a sexual health clinic without a referral. At certain times, some genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics also operate as walk-in centres, where you can turn up and wait without needing to make a prior appointment.

It is important to remember that many STIs do not have any noticeable symptoms. Therefore, it is a good idea for you and your partner to be tested for STIs before you start a new sexual relationship. You may also want to have a check-up before trying for a baby.

You can be tested for STIs at any GUM clinic. Most GUM clinics carry out general routine sexual health screenings, which include tests for a range of STIs. 

See Sexual health clinics - what happens for more information about routine screenings.

Confidentiality

All information regarding your visit to the sexual health clinic will be treated confidentially. This means that your personal details and any information about the tests or treatments you have received will not be shared with anyone outside the sexual health service without your permission. This includes your GP.

If you are under 16 years of age, your details will still be treated confidentially and no one in your household will be contacted without your permission.

Other services may need to be contacted if healthcare professionals at the sexual health clinic believe that you or another person is at risk of harm, such as physical or sexual abuse. However, if this is the case, it will be discussed with you during your visit to the sexual health clinic.

Sexual health services

Sexual health services are free and available to everyone regardless of sex, age, ethnic origin and sexual orientation.

If you have a disability and you have special requirements, or if English is not your first language, you should contact the sexual health clinic in advance to discuss your requirements. Appropriate arrangements can be made for you.

If you are unable to get to the clinic, it may be possible for someone to visit you at home. 

When you visit a sexual health clinic for the first time, you will usually be asked to fill in a form with your name and contact details. You do not have to give your real name or tell staff who your GP is if you do not want to.

The type of healthcare professional that you see will depend on your reason for visiting the clinic. If you need to be tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), you may need to provide a blood or urine sample.

Contraception

If you are seeking advice about contraception, you will be asked about your medical and sexual history.

There are several different types of contraception and each type works in a different way. Barrier methods of contraception, such as condoms, create a physical barrier against sperm.

Women can use hormonal methods of contraception, such as the contraceptive pill. They can also use mechanical contraceptive devices, such as an intrauterine device (IUD), which used to be called a coil or loop. The IUD is placed in the womb (uterus). See below for more information about IUDs.

If you decide to use a mechanical method of contraception, such as an IUD, you may need to have an internal examination and be tested for STIs.

See the Health A-Z topic about Contraception for more information.

Emergency contraception

Most sexual health clinics provide help and advice about emergency contraception. Emergency contraception can be used to prevent pregnancy if:

• you have had unprotected sex (sex without using contraception)
• the contraception you were using failed

There are two types of emergency contraception: the emergency contraceptive pill and the intrauterine device (IUD).

• emergency contraceptive pill - which can be taken up to three days (72 hours) after having sex; it is 95% effective if it is taken within 24 hours
• intrauterine device (IUD) - a small, rigid, T-shaped contraceptive device that is fitted inside the womb within five days of having unprotected sex; it is almost 100% effective and works by stopping sperm from reaching an egg

See the Health A-Z topic about Emergency contraception for more information.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

If you are visiting a sexual health clinic to be tested for STIs, you will be asked a number of questions about your sex life and sexual history. This might be a bit embarrassing for you at first, but you need to answer honestly to ensure that you receive the most appropriate treatment and advice.

If you need to have an examination, you should be offered a chaperone. A chaperone is a member of clinic staff who can give you support during the examination. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can bring a close friend or relative with you.

Routine screening

Depending on why you are visiting the sexual health clinic and your symptoms, you may be offered a number of different tests. If you are having a routine screening before starting a new sexual relationship, you will be offered the following tests:

• chlamydia - by taking either a urine sample or a swab (a sample of cells) from the cervix (neck of the womb) in females, a urine sample is usually taken for testing in men
• gonorrhoea - by taking a swab from the cervix in females, or by taking a urine sample in men
• blood test - which will be screened for hepatitis B, syphilis and HIV     

If you are diagnosed with a STI, it is very important that your current sexual partner and some, or all, of your previous sexual partners are informed as soon as possible so that they can be tested. The number of sexual partners that need to be contacted will depend on which STI you have.

Your partner (and previous partners) will need to be tested and, if necessary, treated to prevent the infection being passed on to anyone else or to prevent you from being re-infected after you have been treated.

Staff at the sexual health clinic will be able to advise you about the sexual partners who will need to be contacted and they may be able to contact them on your behalf. This is known as contact tracing. If you wish, your anonymity will be protected when contacting your previous sexual partners.

See the Health A-Z topic about Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for more information.

HIV and AIDS

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a sexually transmitted virus that attacks the immune system (the body’s natural defence against infection and illness). Over time, HIV destroys the cells that are responsible for fighting infection, leaving you with a high risk of developing other serious conditions or infections, such as cancer.

If you are visiting a sexual health clinic to be tested for HIV, you will be asked a series of questions about your symptoms and your medical and sexual history. The HIV test searches for antibodies to HIV in a blood sample that is taken at the sexual health clinic. Antibodies are specialist cells that attack infections and foreign substances that enter the body.

Before you have the HIV test, it is usually recommended that you wait for 12 weeks after having unprotected sex. This is because it can take a while for the body to develop antibodies to HIV (known as the window period). Waiting will ensure that the test results are reliable.

See the Health A-Z topic about HIV and AIDS for more information.

If you have had a test for a sexually transmitted infection (STI), you may be informed of the result immediately. However, you may have to wait several weeks for the results of some tests.

If you have been tested for thrush or bacterial vaginosis, you will usually be told straight away whether or not you have either infection. After a sample of cells has been taken, the healthcare professional who is conducting the test will be able to examine the sample under a microscope for signs of infection.

Getting your test results

Staff at the sexual health clinic will ask for your permission before phoning you with your test results.

Some clinics also run a text messaging service, where a text message is sent to your mobile phone to inform you about your results. The message will not make it obvious that you attended a sexual health clinic and will not go into detail about any tests that you have had. It will either inform you that you need to ring the clinic to speak to an advisor or that your results were negative and you do not need to visit the clinic again. 

Alternatively, you may be asked to come into the clinic to get your test results and to talk to an adviser. This will be the case if you are diagnosed with HIV. If your test results are positive (it is confirmed that you have HIV), you will receive the full support of a healthcare professional who will be able to provide you with help and advice.

Treatment and advice

If your test results show that you have an STI, a healthcare professional at the clinic will be able to discuss your results with you and advise you about possible treatment options.

Many STIs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea, can be treated with antibiotics (infection-fighting medication). Others, such as HIV, are not curable.

If you have HIV, staff at the clinic will arrange for you to have an appointment with a counsellor, as well as advising you about treatments that can be used to control the condition and slow its progression.

Preventing STIs

The best way to protect yourself against getting a STI, including HIV, is to practice safe sex. You should always use a condom when you have sex, including oral and anal sex.

If you are diagnosed with a STI, it is very important that you follow the advice that is given to you at the sexual health clinic with regards to having sex while you are being treated. This will help you and your partner avoid becoming re-infected and prevent you having to go through the treatment process again.

It is a crime to knowingly infect someone with HIV.