\n By Euronews with AP\n<\/p>\n
\n Published on
\n 14\/01\/2026 – 7:01 GMT+1\n <\/p>\n
New options for testing and treating some of the most common sexually transmitted diseases<\/a> are becoming available, a trend that experts hope will keep downward pressure on US infection rates.<\/p>\n Last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first at-home test that can detect three common infections in women \u2014 gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis \u2014 as well as the first home-based kit for the virus that causes cervical cancer.<\/p>\n The agency ended the year by approving two different drugs for gonorrhea<\/a>, the first new options for the disease in decades.<\/p>\n It\u2019s positive news after cases of sexually transmitted infections reached alarming highs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted screening, education and treatment for sexual health nationwide.<\/p>\n But the pandemic years also brought positive developments for testing. The same technology used for the first over-the-counter coronavirus tests is now being translated into home-based kits for syphilis<\/a> and other sexually transmitted infections. Previously, the FDA had mostly limited the use of such tests to health professionals.<\/p>\n \u201cSexual health can be stigmatised and people can be hesitant about testing,\u201d said Dr Ina Park, a sexual health specialist at the University of California, United States.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we have a lot of options for patients who may be wary of going into a provider\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n New tests offer convenience and quicker turnaround times<\/p>\n Testing company Visby Medical launched its three-in-one test for women last year, following FDA approval in March. The urine-based test includes a vaginal testing swab and a small electronic device that develops the results and sends them to an online app for review.<\/p>\n The test, which costs $150 (about \u20ac127), also includes a telehealth consultation with a medical provider who can discuss the results and prescribe antibiotics or other medication, if needed.<\/p>\n The entire process \u2014 from buying the test to getting a prescription \u2014 can take as little as six hours, compared with several days under the traditional testing model, says Dr Gary Schoolnik, Visby\u2019s chief medical officer.<\/p>\n Previously, a nurse or doctor would have to collect a sample, send it out to a lab, get the results and then schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss the results.<\/p>\n \u201cMany patients are very hard to track down and a lot of them, if they have a positive test result, are never treated and are lost to follow-up,\u201d said Schoolnik, who is also a professor emeritus at Stanford Medical School.<\/p>\n The FDA approved Visby\u2019s test based on study results showing that it correctly detected the three infections with accuracy rates around 98 percent or higher. That\u2019s similar to tests performed at hospitals and health clinics.<\/p>\n Some home-based tests still require outside input to get the results.<\/p>\n