Currently, a swab for STIs is the basic and easiest way to diagnose a large number of sexually transmitted diseases. After sampling, the biological material is sent to the laboratory, where it is examined using a microscope or PCR. The latter is considered the most accurate and informative, but the analysis in this case takes a little longer. In order for the results of the smear on STIs to be as reliable as possible, it is necessary to properly prepare for the collection of biomaterial. The interpretation of the conclusion is done by the gynecologist or urologist. These same doctors make up a treatment regimen when identifying a particular pathology.
What allows you to detect
Sexually transmitted infections are a very wide range of diseases. A smear on an STI allows you to identify most of them:
- Chlamydia
- Syphilis.
- Gonorrhea.
- HIV
- Human papillomavirus.
- Mycoplasmosis
- Cytomegalovirus.
- Ureaplasmosis.
- Lymphogranulomatosis.
- Chancroid.
- Urogenital shigellosis.
- Trichomoniasis
- Herpes.
- Gardnerellosis.
This is a list of diseases that are most often diagnosed in patients. It is important to know that the smear for STIs allows you to detect any infections that are in secret, which is produced by the urethra (in men) and the vagina (in women). The most difficult to diagnose viruses. This is because they are so small that they are very difficult to see even under a microscope.
Indications
In both men and women, an STI swab is a standard procedure that is included in the list of annual preventive examinations. The study is assigned without fail to employees whose professional activities are related to the food industry.
For preventive purposes, it is recommended to take biomaterial at least 1 time per year. This is true even if a person is not worried about any alarming symptoms.
It is imperative to visit a doctor and pass a smear when the following signs of sexually transmitted infections appear:
- Increased fatigue.
- Discharge from the urethra, other than normal. As a rule, they have a mucous or purulent character.
- Turbid urine.
- Severe itching and burning in the genital area.
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the groin.
- Pain during urination.
- An increase in body temperature to subfebrile values.
- Discomfort during sexual intercourse.
- Pain in the lower abdomen.
- Abscesses and ulcers formed on the external genitalia.
These are clinical manifestations of STIs characteristic of both sexes. In women, the following symptoms may additionally occur: menstrual irregularities, irritation in the anus, unusual discharge from the anus, rash on the labia, edema of the vulva.
Specific symptoms of STIs in men: the presence of blood impurities in the seminal fluid, frequent urination, problems with ejaculation, pain in the scrotum, rash on the penis.
In addition, in women, a swab for an STI is taken both during pregnancy planning and during the gestation period. It is also recommended to consult a doctor as soon as possible after sexual contact has been made without the use of barrier protective agents.
Training
In order for the results of the study to be as reliable as possible, it is necessary to strictly follow all the recommendations of the doctor.
Rules for preparing for the collection of biomaterial:
- In about 2 weeks, you need to refuse to take any antibacterial agents. If this is not possible for health reasons, it is important to inform the attending physician about this. As a rule, in such cases, the study is postponed to another day. This is due to the fact that antibiotics can erase traces of the activity of the causative agent of a sexually transmitted disease. In some cases, doctors ask you to stop taking the medication for at least 24 hours. During this period, the patient’s body will not be harmed, and the results will be more reliable.
- Hygiene is recommended using ordinary soap. It is unacceptable to use antibacterial agents on the eve of taking the biomaterial.
- About 3 hours before the study, it is not recommended to empty the bladder.
- For two days, you must abandon any sexual contact.
- Women are recommended to take a smear immediately after the completion of menstrual bleeding.
In some cases, doctors advise the day before to make adjustments to the diet. This method is called provocation. The patient is recommended to eat fatty, fried, smoked, salty foods the day before. The use of such dishes somewhat weakens the body's defenses, due to which pathogens manifest themselves to the maximum.
Algorithm for taking biomaterial in women
Taking a smear for STIs is carried out in the process of admission to a gynecologist. Immediately before the biomaterial is taken, the specialist interviews the patient. The doctor must provide all the information regarding the symptoms and their intensity (if any). After this, the specialist proceeds to a physical examination and directly to take a smear.
Algorithm for taking biomaterial:
- The patient frees her lower body from clothes.
- A woman is placed on a gynecological chair.
- The doctor puts on disposable sterile gloves and examines the external genitalia of a woman.
- The specialist introduces a special dilator into the patient's vagina. Then he examines the mucous membranes with a mirror.
- The doctor takes a tool for collecting biomaterial (outwardly, it resembles an ordinary cotton swab) and inserts it alternately into the cervix, vagina and urethra. After that, the medical device, together with the obtained secret, is closed in a test tube and sent to the laboratory for research.
The procedure for collecting biomaterial is not associated with the occurrence of pain. The patient may experience only some discomfort due to the difference in body temperatures and the used gynecological instruments. An exception are cases when severe inflammation occurs in the genital area.
The process of taking biomaterial in men
The algorithm for taking the secret is carried out at the reception of a urologist. The specialist also initially interviews the patient, wondering if any disturbing symptoms are bothering him.
Algorithm of taking a smear for STIs in men:
- The doctor asks to release the genitals from clothes.
- The specialist puts on disposable gloves and examines the skin and mucous membranes for rashes and purulent foci.
- The doctor takes a special probe. A swab for an STI from the urethra is taken. The doctor introduces the probe 3-4 cm and slowly scrolls it.
- After that, the specialist removes the medical device and makes a smear on a glass slide. The latter is then sent to the laboratory.
According to numerous reviews, the biomaterial intake is accompanied not so much by painful sensations as by psychological discomfort. However, with a regular visit to the doctor, he disappears very quickly.
Diagnostic Methods
The easiest smear test method is microscopy. It allows you to get results in a short time. The method involves the study of biomaterial under a microscope.
Currently, PCR smear tests for STIs are increasingly being performed. The essence of the polymerase chain reaction is as follows. In the laboratory, a specialist selects from the biomaterial those sites that contain the DNA of the causative agent of a particular ailment. Then the cells multiply many times, making it easy to recognize the provocative agent.
A PCR smear test is most often performed by PCR. This is due to the fact that this analysis is today considered the most reliable. To confirm the diagnosis, an additional bacterial sowing may be prescribed.
Norm indicators for women
After conducting the study, a conclusion is drawn up in the laboratory. It reflects norm indicators and actual values.
A gynecologist should deal with the interpretation of the smear for STIs in women. However, the patient herself is able to compare the obtained indicators with those that should be.
Normal Values:
- White blood cells - from 0 to 10 units.
- Epithelium - 5-20 units.
- Mucus is a small amount.
- Trichomonads, gonococci, chlamydia, yeast and other pathogenic microorganisms are absent.
- Another microflora is rod-shaped.
- The degree of purity is 1-2.
Thus, in the norm of pathogenic microorganisms in the biological material should not be.
Norm indicators for men
In this case, the interpretation of the smear for STIs is more difficult, and therefore it is recommended to entrust it to a specialist.
The following values are considered normal:
- White blood cells - from 0 to 5 in the field of view. If they are elevated, it is recommended to re-pass the smear from the urethra for STIs by PCR (only if the biomaterial was initially examined under a microscope).
- Epithelium. Normally, it should be flat, the presence of a cylindrical one is allowed. The number of epithelial cells in the field of vision should be from 5 to 10. With an increase in this indicator, it is customary to talk about the inflammatory process. The presence of transitional epithelial cells indicates prostatitis.
- Mucus is a moderate amount. Sometimes in the conclusion you can see the meaning of "++" or "+++". In this case, it is also customary to talk about the development of the inflammatory process.
- Gonococci, Trichomonas, yeast, fungi, chlamydia, ureaplasma and other pathogenic microorganisms were not found.
In addition, microflora should normally be represented by single cocci.
How much to wait
Deadlines directly depend on which method is used to study biological material. The easiest way is microscopy. As a rule, in a laboratory a smear is studied by this method rather quickly. Most often, the analysis takes no more than an hour. Most quickly, the results of the study are received by patients who contacted a medical institution equipped with its own laboratory. Otherwise, it is necessary to take into account the time spent on the delivery of biomaterial. As a rule, the results of the study can be obtained the next day.
PCR smear analysis is not only a reliable, but also a quick method for diagnosing sexually transmitted diseases. On average, its time is 4 hours. Thus, it is possible to obtain the results of the study on the day of delivery or on the next day.
Bacteriological seeding is a method for which you need at least 1 week. Its essence is to place biomaterial in a favorable environment and monitor the activity of pathogens, if any. That is why research is time consuming.
Deviations from the norm: what to do
If pathogens are identified, treatment should be initiated as soon as possible. If a microscopic examination was performed, the doctor may recommend a second smear test, but in this case, the biomaterial will be examined by PCR. Less commonly, bacteriological culture is prescribed.
When confirming the diagnosis, the doctor draws up the most effective treatment regimen. It may include taking medication (antibiotics), topical treatment of the external genitalia, and douching. The choice of drugs is carried out exclusively by a doctor. The specialist must take into account not only the type of pathogen, but also the individual characteristics of the patient’s health.
Where to turn in
The collection of biomaterial for STIs is carried out both in private and state medical institutions. In polyclinics at the place of residence, research is free. This is relevant for the microscopic method. PCR and bacteriosis requires certain reagents, so these studies are paid even in budgetary institutions.
Cost
The average price of microscopic analysis is 450 rubles. For the study by PCR, you will have to pay about 2200 rubles. Moreover, the analysis is carried out on the 12 most common infections. Expanded research, respectively, is more expensive. The cost of backseeding is approximately 1,500 rubles.
Finally
Everyone should have a smear test every year for sexually transmitted infections, or more often if alarming symptoms periodically appear. In the laboratory, biomaterial can be studied in several ways. One of the most informative is the PCR method.