Sexual health testing
Have you been to the doctor for STI testing? You actually don't have to.
Most people think the order is: book a GP, explain yourself, get a form, go to a lab, go back to the GP. You can skip straight to the lab. Test first, find out where you stand, and involve a doctor only if there is something to treat.
Basically
- You do not need a doctor's referral or a prescription to be tested at Epicentre. Walk in and ask.
- Panels run from R1,235 to R3,305 depending on how many organisms you want covered. Adding HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis costs R524 on top.
- The genital PCR panels need both a self-collected swab and a urine sample. Not one or the other.
- HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis are blood tests. They are separate and have to be done at a branch.
- You can do the swab and urine part at home with a kit. The blood part you cannot.
- Results come to you. Take them to your own doctor, or book an online consult with one of our referral doctors if you need treatment.
What is in this article
Why the usual order is backwards
There is nothing wrong with seeing a doctor first. But if what you want is simply to know your status, the consultation in front of the test does not add much.
It adds a booking, a wait, a fee and a conversation you may not feel like having. At the end of it you still have to go and give the sample.
The useful consultation is the one after the results, when there is something concrete to discuss. And you only need that one if something comes back positive.
So the order that works for most people is: test, read, then decide whether you need a doctor at all.
What happens when you walk in
- Tell us which package you want. That is the whole conversation. Between our three branches we run these panels most days, so the person at the desk has done this more times than they can count. Nobody is going to ask you to explain yourself, and if you would rather not say the words out loud, point at the package on your phone.
- Collect the swab yourself, privately. You are shown to a private room and given the kit. No examination, no stirrups, nobody watching.
- Give a urine sample at the same time. Both go into the same panel.
- Add the blood tests if you want them. A nurse draws the sample. Under 5 minutes.
- Results come by email. PCR panels in 5 to 7 working days, antibody blood tests in 2 to 3 working days. They go to you and to nobody else.
Which panel do you need, and what it costs
The panels come in sizes. A bigger panel tests for more organisms, not more accurately. Every one of them needs a self-collected swab and a urine sample together, and none of them is restricted by gender: the nurse takes the swab from the anatomy present.
| Panel | Targets | What it adds | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 4 | Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomonas and herpes 2. The classic four. | R1,235 |
| Medium | 9 | Adds HPV, herpes 1, ureaplasma, E. coli O18 and Mycoplasma genitalium, which standard screens routinely miss. | R1,580 |
| Large, penile swabMost ordered | 17 | Adds a syphilis target, Haemophilus ducreyi, candida and the other organisms behind urethritis. | R1,925 |
| Large, vaginal swab | 17 | Adds the vaginal flora, including the organisms behind bacterial vaginosis, plus candida. | R1,925 |
| Extra LargeMost complete | 34 | Our most thorough screen, and not sex-specific. Everything above plus syphilis, chancroid, 7 candida species and the lactobacilli that should be keeping the rest in check. | R3,305 |
We are not guessing at "most ordered". Across May and June 2026, the 17-target Large accounted for just under half of every genital PCR panel we ran, the 9-target Medium for around a quarter, the Small for about one in six and the Extra Large for roughly one in eleven. Large is the clear favourite in both the vaginal and penile versions.
Not sure which to pick? Our package finder asks 4 questions and tells you which panel fits your situation. Take the 30-second quiz, or just walk in and ask us at the desk.
Why HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis need blood, not a swab
These three are not on the PCR panel, and that is not an oversight. They work differently.
A PCR panel looks for the genetic material of an organism at the place you sampled. It answers the question "is this organism here, now". That works beautifully for infections that live at the site.
HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis screening looks in blood, for your body's response to the infection. That is how those three are found wherever they happen to be, which is why a swab and a cup of urine cannot do the job and why a nurse has to draw a tube.
| Test | What it finds | Price |
|---|---|---|
| HIV screening | HIV 1 and 2, antibody and antigen combination | R168 |
| Hepatitis B | Current, active hepatitis B infection | R269 |
| Syphilis | Syphilis screening (RPR or VDRL) | R87 |
| All three together | Ordered as one item, the Combined HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B Add-On | R524 |
You do not have to ask for the three separately. They are sold as one item, the Combined HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B Add-On, at R524. For most people that is the difference between a mostly complete picture and a complete one, and if you are going to the trouble of testing at all it is usually the add-on to say yes to.
Those three blood tests depend on your immune system having responded, which takes weeks. A negative result shortly after a specific exposure does not rule the infection out and will need repeating.
PCR detects the organism itself, so it can pick things up sooner, though a day or two after exposure is still too soon for anything. Tell us if you have a particular date in mind and we will tell you what timing makes sense.
If you think you need urgent post-exposure care, do not wait for a test result. See a doctor or clinic now.
Oral sex needs a separate throat swab
A vaginal or penile swab plus urine tests the genital site. That is all it tests.
Throat infections from oral sex are common, usually have no symptoms whatsoever and are not detected by genital sampling, no matter how many targets the panel has.
If the exposure you are thinking about included oral sex, you need a throat swab as well. Our Essential Oral panel covers 9 targets at R1,580 and the Comprehensive Oral panel covers 16 at R1,925.
Testing from home
If walking into a lab is the part you would rather avoid, order a kit online instead. It arrives discreetly, you collect the swab and urine at home in your own time, and a prepaid courier takes it back to us. Same panel, same laboratory, same turnaround.
The one thing a kit cannot do is blood. HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis need a nurse. Plenty of people do the kit for the PCR panel and then pop into a branch for the blood tests, which takes about 5 minutes and needs no appointment.
Where to get tested
We have three walk-in branches. No appointment, no doctor's referral, no prescription, and no explanation required at the desk.
Cape Town
24 Lower Main Road, Observatory, 7925
Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:00
Durban
2 Knelsby Avenue, Hillcrest, 3650
Monday to Thursday, 09:00 to 15:30
Friday, 09:00 to 13:00
Johannesburg
02 7th Avenue, Parktown North
Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:00
If none of those are near you, the home kit covers the swab and urine part anywhere in South Africa. Only the blood tests need a branch.
Three ways to start
Walk in during opening hours at Observatory in Cape Town, Hillcrest in Durban or Parktown North in Johannesburg. Book a slot online if you would rather have a fixed time. Or order a home kit and do the swab and urine part yourself.
No doctor's referral. No prescription. No explanation required.
Book a walk-in test Order a home kit Not sure? Take the quiz All branches, hours and directionsWhat happens when the results land
Your report comes by email, to you. It lists every target that was tested and whether it was detected or not, so you are not left guessing at what was and was not covered.
For a PCR panel that single report is the whole thing. It is colour coded, written in plain language, and it carries the organism-level detail and recommendations your doctor needs, so there is no second pathology report to wait for or ask us about.
If everything is negative, that is the end of it, and you have an answer you can trust rather than a worry you keep putting off.
If something is detected, Epicentre cannot treat it. We are a laboratory: we run tests and report what we find, and we do not diagnose conditions or prescribe anything.
What you do next is up to you, and there are two easy routes. Take the report to your own doctor, who now has a precise result to work from instead of guessing from symptoms. Or get in touch with us and we will set up an online consult with one of our referral doctors, so you do not have to go hunting for an appointment.
One more thing that matters and is easy to skip. If something is detected, your recent partners should be tested too. Reinfection from an untested partner is one of the most common reasons people end up back at square one a few months later.
We do not bill medical aid directly for the specialised PCR panels. We do give you the correct paperwork to submit the claim yourself, and whether it is covered is between you and your scheme.
We cannot pre-verify your benefits or guarantee what your scheme will pay, so if cover is what decides it for you, check with them before you test.
Common questions
Do I need a doctor's referral for STI testing in South Africa?
Not at a private laboratory like Epicentre. You can walk into any of our branches in Cape Town, Durban or Johannesburg, choose a panel and be tested the same day, with no referral, no prescription and no appointment. State facilities work differently and usually involve a clinical consultation first. Epicentre is a laboratory, so we test and report. We do not diagnose or treat, which is why your results are yours to take to a doctor if anything needs acting on.
Is it a urine test or a swab?
Both. Every genital PCR panel at Epicentre needs a self-collected swab and a urine sample together, not one or the other. Some organisms are recovered better from the swab and some from urine, so running both is what gives the panel its accuracy. You collect the swab yourself in a private room at the branch, or at home if you ordered a kit.
What is the difference between the PCR panel and the HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis tests?
They look for different things in different ways. The PCR panel looks for the genetic material of organisms at the site you sampled, so it detects an infection that is present right there, right now. HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis screening looks in blood for the body's response to an infection, which is how those three are detected wherever they are in the body. That is why they cannot be done on a swab or urine sample and need a blood draw at a branch.
How much does comprehensive STI testing cost?
The Extra Large panel covers 34 targets at R3,305 and can be ordered by anyone. The Large panel covers 17 targets at R1,925 and comes in a vaginal swab and a penile swab version. Medium is 9 targets at R1,580 and Small is 4 targets at R1,235. Adding all three blood tests costs R524 in total: HIV at R168, hepatitis B at R269 and syphilis at R87. All prices include VAT.
Can I do STI testing at home?
You can do the swab and urine part at home. Order a kit online, collect the samples in your own time and return them by the prepaid courier. What cannot be done at home is the blood component, so HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis screening still needs a branch visit. If you want both, many people order the kit and add the blood tests on a single walk-in visit.
How soon after possible exposure should I test?
It depends on the test. PCR looks for the organism itself, so it can detect an infection relatively early, though testing within a day or two of exposure can still be too soon. Antibody blood tests for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B rely on your immune response, which takes weeks to develop, so a negative result soon after exposure does not rule infection out and needs repeating. If you have had a recent specific exposure, say so when you book and we will tell you what timing makes sense. If you need urgent post-exposure care, see a doctor or a clinic straight away rather than waiting for a test.
Does a genital swab cover oral sex?
No, and this is the gap people most often miss. A vaginal or penile swab with urine tests the genital site only. Throat infections are common, frequently have no symptoms at all and are not picked up by genital sampling. If the exposure included oral sex, a separate throat swab panel is needed. Our Essential Oral panel covers 9 targets at R1,580 and the Comprehensive Oral panel covers 16 at R1,925.
Will my medical aid pay for it?
We do not bill medical aid directly for the specialised PCR panels. What we do give you is the correct paperwork to submit the claim yourself, and whether it is covered is between you and your scheme. The blood tests are handled the usual way. We cannot pre-verify your benefits or guarantee what your scheme will pay, so check with them first if cover matters to your decision.
Where can I get STI testing near me in South Africa?
Epicentre has three walk-in branches. In Cape Town we are at 24 Lower Main Road, Observatory, open Monday to Friday 08:30 to 16:00, on 021 201 1658. In Durban we are at 2 Knelsby Avenue, Hillcrest, open Monday to Thursday 09:00 to 15:30 and Friday 09:00 to 13:00, on 031 880 2150. In Johannesburg we are at 02 7th Avenue, Parktown North, open Monday to Friday 08:30 to 16:00, on 010 825 6318. No appointment and no doctor's referral are needed at any of them. If you are not near a branch, a home test kit covers the swab and urine part anywhere in South Africa, though the blood tests still need a branch visit.
We publish a new article every Wednesday, usually on something a patient asked us that week. See what else we have written.
Related reading
- The four STIs South Africa tests for, and the ones it does not
- Why is PCR accurate for STI testing?
- What symptom-based STI care misses in South Africa
- HPV 35 in South Africa: the type most tests don't name
Important. Epicentre Walk-In Labs is a diagnostic laboratory operated by Epicentre Aids Risk Management (Pty) Ltd. We collect samples, run tests and report results. We do not diagnose conditions, prescribe medication or provide treatment, and nothing in this article is medical advice. Results are confidential and are released to the person tested. If you have symptoms that are worrying you, or you think you may need urgent care after an exposure, see a doctor or clinic without waiting for a test result.
