How it works
Ordering a 13 HEALTH Webtest is easy and takes around 5 minutes. Please make sure you have enough time and privacy to complete the form. If you exit before finishing the form, you will need to start again.
The order form includes an eligibility check, 4 STI risk factor questions, and requires you to provide your contact details prior to receiving a pathology request form. This service requires a verification code to be provided via SMS or email to confirm your order.
Confidentiality
Your details are confidential and will only be used to contact you about this test or de-identified and used to evaluate or improve this service. Find out more information about your privacy and how we manage your details (PDF, 79.5KB).
Providing a urine sample at a pathology collection centre requires you to:
- Have your pathology request form (e-form on your phone or printed version) with you when you arrive at the pathology collection centre.
- Take it to any of the following pathology collection centres:
- Provide a urine sample (do not go to the toilet one hour before this)
- The pathology centre will give you a small sample jar.
- Go to the bathroom, wash your hands and collect the first stream of urine in the jar over the toilet, with the remainder of the urine passing into the toilet.
- Screw the lid back on the jar, wash your hands and give the sample to the pathology staff.
If you change your mind
If you have downloaded or been mailed a pathology form and 13 HEALTH has not received a result for you after a few weeks, Webtest will send you an SMS reminder to submit your urine sample.
13 HEALTH Webtest is a voluntary test, you can choose not to go ahead with it at any time. However, any information you enter into the online order form or have discussed with 13 HEALTH staff cannot be removed from the database.
If you change your mind about using Webtest you don’t need to do anything more.
With many STIs not having symptoms, testing at a GP or sexual health clinic is recommended for sexually active young people at least once a year.
You will receive your results by email, SMS or phone within 1-2 days if you live in a major city, and within a week if you live outside a major city.
If you have not heard from 13 HEALTH within 2 weeks of providing your urine sample, please phone 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84), ask to speak to the Webtest team (available 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week) and mention that you haven’t received a result.
Please note: Webtest results cannot be sent to your My Health Record.
If the result is negative
If the result is negative, Webtest will send you a short SMS or email to let you know.
If the result is positive
If the result is positive, for either chlamydia or gonorrhoea, or both, the Webtest team will call you and provide you with information and support to get treated as soon as possible, usually with antibiotics.
13 HEALTH Webtest staff will discuss options for telling sexual partners that they should also be tested. The Webtest team can provide you with a referral letter to take to a GP or sexual health clinic and help find a clinic near you.
Calls from 13 HEALTH appear as a private number and an SMS will be sent after 3 unsuccessful call attempts to let you know Webtest is trying to make contact. You can reply with the best contact time so the Webtest team can speak to you about your result and getting treated as soon as possible.
If your test result is positive, the Webtest team will call you to let you know. They can help you find a GP or sexual health clinic so you can be treated with antibiotics. They will also discuss different options for telling sexual partners that they should be tested too.
The Webtest team will follow up about a week later to check that you have received treatment and notified sexual partners.
There is no shame or stigma about having chlamydia or gonorrhoea as they are very common infections, and in the majority of cases, simple and easy to treat.
Most people don’t have symptoms so getting tested is the only way of knowing if you have chlamydia or gonorrhoea. Left untreated the infection can be passed on for many months and lead to more serious health problems.
Getting treated
It is your responsibility to go to a GP or a sexual health clinic to get treated if your test result is positive. This will usually involve taking antibiotics.
Risks of not getting treated
Without early treatment, infection can occur in the cervix, uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes. This is called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and can cause infertility. If untreated, infection and swelling of the prostate gland known as prostatitis can develop, or epididymo-orchitis (infection in the sperm-conducting tubes and testicles). This can lead to infertility. A pregnant woman can also pass STIs to her baby, causing serious health problems.
Wait seven days after treatment before having sex
Once you have been treated you should not have any sexual contact for 7 days. Both you and your sexual partner should be treated—and have finished all your medication—before you have sex again.
Telling sexual partners
Webtest staff will discuss some options for letting your partner know that you have had a positive test result and they may have been exposed to an STI.
While it might seem a little awkward to tell a partner you have an STI, it’s the right thing to do. Most people want to know they are at risk so they can be tested and treated.
Telling your partner that they should also be tested helps prevent you from being re-infected with the same STI. It also helps stop the spread to future partners and prevents further complications from untreated infection.
Many appreciate being told in person, but there are other options if this isn’t possible. Learn more about ways to inform sexual partners so they can get tested and treated.
Getting retested
Because re-infection is very common, 13 HEALTH will send you a reminder via SMS to have another test about 3 months after you had a positive result and were treated. You can use Webtest to order another test or visit your nearest GP or sexual health clinic for a full sexual health check.
If you are sexually active, you should see your GP or sexual health clinic for a sexual health check every year—or more often if you have multiple partners, start a new relationship or have vaginal, anal or oral sex without a condom or dental dam.